expert historens needed

110 Dave · Jul 16, 2005

on ebay : http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6546412451&fromMakeTrack=true

there is a 2 dot 110 with deep etching/engraveing on the off side....
now i could be wrong so i am asking for expert info on this deep engraving.
I was under the impresson that this style art work was done by a lady in west virginia and the partnership she was with did the etching/engraveing.... i have seen her bio and in it she says she designed engraving with a wv company that did knives.

surly auburn was not the only company to do art work for buck
now am i missinformed

textoothpk · Jul 16, 2005

No real info, just an aside.. type in Aurum Knife on ebay and there are about ten of them up on auction. You can compare the look of them to this knife.

I'm looking forward to what the real experts have to say about the knife you show us, and the lady from W. Va.

Phil

Larry Oden · Jul 16, 2005

The subject knife was done by aurum etchings. They also did some gold etch knives for Buck. However, the stag inlays on this knife MAY have been done aftermarket.

110 Dave · Jul 16, 2005

dumb questions i guess

Mick57 · Jul 18, 2005

Larry Oden said:
The subject knife was done by aurum etchings. They also did some gold etch knives for Buck. However, the stag inlays on this knife MAY have been done aftermarket.

I'm curious why you feel the handles may be aftermarket.

Larry Oden · Jul 18, 2005

Because I have never seen one in stag and the advertising I own on these Aurum etched knives does not indicate any handle inlay options beyond the standard ebony.
Now, I readily admit a buyer may have sent his knife in and requested Buck to switch the inlay to stag. The time frame for these Aurum knives is from 1974 - 1980 and the Buck Custom shop opened in 1980 (or possibly in late 1979).
Perhaps Joe will add his two cents to this thread.

Mick57 · Jul 19, 2005

Larry Oden said:
Because I have never seen one in stag and the advertising I own on these Aurum etched knives does not indicate any handle inlay options beyond the standard ebony.
Now, I readily admit a buyer may have sent his knife in and requested Buck to switch the inlay to stag. The time frame for these Aurum knives is from 1974 - 1980 and the Buck Custom shop opened in 1980 (or possibly in late 1979).
Perhaps Joe will add his two cents to this thread.

OK, thanks. I wasn't aware of this knife till now & in looking at the pic, the handles looked factory to me. Like you said, maybe Joe will chime in.

Joe Houser · Aug 2, 2005

I took a long look at the knife. I agree that it is not a variation found in any liturature from Buck or Aurum. On the other hand, I could see nothing about the inlay work that would make me think it wasnt done at the factory. The type of grinds, rivets,ect, all look "Buck like" to me.
If I were forced to render an opinion, I would say it was probably done at Buck but not as part of a run. Like Larry said, it may have been a special request by a customer. Possibly even a sample made for a dealer.