Help with this 881

Chuck - you and I are on the same page. It's highly questionable the blades are original to that 4" frame. The 883 had round bolsters on the same frame, but it's blades included a punch. To my knowledge, when they did have the round threaded bolsters like that, the shields did not have Schrade engraved on them either. I'm not certain about that though.

The knife looks pretty shiny too. I liked the blade combination, but the pen blade looked small for that frame, and that might be over analyzing.

If you look far enough back, I believe there was a Schrade Cut Co with this blade combination (an 8873), but that 881 clip blade and the engraved shield don't seem right.
 
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The blades are sharpened quite a bit more than the seller would like you to believe, legit knife or not!
 
I'm with you Hal and Charlie. Something about it didn't/ doesn't smell right. It made me think of Charlies post in the traditional forum about reading and knowing the knife and learning to spot a fake/ rework. It's a nice looking knife, don't get me wrong, but the pieces don't seem to add up.

Chuck
 
I have never seen a bone handled Schrade Walden knife with SCHRADE on the shield. Delrin, yes, of course but not bone.
 
I believe that they switched from plastic to bone for a short few years back in 1958 on a good number of the open stocks (and Old Timers):D
Rounded bolsters were re-intro'd on that model in either '58 or '59, but that pen blade is definitely an anomaly. Every 881 I've seen has a spey blade in that position. Not sure on the stamped shields though, I defer to Hal's and Steve's expertise on that subject:thumbup:

Definitely a questionable setup.

Eric
 
The SCHRADE stamped shield is not something I had previously thought about, but as soon as I saw that knife, it looked out of place. And Steve, I concur on engraved shields with a 1950's bone handle, or before that, never saw one.

The reintroduced 4" stockman you speak of Eric, with round threaded bolsters, I believe, is the 879, with a spey in the bottom position. Same basic knife as the 883, which has the punch. I know I've never seen an 879, except in the 1958 catalog.

One thing I can say for sure in 4 years of Schrade scavenging, you never know what might show up. Legit or not. And I like that. I have the two bladed single spring 44ot with an easy open notch that goes nowhere, and it is one of my favorites. I would have liked that 881 knife at about 10 bucks less than it went for.
 
I was willing to throw down $40, obviously that guy was willing to throw down more. Maybe he knows something we don't :p,

Chuck
 
Oh, I don't know about that. . . I was just feeling generous that night! I think it would be an interesting piece to have, but as compared to other knives that raise fewer questions that was as far as I was willing to go out on a limb. Older and older looking knives like that still warrant caution with me just because I don't think I have a good enough "feel" yet for their authenticity.

Chuck
 
I found that knife very mysterious also. I bought it. If it is a rework it is still a nice knife. I will post better pix when it comes in. Getting suckered on a $40 knife isn't as bad as those $1000 fake CASE TESTED's. Don't forget all the lunch box knives that came out of that building. I have another lovely old greenbone Schrade Walden that looks original but isn't even close to anything in the catalogs.
 
I can see no evidence of it being a rework in pics provided, other than it doesn't match any known pattern.
TR, i'll be v. interested to hear your assessment once knife arrives. It's a good looking one at the very least.
roland
 
I received the knife today. As Charlie pointed out, it is heavily sharpened. It is also pitted, and then buffed out. However, the pen blade is absolutely original, to my view. It was never a spey blade sharpened down. I have many of these knives, and I had a good look at them before I came to this determination. Neither has the knife been taken apart, as near as I can tell.

881pen001.jpg
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P.S.: You also may wish to notice the round and threaded bolsters, atypical for the 881.
 
tongueriver,

I guess I owe you an apology for knocking up the price on you at the end :o. It is a good looking knife, don't take any of us the wrong way, just out of the ordinary. Congrats!

Chuck
 
I bid on it too. I like it. It has the perfect combination of blades. If it were mine I would carry it often. Schrade has a reputation for unpredictable knife patterns. It is one of the reasons they are fun to chase down. Nice to see one with bone handles too.
 
I agree, Delrin. My mistake. Crappy knife anyway.

On a brighter note;
Here's a nice one, the equivalent of the Schrade Cut Co 8873, stamped Schrade Walden - no number, but 4" long, and same blades as the OP.
SchradeWalden8873.jpg
 
I am trying to work this laptop in a motel room but I can't figure out what "OP" means, Charlie. I suspect I am an idiot once more. That tip top knife looks like the same one, except for the lack of a # and the shield. ?
 
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