Knife ID/Info

[uhtred]

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I bought this knife from a pawn shop about 15 years ago. Never thought to much about it until I needed to replace the clip. I have been trying to find out more information on it, and the engraving on the handle. Not a google master but found it is a 1st generation mariner but I can not find anything out about a crow model. Its is probably just an engraving but either way any help is appreciated.

 

[rycen]

Welcome. As you suspect it's just engraving.

 

[uhtred]

Thank you.

 

[yablanowitz]

Actually, it's a second generation. The first generation had unbeveled scales and no drying vent/shackle key hole in the handle, like the top knife in this picture.



The GIN-1 steel mark was used from about 1994 to 1998.

More info can be found here: http://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php?title=C02_Mariner

 

[uhtred]

Thank you, very helpful.

 

[bengaiser]

Actually, it's a second generation. The first generation had unbeveled scales and no drying vent/shackle key hole in the handle, like the top knife in this picture.



The GIN-1 steel mark was used from about 1994 to 1998.

More info can be found here: http://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php?title=C02_Mariner

Actually, wasn't the first generation stamped "SPYDERCO-USA" with no lanyard hole? My apologies that I don't have a picture handy to verify the stamp, but there are early models without the lanyard. Might depend on your definition of generation as well.

 

[yablanowitz]

Actually, wasn't the first generation stamped "SPYDERCO-USA" with no lanyard hole? My apologies that I don't have a picture handy to verify the stamp, but there are early models without the lanyard. Might depend on your definition of generation as well.

I've never seen one without a lanyard hole, nor does the Spydiewiki article mention one. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist. Likewise the "SPYDERCO-USA" marking. The early ones I've seen are just marked SPYDERCO on the front and SEKI JAPAN on the back. I don't recall ever seeing a Japan made Spyderco marked USA, and all the early ones were Japan made. The accepted definition of generations for Spyderco involves major changes such as the change from flat solid slab handles to bevelled vented handles. If you tried to call every CQI change a new generation, the current Endura would be called a 30 or so instead of a 4.

 

[bengaiser]

Now that I think about it, you are correct. The lanyard hole was simply smaller on the earliest "Paramedic" models, but the steel was indeed stamped "SPYDERCO-USA". As were the earliest Worker models, I don't believe this was ever true on any other model besides these two. See http://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php?title=Imagearamedic_rh.jpg for a picture of an early Paramedic. There were also differences in the scale thickness (and potentially even the blade steel, though all the early ones were unmarked). I believe this would be enough to qualify for an actual variant, at least in my book.

I don't recall the exact story about why the marking was eventually changed to just "SPYDERCO", but roughly I think it had something to do with the knives being made in Japan, but Spyderco was a USA company. I don't think the rules in the US allow this type of marking unless the product is made here.

 

[The Deacon]

I've never seen one without a lanyard hole, nor does the Spydiewiki article mention one. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't exist. Likewise the "SPYDERCO-USA" marking. The early ones I've seen are just marked SPYDERCO on the front and SEKI JAPAN on the back. I don't recall ever seeing a Japan made Spyderco marked USA, and all the early ones were Japan made. The accepted definition of generations for Spyderco involves major changes such as the change from flat solid slab handles to bevelled vented handles. If you tried to call every CQI change a new generation, the current Endura would be called a 30 or so instead of a 4.

FWIW, I've never seen one either. The hole size did vary over the years, and the PE Paramedic version had a very small one, but even it had a lanyard hole. I have some with beveled sides and drying vents that have no steel markings, but what I can't recall ever seeing is a Mariner unbeveled sides and a drying vent. Steel markings came into existence around '92, and the earliest ones labeled GIN-1 with the proprietary label "G-2". The change to using the actual steel name, GIN-1, took place around '94-95. My personal take on this would be that there were only ever two generations of the Mariner, unless you count the Mariner Salt as a 3rd.

FWIW, the Paramedic also had asymmetrical scales, with the non-clip side scale being only about half as thick as the clip side scale. Both the scales on Mariners of that era were thick. As for the USA marking, to the best of my knowledge it was only done on the Paramedic blades, which were GIN-1, so it may have been done to help segregate them from the Mariner blades, which were AUS-8 at that time, during assembly.

 

[yablanowitz]

Now that I think about it, you are correct. The lanyard hole was simply smaller on the earliest "Paramedic" models, but the steel was indeed stamped "SPYDERCO-USA". As were the earliest Worker models, I don't believe this was ever true on any other model besides these two. See http://www.spydiewiki.com/index.php?title=Imagearamedic_rh.jpg for a picture of an early Paramedic. There were also differences in the scale thickness (and potentially even the blade steel, though all the early ones were unmarked). I believe this would be enough to qualify for an actual variant, at least in my book.

I don't recall the exact story about why the marking was eventually changed to just "SPYDERCO", but roughly I think it had something to do with the knives being made in Japan, but Spyderco was a USA company. I don't think the rules in the US allow this type of marking unless the product is made here.

You are correct on the markings, I just hadn't seen that before. Since the Paramedic was made concurrently with the Mariner as a variant rather than replacing it, I wouldn't call it a generation of the Mariner.

Comparing the Mariner Salt to the second generation Mariner, there are enough changes that I would call it a third generation, but Spyderco chose to call it a new model instead.

 

[bengaiser]

In that case I might just call the Paramedic it's own model that happens to share the same SKU. I suppose you could also call it an experimental model, but it definitely predates the CX prefix.

I'm 100% sure the "SPYDERCO-USA" marking also existed on the earliest Worker models as well. Spyderco even reproduced the stamp on the 2-screw clip version of the Evolution Edition models.