Schrade 881Y age?

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

Joined
Apr 20, 2001
Messages
18,423
Picked this Schrade 881Y up this weekend, is it possible to tell by the tangstamp roughly when it was made?

Schrade-881Y-2.jpg


Schrade-881Y-3.jpg
 
Congrats LC,
I just got one this weekend too. My dad gave one that he had for years.
The last date I have for the 881Y in a catalog or price list is in 1983. The price was $17.95.

Dale
 
They were made as part of the "opn stock" line which was dropped circa 1983....but then the 881Y and a few other yellow handled patterns were brought back circa 1990 - 1992 for a few years.
 
I first see the #881 listed in my 1953 catalogs though, no doubt, this 4" three bladed Premium Stock knife traces it’s roots to earlier Schrade Cutlery Company patterns. The base #881 with stagged bone covers is listed along with the #881Y with Maize (yellow) plastic covers from the 1954 Schrade Walden listing. The old SCC number referenced in the 1953 ans 1954 catalogs is #8815, and it is called “Premium Stock Knife, Texas Pattern”, with the classic clip, sheepfoot, and spey blades, nickle silver shield and bolsters, brass linings, large blade polished one side. By 1961, the stagged bone of the 881 had been replaced by “Unbreakable Staglon”.

The last catalog appearance for these two patterns was in 1986, when they were dropped from the ever-thinning open stock line. In that last year of listing, slightly less than 6,000 each of the 881 and 881Y were shipped. Other than the remaining 3,500 881Y shipped in 1987, only a few warranty replacements were shipped the next few years. In 1991 although it did not appear in the regular catalog, Schrade made a one year only run of about 20,000 of the 881, shipping 18,000. The remaining 1,800 knives shipped the next year. There was not a second run of the 881Y pattern that I could find, so it’s last year of production was 1987.

Your knife was made between 1973 (when Schrade-Walden became Schrade) and 1987.

Codger
 
What about knifeaholic's info that some were produced in 1990-1992, codger?
 
I couldn't verify that, other than the 296Y, 8OTY, 34OTY. I did note the additional run of regular 881 in 1991.
 
I'm guessing you get this information from production records. I also guess they may not be complete. Am I on thin ice here??
 
The information does come from copies of factory production records. They are not complete, but are through the time period in question. There were 15,240 #881Y shipped in 1982. The last shipments noted were for 26 in 1988, and 2 in 1989. Those would have been replacements or donations.
 
I am only going by memory...I remember the yellow full size trapper, which was a new pattern for Schrade at the time, I remember the yellow 34 pattern, but could also swear that I bought an 881Y at that time too...my memory could be wrong.
 
Codger_64 said:
I couldn't verify that, other than the 296Y, 8OTY, 34OTY. I did note the additional run of regular 881 in 1991.
Click to expand...


This MIGHT solve the mystery....IIRC, the yellow handle knives that were put in production circa 1991 were considered to part of the OT line, even though they had plain shields instead of the OT shields...so the knife that Codger shows as the 8OTY would in fact look identical to the 881Y, just different pattern number....maybe they did that to simplify things, since the open stock line was long gone, a dealer would recognize the number 8OTY as being the big stockman pattern but with yellow handles.
 
A good summation. Plus, just because a pattern was no longer being assembled and shipped, does not mean there were none in the pipeline, or warehouse of a distributor, or even the seller's stockroom. My local dealer still has LB7s NIB, and several other UH patterns. I bought a NIB 296Y well after the Schrade closing in a store that used to be a Fred's. Also, as you mentioned, when sales of a pattern seemed to be on the decline, it would be dropped in favor of a similar competing pattern. Often, the open stock knife patterns became Old Timers.

I'd say your memory is pretty darn good! And your input here is always most welcome indeed!

Now, when did the TL-29 get it's mil-spec designation? This is a factoid I've been looking for!

Codger:thumbup:
 
Just to add to that, the yellow handle Schrades that I did buy in about 1991 were brand new from a distributor, and I ordered them because I saw a flyer about their reintroduction..I wanted them because the yellow handled Schrade opne stock knives had by that time been discontinued for a number of years. So the ones that I had were not old stock.

I remember buying a half dozen of the 44OT (Workmate?) at that time to give out as gifts to some skilled trades workers that I was working with on a project. One of the guys had a Middleman Jack as his pocket knife, the blades were worn down to splinters. He went absolutely nuts over getting the 44OT from me.
 
I must admit, I don't come from a tradition of Schrade knives, but appreciate the second hand knowledge of the breed, from you old timers. Thanks considering my questions guys.
Late to the party, but thoroughly enjoying it!!
Charlie
 
From the mouths of babes..........(at least my wife thinks so!!)
 
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