Schrade fixed blades

R

redshanks

Joined
May 8, 2005
Messages
711
I have a few Schrade fixed blade knives that I'm not familiar with and some I had never seen until I saw the collections that other members posted here. I have the following knives and would like to know if these were popular or duds in the marketplace:

Walden 147 leather handle
Walden 147 plastic handle
14OT
160OT
162OT
165OT
162 LTD
491 Staglon
498 Leather handle

Any info on these would be greatly appreciated.
 
Well, if by popular in the marketplace you mean long years of production, several were. Some were not. Let's see if this helps.

Walden 147 leather handle
Walden 147 plastic handle

The leather handle knives (147L?) were popular in their day, before the advent of the plastic handles in the '60's-'70's. They harken back to the early Geo. Schrade Knife Co. days pre WWII. The 147 was one blade pattern of a series that included the 137 and several more. I only have a 137L "Wonda-Edge", as I have learned it is called with serrations. If I am not mistaken, the 147 et al was the blade pattern series used for the '49ers series available in both leather (497L) and Staglon (497S). The series included the 491, 497, 498, and 499. I seem to remember reading that these were "gold rush" commemoratives, and that they came in a box marked "Benchmade" with a squared sheath embossed with the "'49ers" emblem. I have a 498S of this series.

14OT

The 14OT Timberline must have been a marketing failure of sorts, since it was only made for a short time ('78-'81). It was a clip point companion to the drop point 13OT Trailblazer ('78-'80). The 144UH ('79-'82) was a stainless version of the 14OT pattern clip point.

160OT

The 160OT Mountain Lion was likewise made for a short time ('90-'95). I have a knife of another pattern that was given to a customer in settlement of his complaint about a 160OT breaking, and the replacement also. It has a thin blade with a flat grind. Other than the grind, and the full tang, it is the same pattern as the longlasting favorite, the 153UH Golden Spike ('74-'04). I have several of them and like the serpentine handle configuration handed down from the 15OT ('64) and the 165OT ('67).

162OT

I am not familiar with an Old Timer version of the 162UH Wolverine (''82-'85). That knife is similar to the 156OT Lil' Finger ('79-'85), but with a slightly longer blade.

165OT

Ahhh.... my favorite pattern. And a favorite of a lot of folks for quite a few years. The 165OT Woodsman ('67-'91) was evidently a big seller. The 165UH Prospector ('69-'70, '94-'97) was the Uncle Henry version of this one. I did a rant on it a while back if you have a few minutes to kill.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=352239&highlight=Woodsman

164 LTD

A limited edition of the 164UH Badger ('82-'88) Limited editions of a lot of UH patterns were produced til nearly the end in 2004. I have a 164LTD that is a Ducks Unlimited knife with stag jigged bone handles and a gold filled blade etch. Originally, they came mounted on a decoy display by Big Sky Carvers, I think. I am out of duck there.

491 Staglon
498 Leather handle

See the above 147 info. (circa 1973-'74)

Codger the fixed guy :o
 
Very interesting info on the 165. Of the knives I listed, I thought that was the nicest too, even though the 160OT is a nice slim blade. Based upon what you described, it looks like mine is one of the later Ellenville knives:

File0001Small2.jpg
 
If possible, can you scan the 162OT? I've never seen one of those and it's not on the list of OldTimer models that we've been circulating on the forum.

I don't know how popular those models were at the time they were released, but the fixed-blade OldTimers are very popular among eBay buyers right now, especially the less common models such as the 165, 13, 14, and 15.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Bob, the 15OT Deerslayer has always been popular. It was made for so many years that it is nowhere near rare. But buyers still gobble them up. You can buy one mint new in the box right now for $75 plus shipping. Now, that may seem like a lot, but they last listed for $46.95 in 1997. That was eight years ago. A lot of things have doubled in price since then.

Yes, buyers are going after the fixed blade Old Timers, but the real deals on them get passed up. I recently bought a pair of 15OT's for $39.00. One is a Walden, neither are in real bad shape, mostly needing cleaning, the one I gave $15 for is destined to be rehandled in Gabon Ebony with ivory scrim insets. Oh, I'm not desecrating a rare knife by any means. I have bought some 165's the same way. Most buyers overlook the knives that have been used or have storage stains.

Codger

PS- There are two knives on ebay the sellers mis-list as 162OT, but they are limited editions, one a Federal Duck Stamp 1997/98 and the other a walnut handled LTD (I am guessing a reject from that series) that was "dug from the bins". Check the tangstamps.
 
redshanks said:
Very interesting info on the 165. Of the knives I listed, I thought that was the nicest too, even though the 160OT is a nice slim blade. Based upon what you described, it looks like mine is one of the later Ellenville knives.
Click to expand...

The thicker spine made the 165 a sturdier knife. And yes, your knife appears to be a post-mid '73 knife from the stamp and guard. Those are every bit as nice and well balanced as the earlier ones. My user is a Walden, but the detail differences are so minute, they really do not affect appearance or function. Just interesting from a collector standpoint is all. Of all the 165's I have right now, only one, a limited edition has a significant detail difference. Instead of the lower portion of the sabre grind being a flat plane, it is hollow ground (concave). I haven't yet seen another ground that way.

Codger
 
Bob, it looks like I screwed up the list of knives up above. What I listed as a 162LTD is the same as the 162OT. The seller on eBay described it as a 162OT, but there is no number stamped on the tang, just Schrade+ U.S.A. LTD, so I also jotted it down as a 162LTD, it's the same knife listed twice, my mistake. Frankly, I have no idea what it is. It also has a tapered tang. This is a scan of it:

162ltdSmall.jpg

162ltd2Small.jpg


edit: this is the "bin" knife that Codger alluded to.
 
Oh yeah, that 162ot. I have one myself. Don't know if you bought from the same seller as I did, but he imagined it to be a Duck knife that was unfinished. If you search the forum, you can probably find my old topic about it.

I don't know where the seller came up with "162OT", perhaps his distributer labeled them?

The handle shape is nearly identical to the 156OT, but of course the 156's blade is completely different and the 156 does not have a tapered tang.

It's a very handsome knife the way it is. Honestly I don't care for knives with the Duck etchings and badges.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Bob W said:
If possible, can you scan the 162OT? I've never seen one of those and it's not on the list of OldTimer models that we've been circulating on the forum.

I don't know how popular those models were at the time they were released, but the fixed-blade OldTimers are very popular among eBay buyers right now, especially the less common models such as the 165, 13, 14, and 15.

Best Wishes,
Bob
Click to expand...

Does this help?

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6560021952&rd=1

case.jpg

This is a 1620T
 
That is one of the two I mentioned. It is a 162UH pattern limited edition, but as far as I know, there was never a Old Timer version of it. Old Timer numbers jumped from 160OT to 165OT. The 162, 163, and 164 were either Uncle Henry's or agricultural knives.

Codger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top