Codger_64
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Schrade - Sears Roebuck & Co. Contract Knives
One of the sustaining markets for Imperial Schrade knives has almost always been SFO's (special factory orders) for Sears Roebuck & Company. Dating to 1886, Sears always had a minagerie of items in their "wish book", their annual
catalog. From the earliest days, sporting goods were an important catagory, and helped Sears achieve it's one-time status as the premier developer and marketer of mail order merchandise. By 1908, you could buy a house with all the fixtures, furniture, and every then available convenience. Sportsmen were in awe at the line drawings of J.C. Higgins, Aubry, Peerless and other shotguns, punt boats, nets, tents, hunting clothing, and every conceivable item having to do with hunting or fishing, including knives.
I am not sure when Schrade Cutlery became a major supplier to Sears, but I believe it must have been early in the 1900's. Sears remained an important outlet for Schrade to the end in 2004, though because of marketing changes, stiff competition from mega stores, Sears own fortunes and place in the market were reduced.
Other cutlery manufacturers also supplied Sears over the years, including Camillus. I have a jumbo trapper in jigged bone that came in a gold foil and blue velvet lined walnut presentation case made for Sears 100th anniversary - 1896 - 1986. I have seen Solingen, Germany knives with Sears labeling as well as Buck, Colonial, Victorinox, and Queen knives, among others.
My favorite Schrade patterns are fixed blades and I like collecting the varients and SFO's of those patterns, though I must admit that I ocasionally pick up an interesting stockman or trapper pattern with the Sears tangstamp. While there are Sears collectors out there with an interest in these knives, they are for the most part ignored by knife collectors, allowing them to be purchased many times for less than a Schrade marked knife of the same pattern. To me, the Sears / Craftsman branded knives are a relatively untapped treasure trove.
Early Sears knives made by Schrade retained their factory markings, and later blade etches were added to modify them for Sears sales. Eventually, Schrade began using Craftsman tangstamps on the SFO's. Besides the markings, another unique detail of these contract knives is that often, Sears would comission customized handle materials of wood or jigged bone, upgraded blade steel and special grinds, unique shields, as well as deluxe presentation boxes and special sheaths.
One of the patterns I first noticed, though not yet among my list of collected patterns, was the H15, a military looking hunter with a clip blade, flattened hammer type metal pommel and leather grips. This spurred my interest in Sears knives and I began looking for them in my favorite patterns.
A very early private issue of the 15OT bearing the Patent Pending etch ( and then stamp) had a Ted Williams signature etch shows that it was produced early for Sears Roebuck & Co. It had no other special features beside the leather laced basketweave tooled sheath and insert. Several subsequent Sears issues have been found with CRAFTSMAN USA tangstamps, both left and read from the handle (with earliest non-tooled leather laced tubular sheath and insert), and right read rom the blade tip (with a six eyelet laced tubular sheath without tooling, and finally with the later five rivet tubular sheath). Both had the standard brown sawcut delrin handles with blank nickle silver shield and rivets, and sport a mirror polish instead of the standard crocus finish.
The 165OT pattern was used for Sears Roebuck and Co., bearing a CRAFTSMAN USA tangstamp, normal brown sawcut delrin handle with blank shield, and a black tubular leather sewn sheath with three rivets. An interesting detail was that it had the Walden curved guard. Another Sears issue, the 1976 Bicentennial Craftsman "American Eagle Collection" had a mahogany riveted folded sheath with an enclosure lap. It has the flat faced Ellenville guard, blank nickle silver shield, and came in a russet leather grained box embossed with gold lettering and an "American Eagle Collection" leaflet identifying their name of this model as "Deerslayer". The Sears number for this knife was #21624.
There were three other patterns of knives in this series, one of which was a 41OT Maverick. This knife deleted the shield and used a unique guard comprised of two brass guards sandwiching a tan spacer, and another tan spacer between the handle and the pommel. The tang stamp is "CRAFTSMAN U.S.A." This knife came in a special light brown presentation slip top box with gold lettering, a red lining, and included a special flap top riveted sheath. Sear's number for this knife was #21621, and they renamed the pattern "Sportsman".
A large variety of utility knives, Old Timer and Uncle Henry folder and lockback patterns were sold for many years by Sears, some under the "Old Crafty" shield, some with the "Craftsman" shield, or with an eagle and banner shield, and some with the "Sears" shield. Handle materials could be smooth or sawcut delrin, jigged bone, impregnated wood, stag, or staglon delrin.
Complete model number conversion charts are sorely lacking at this time and it takes a sharp eye and a bit of Schrade pattern knowledge to connect the Sears number with the Schrade number on many of the folders, but it is much easier on the unique blade shapes of the fixed blades.
Codger
One of the sustaining markets for Imperial Schrade knives has almost always been SFO's (special factory orders) for Sears Roebuck & Company. Dating to 1886, Sears always had a minagerie of items in their "wish book", their annual
catalog. From the earliest days, sporting goods were an important catagory, and helped Sears achieve it's one-time status as the premier developer and marketer of mail order merchandise. By 1908, you could buy a house with all the fixtures, furniture, and every then available convenience. Sportsmen were in awe at the line drawings of J.C. Higgins, Aubry, Peerless and other shotguns, punt boats, nets, tents, hunting clothing, and every conceivable item having to do with hunting or fishing, including knives.
I am not sure when Schrade Cutlery became a major supplier to Sears, but I believe it must have been early in the 1900's. Sears remained an important outlet for Schrade to the end in 2004, though because of marketing changes, stiff competition from mega stores, Sears own fortunes and place in the market were reduced.
Other cutlery manufacturers also supplied Sears over the years, including Camillus. I have a jumbo trapper in jigged bone that came in a gold foil and blue velvet lined walnut presentation case made for Sears 100th anniversary - 1896 - 1986. I have seen Solingen, Germany knives with Sears labeling as well as Buck, Colonial, Victorinox, and Queen knives, among others.
My favorite Schrade patterns are fixed blades and I like collecting the varients and SFO's of those patterns, though I must admit that I ocasionally pick up an interesting stockman or trapper pattern with the Sears tangstamp. While there are Sears collectors out there with an interest in these knives, they are for the most part ignored by knife collectors, allowing them to be purchased many times for less than a Schrade marked knife of the same pattern. To me, the Sears / Craftsman branded knives are a relatively untapped treasure trove.
Early Sears knives made by Schrade retained their factory markings, and later blade etches were added to modify them for Sears sales. Eventually, Schrade began using Craftsman tangstamps on the SFO's. Besides the markings, another unique detail of these contract knives is that often, Sears would comission customized handle materials of wood or jigged bone, upgraded blade steel and special grinds, unique shields, as well as deluxe presentation boxes and special sheaths.
One of the patterns I first noticed, though not yet among my list of collected patterns, was the H15, a military looking hunter with a clip blade, flattened hammer type metal pommel and leather grips. This spurred my interest in Sears knives and I began looking for them in my favorite patterns.
A very early private issue of the 15OT bearing the Patent Pending etch ( and then stamp) had a Ted Williams signature etch shows that it was produced early for Sears Roebuck & Co. It had no other special features beside the leather laced basketweave tooled sheath and insert. Several subsequent Sears issues have been found with CRAFTSMAN USA tangstamps, both left and read from the handle (with earliest non-tooled leather laced tubular sheath and insert), and right read rom the blade tip (with a six eyelet laced tubular sheath without tooling, and finally with the later five rivet tubular sheath). Both had the standard brown sawcut delrin handles with blank nickle silver shield and rivets, and sport a mirror polish instead of the standard crocus finish.
The 165OT pattern was used for Sears Roebuck and Co., bearing a CRAFTSMAN USA tangstamp, normal brown sawcut delrin handle with blank shield, and a black tubular leather sewn sheath with three rivets. An interesting detail was that it had the Walden curved guard. Another Sears issue, the 1976 Bicentennial Craftsman "American Eagle Collection" had a mahogany riveted folded sheath with an enclosure lap. It has the flat faced Ellenville guard, blank nickle silver shield, and came in a russet leather grained box embossed with gold lettering and an "American Eagle Collection" leaflet identifying their name of this model as "Deerslayer". The Sears number for this knife was #21624.
There were three other patterns of knives in this series, one of which was a 41OT Maverick. This knife deleted the shield and used a unique guard comprised of two brass guards sandwiching a tan spacer, and another tan spacer between the handle and the pommel. The tang stamp is "CRAFTSMAN U.S.A." This knife came in a special light brown presentation slip top box with gold lettering, a red lining, and included a special flap top riveted sheath. Sear's number for this knife was #21621, and they renamed the pattern "Sportsman".
A large variety of utility knives, Old Timer and Uncle Henry folder and lockback patterns were sold for many years by Sears, some under the "Old Crafty" shield, some with the "Craftsman" shield, or with an eagle and banner shield, and some with the "Sears" shield. Handle materials could be smooth or sawcut delrin, jigged bone, impregnated wood, stag, or staglon delrin.
Complete model number conversion charts are sorely lacking at this time and it takes a sharp eye and a bit of Schrade pattern knowledge to connect the Sears number with the Schrade number on many of the folders, but it is much easier on the unique blade shapes of the fixed blades.
Codger
) as well as Craftsman, which I believe was started in 1926.
bummer!
