Codger_64
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Back in April I posted some research I had done on the 166 Schrade bowie pattern, one of the largest civillian production knives made by Schrade (then Schrade Walden).
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467578&highlight=BB166
Now here is a NIB example of the American Eagle Bowie complete with the brochure which should have the correct Sears number for the knife.
I'll add that number when it arrives. This puts me one step closer to positively identifying the differences in the three Sears 166 SFO's #21627, #73603 and #21628. If I had to guess, I would say this one is most likely the 1972-73 #73603. Is that when they began their American Eagle Collection Series? 1972-76? I have quite a few examples of the Collection '77 knives. Was it a successor of the A.E.C. series?
An interesting aside (there always is one if you look!), the tang stamp on the NIB example is on blade left and read from the handle. The first example I have has the stamp on blade right and read from the tip. Trivia, I know, but interesting to me.
Michael
An honest foot of Bowie knife in a 13" antique finished Gaucho style sheath. I recently bought a Sears Craftsman version of the Schrade Walden Buffalo Bill Commemorative Bowie knife from a fellow forum member, and in honor of him... and this knife, Ive written up some research on the SW 166 Bowie pattern.
While it was most usual for Schrade Walden... and later Schrade Cutlery... to first make and sell a production knife under their own name and then later sell it as an SFO, the 166 pattern was an exception.
In 1967, Schrade Walden produced a unique 12" Bowie style knife. That year 1,572 of them were shipped to Sears Roebuck & Co. as their #21627. Over the next six years nearly 10,000 more were sold to Sears for a total of 11,0334 knives. 166SR was Schrade Walden's name for the version of the 166 that they made for Sears Roebuck, specifically for the American Eagle Series. The first Sears number was #21627, and the number for the last lots in 1972 and 1973 changed to #73603. That the details of the knives with these two numbers are the same is assured by the SW pattern number of both (P#3027) and the SW name for both (166SR).
These knives had a sawcut Delrin Old Timer style handle with brass and brown Delrin spacers separating it from the nickle silver birdshead pommel, and the symmetrical flat oval guard was composed of three layers, a brown Delrin spacer separating two outer brass plates. This same design theme was used on the 141SR American Eagle sold as the 41OT in 1971-1973 but with a standard style one piece guard. These Craftsman hidden tang blades were stainless steel and featured a 3/16" x 2 1/8" fuller groove on each side of the 7" clip blade. The tangstamp on blade right was Craftsman over U.S.A. read from the blade tip. The166 was a Sears Craftsman before it was a Schrade Walden BB166 Buffalo Bill.
...An additional 750 (BB166 Buffalo Bill) were sold as Sears #21628 in 1969 and 1970. While it is not at this point a certainty, this pattern likely closely followed the later BB166 design with single brass guards having forward curved upper and lower quilons, the rounded African Rosewood handle and brass rivets.
Michael
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467578&highlight=BB166
Now here is a NIB example of the American Eagle Bowie complete with the brochure which should have the correct Sears number for the knife.
I'll add that number when it arrives. This puts me one step closer to positively identifying the differences in the three Sears 166 SFO's #21627, #73603 and #21628. If I had to guess, I would say this one is most likely the 1972-73 #73603. Is that when they began their American Eagle Collection Series? 1972-76? I have quite a few examples of the Collection '77 knives. Was it a successor of the A.E.C. series?
An interesting aside (there always is one if you look!), the tang stamp on the NIB example is on blade left and read from the handle. The first example I have has the stamp on blade right and read from the tip. Trivia, I know, but interesting to me.
Michael
