The elusive Chuck Buck

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
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Recently a forum member PM'd me about a chairman series 305 on Ebay, I can't remember who that was or find the PM but thank you because I hadn't looked in a few weeks and would've definitely missed this one.

I set my max bid earlier and just won the new in box 2011 example for $45, it's been on my list a couple years now and I haven't seen that many so I'm glad to check it off.
I think that just leaves the red and the yellow delrin.
 
Congratulations on a nice find.

Are you aware there were 2 different Chairman series? With and without shields IIRC. Might be just 1 year without the shield? I don’t remember

the-elusive-chuck-buck.1947905

view
 
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eveled said:
Congratulations on a nice find.

Are you aware there were 2 different Chairman series? With and without shields IIRC. Might be just 1 year without the shield? I don’t remember View attachment 2307080
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I always forget about that one, I think they might all have been in 2010.
I like it better with the shield, but would snag the other if it comes along at the right price.
 
FWIW, My 303 without the shield is a 2009. (Arrow pointed right)

No idea if every model was like that in that year or 2? Or if it was just the one year? I was surprised when I lined them up for a picture and they didn’t match.
 
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eveled said:
FWIW, My 303 without the shield is a 2009. (Arrow pointed right)

No idea if every model was like that in that year or 2? Or if it was just the one year? I was surprised when I lined them up for a picture and they didn’t match.
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Maybe they started the series with shields and gradually began adding it to each model when it was introduced with the brass / rosewood ?
At least I think that's when this shield was introduced.
 
I just started collecting these slipjoints relatively recently. One thing that is annoying is trying to figure out what is out there. I thought looking at Buck catalogs, newsletters, and special order lists would be the answer. And it helps a lot. But none of the early Buck catalogs seem to show the yellow ones for instance. It would be cool if there were a database that one could submit their pieces for public consumption. On this topic, I have an example of a chairman series that has neither a signature nor a shield. I am classifying it as a prototype. Also, I have a 309 with an Icthus shield. So one wonders how many models have these fish shields. It seems the SMKW exclusives, in particular, are not documented very well for slipjoints going all the way back to the 90s. I think those Icthus shields are in fact SMKW exclusives.

And the ones SMKW comissioned directly from Camillus seem to have scanty documentation. An example is the yellow Delrin ones from the mid 1990s.
 
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I collect cherrywood and nickel silver/aluminum Buck knives. Which is the only reason I even have the Chairman series knives.

Yours is the first “Chairman” series I've seen without a signature. I don’t think its a prototype because of the date code. Its later than mine.

It is annoying but also part of the fun, the search never ends.

All you can do is search and keep records. That’s why this forum is great. Lots of times a member who collects something specific. Will know things that the factory doesn’t even know.

G gunsil is a great example of this. He knows far more about KA-BAR knives historically than KA-BAR does.
 
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Is it possible for that to officially be just a plain cherrywood 305 ?
Or did it come in a chairman series box ?
 
Hickory n steel said:
rIs it possible for that to officially be just a plain cherrywood 305 ?
Or did it come in a chairman series box ?
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I don't think there is a plain cherrywood version. Also, from what I gather, the "no shield" version was only in the 2010 catalog. And it didn't include the 302. The shield version was in the catalog from 2011 to 2014. And it did include the 302. The one I have came in a box without a label. So perhaps it was one that Buck forgot to print the signature on. Regardless, it appears to be "one-of-a-kind," which as a collector, I always like.😀
 
Happy Hippo said:
I just started collecting these slipjoints relatively recently. One thing that is annoying is trying to figure out what is out there. I thought looking at Buck catalogs, newsletters, and special order lists would be the answer. And it helps a lot. But none of the early Buck catalogs seem to show the yellow ones for instance. It would be cool if there were a database that one could submit their pieces for public consumption. On this topic, I have an example of a chairman series that has neither a signature nor a shield. I am classifying it as a prototype. Also, I have a 309 with an Icthus shield. So one wonders how many models have these fish shields. It seems the SMKW exclusives, in particular, are not documented very well for slipjoints going all the way back to the 90s. I think those Icthus shields are in fact SMKW exclusives.

And the ones SMKW comissioned directly from Camillus seem to have scanty documentation. An example is the yellow Delrin ones from the mid 1990s.
Click to expand...

It's a pitty the BCCI officers have no interest in the "Model History" page. They've basically abandoned the Club web site for FB, where they don't have to do much of anything.

That being said, if you spend the countless hours rummaging through the catalogs, newsletter articles, and build out lists, you can compile a pretty inclusive, almost complete list of the 300 series offerings. I did...

Apparently the idea of having a comprehensive "model history" for current and future members is not a tool that collectors should expect to find when they pay for a membership. But what do I know...
 
Happy Hippo said:
I don't think there is a plain cherrywood version. Also, from what I gather, the "no shield" version was only in the 2010 catalog. And it didn't include the 302. The shield version was in the catalog from 2011 to 2014. And it did include the 302. The one I have came in a box without a label. So perhaps it was one that Buck forgot to print the signature on. Regardless, it appears to be "one-of-a-kind," which as a collector, I always like.😀
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so just a regular Buck box but without a label ?
It wasn't the box with the picture of Chuck Buck on it ?

Here's the sellers picture of the chairman 305 I have coming.
 
MT_Pokt said:
It's a pitty the BCCI officers have no interest in the "Model History" page. They've basically abandoned the Club web site for FB, where they don't have to do much of anything.

That being said, if you spend the countless hours rummaging through the catalogs, newsletter articles, and build out lists, you can compile a pretty inclusive, almost complete list of the 300 series offerings. I did...

Apparently the idea of having a comprehensive "model history" for current and future members is not a tool that collectors should expect to find when they pay for a membership. But what do I know...
Click to expand...
To be fair, the strength of the model history is only as strong as the volunteers willing to update it. It would have been a lot easier if it had been updated regularly, but people don't have time. I confess I have not contributed to it at all. I have studied the catalogs, price lists, newsletters, and special projects list but unfortunately a lot of special releases fell through the cracks. The Case XX page doesn't even have catalogs before 2018, so we are lucky to have so many on the Buck Collectors site. If I had time, it would be really cool to add a database site like Numista, for coins. People post what they have and knowledgeable moderators approve it. The slip joint history seems murky around the time Buck was in the process of changing from Camillus. I don't know if the catalog images are correct in that time frame. Also, places like SMKW released A lot of special slipjoints. It would be cool to be able to access their old catalogs.
 
Hickory n steel said:
so just a regular Buck box but without a label ?
It wasn't the box with the picture of Chuck Buck on it ?

Here's the sellers picture of the chairman 305 I have coming.
Click to expand...
I have the complete set of no signature/blue shield and signature/blue shield cherrywood knives in their boxes but my no signature/no shield version is just in a Buck yellow unmarked box. I only have a couple of the Icthus versions and don't know exactly what comprises the set. In my growing collection of slipjoints, I've also noticed that I have undocumented versions where back spring quantity and materials changed, integrated bolster/frame, small versus large rivets, and stuff like that. I also have Larry Oden's book, which is excellent but not completely comprehensive because of the murkiness of Bucks factory practices. No one knows for sure what variations exist out there.
 
Happy Hippo said:
I have the complete set of no signature/blue shield and signature/blue shield cherrywood knives in their boxes but my no signature/no shield version is just in a Buck yellow unmarked box. I only have a couple of the Icthus versions and don't know exactly what comprises the set. In my growing collection of slipjoints, I've also noticed that I have undocumented versions where back spring quantity and materials changed, integrated bolster/frame, small versus large rivets, and stuff like that. I also have Larry Oden's book, which is excellent but not completely comprehensive because of the murkiness of Bucks factory practices. No one knows for sure what variations exist out there.
Click to expand...
You don't think that could maybe point to it having been a plain Cherrywood series done for SMKW ?
maybe not since there was no label on the box, but it wasn't in a Chairman or icthus box after all.

They stopped sending their catalogs to me about 5 years ago, and the last SMKW exclusives I actually remember were the dyed smooth bone 110 or 112's and the long nail pull 110's.
I only started getting the SMKW catalogs in 2009 or 2010 ( saved 'em all till about 2 years ago too ) and the only Buck I really payed attention to was the bald eagle 525 gent that I never pulled the trigger on.
 
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