The traditional year-end date code thread!

Made me look, the factory website still only shows to 2024. Personally I think Buck should reset back to the original "simple" symbols. After 39 years it should not be hard to tell the difference between new and old series. WTF are the '23 and '24 symbols anyways. The '19 to '22 symbols were a mess also. To small to always tell what side the dot was on and usually just looked like a "+" Don't want any more symbols without a name (a la Prince). Alternatively and better yet, why not just the numbers...25, 26, 27....99. Buck will be good for another 75 years with no guesswork and memorization on our part
 
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TheFishman said:
This. I have never understood why knife and gun manufacturers didn't just list the year. Of course that would be too easy. I guess it is just so much easier to look up serial number and date code charts.
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Marlin had several dating schemes based on the begining of the serial number. I collect Marlin 22's. If the serial number began with 06 then 2000-6=1994, I think after 2000 you added the number or something like that. During other time periods the beginning letter of the sn was a year. I'm gonna have to refresh my memory on this.
 
We have made updates to the stamping process. It was a running change earlier this year on all 420HC blades. If you have purchased one I would be curious if any of you could guess at the new process. The smaller blades like the 55 or 300 series will be much easier to read. Did you want me to spoil the 2025 code or wait until Shot Show?
 
Buck Knives Inc. said:
We have made updates to the stamping process. It was a running change earlier this year on all 420HC blades. If you have purchased one I would be curious if any of you could guess at the new process. The smaller blades like the 55 or 300 series will be much easier to read. Did you want me to spoil the 2025 code or wait until Shot Show?
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We are only a few hours from 2025 so tell us.
 
DeSotoSky said:
Marlin had several dating schemes based on the begining of the serial number. I collect Marlin 22's. If the serial number began with 06 then 2000-6=1994, I think after 2000 you added the number or something like that. During other time periods the beginning letter of the sn was a year. I'm gonna have to refresh my memory on this.
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I’d love to see your collection. I have 4 Marlin 39s and a Marlin bolt action also a JC Higgins that uses the same magazines. I think it must have been made for Sears by Marlin.

The Marlin Bolt action doesn’t have the Bullseye. Any idea why? I understand why the JCHiggins doesn’t.
 
Buck Knives Inc. said:
We have made updates to the stamping process. It was a running change earlier this year on all 420HC blades. If you have purchased one I would be curious if any of you could guess at the new process. The smaller blades like the 55 or 300 series will be much easier to read. Did you want me to spoil the 2025 code or wait until Shot Show?
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My vote is spoil the surprise. Most of us won’t be at Shot Show.
 
Buck Knives Inc. said:
We have made updates to the stamping process. It was a running change earlier this year on all 420HC blades. If you have purchased one I would be curious if any of you could guess at the new process. The smaller blades like the 55 or 300 series will be much easier to read. Did you want me to spoil the 2025 code or wait until Shot Show?
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I’m sitting here looking at the stamp on a Custom Shop 112 that you guys made for me in November, 2024. Blade steel is 420HC.

The only thing I can guess is that perhaps the thickness of the fonts are thinner. I can actually make out the “B” inside the anvil and that B is tiny.
 
Buck Knives Inc. said:
We have made updates to the stamping process. It was a running change earlier this year on all 420HC blades. If you have purchased one I would be curious if any of you could guess at the new process. The smaller blades like the 55 or 300 series will be much easier to read. Did you want me to spoil the 2025 code or wait until Shot Show?
Click to expand...
I remember seeing a video from the Buck factory where they stamped logos on 420HC after they went through the double-disc grinder. I'm guessing they are now stamping blades first and then double-disc grinding them to exact thickness. This would shave off the humps created by the stamping process, resulting much cleaner looking tang stamps like this:


compared to older stamps like this:

 
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