Codger_64
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Scattermanbf posted a question in the sticky up top, so I thought to give him his own thread. It has been a while since this pattern has been discussed here. I'll start by quoting my own post from a while back for some general pattern information and a quick photo.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370340&highlight=H-15
Now, the H-15 Utility Hunter was one variant of the predecessor 138 Bowie Hunter introduced a few years earlier. Here is a bit about the predecessors.
The #138 "Bowie Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, a saber ground carbon steel 5 1/8" clip point blade, leather washer handle with spacers, curved aluminum bowie style guard, and aluminum flat pommel. This pattern was a varient of the H-15. It was cataloged in1957, two years before the introduction of the H-15. It listed for $3.95 in 1962. 1973 ½ was the last year for this pattern, and it listed for $8.00.
The #144 Hunter’s Pride (144L) appeared in the 1957 price list, but with no description or illustration. In the 1959 catalog, it is illustrated, but not described. Finally, in 1961 we find a complete description and viewable illustration. The 144 has an overall length of 9 3/4", a plain ground carbon steel clip point blade, grooved leather washer handle with plastic spacers front and rear, symetrical upper and lower guard, and flat metal butt plate. It listed for $3.95 in 1962, $4.65 in 1964, and $6.75 in 1969, the last year listed.
The H-15 "Utility Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, 5" high carbon stainless steel saber ground blade, leather washer handle with spacers, aluminum guard, and aluminum flat pommel. It was first cataloged in 1959.
The H-15WE "Utility Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, 5" high carbon stainless steel saber ground blade with the serrated "Wonda-Edge", leather washer handle with spacers, aluminum guard, and aluminum flat pommel. It was also cataloged in 1959.
By the late sixties, the leather washer handled knives were falling out of favor with both buyers and manufacturers, and Schrade experimented with different molded plastics for the handles. A few patterns continued to be made with the traditional leather handles, like the 138L, seen as late as 1973, and H-15 still in the 1975 catalog.
The #138L was unnamed in the 1973 catalog, but was the same basic H-15 predecessor earlier known as the #138 "Bowie Hunter" in 1961. It still had a 9 3/4" overall length, a saber ground carbon steel 5 1/8" clip point blade, leather washer handle with spacers, curved aluminum bowie style guard, and aluminum flat pommel.
But for the most part, other than on the H-15 and it's varients, the classic traditional leather handle were discontinued. One last Hurrah for them was a series of knives made from 1973 to 1979 (the 498S was produced again in 1983), the comemorative "49'er Bench Made Collection" series.
I hope this answered your questions and also brought forward some buried research I did a while back.
Michael
The year 1959 was an interesting one. Dwight Eisenhower, WWII General was president of the U.S. and Nakita Khrushchev headed the Soviet Union, Caastro had just taken over Cuba as Batista flees Havana. The islands of Hawaii and the Alaskan Territory became states, "Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin and "Battle Of New Orleans" by Johnny Horton were hit songs, Charlton Heston won the Academy award for best actor for his performance in "Ben Hur". Cars reached their zenith in fins and chrome, Ford announces the demise of the Edsel, and New York City considered lobbying for statehood. Top shows on television were Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, Have Gun Will Travel, The Danny Thomas Show, The Red Skeleton Show, and Father Knows Best. IBM shipped the transistor-based IBM 1401 mainframe computer. A new car cost $2,000, and gas for it was twenty five cents a gallon.
The last of the "Baby Boomer" generation is born in 1959, comprising nearly one third of today's adult population. The power, political and economic, was in the hands of their fathers, the "Greatest Generation". They had a different way of looking at the world than their children, or even their younger brothers and sisters. Their attitudes towards life were formed during the Great Depression and World War II. They grew up in tough times. As a result, their core values are discipline, hard work, self-denial, obedience to authority and financial conservatism. JFK’s “ask not what your country can do for you…” sums up their commitment to bettering society.
It was this generation, returned from WWII and Korea, that led an industrial revolution in America and founded an era new prosperity with their hard work and inginuity. As more disposable income became available to the average Joe, so did more leisure time. A new generation of sportsmen took advantage of the wildlife and fisheries restoration efforts of their fathers, becoming a generation of outdoorsmen. Surplused military equipment (knives, guns, sleeping bags and tents) were in great demand from the men to whom they were so familiar, but then soon there was a demand for new, improved products for the outdoorsman. Schrade-Walden Cutlery was there to provide it just as they provided knives for the war years.
In 1959 Schrade-Walden Cutlery was located in their new modern factory in Ellenville, having moved from the old building in Walden New York the year before. Enthusiastic about their new home after being in the old factory for more than half a century, the list of knives they produced included over seventy folder patterns and twelve fixed blade hunting knife patterns.
One of the new fixed blade hunters was called....the H-15 "Utility Hunter". It was produced in four variants the first year, and was a marketing success under both the Schrade-Walden and Imperial tangstamps. Always an important retail outlet for Schrade knives, Sears Roebuck & Company had a large number of the H-15s private stamped and sold them to their sporting goods customers. So successful was the H-15 that it was sold through 1975.
The H-15 represented what Schrade-Walden was known for, an honest quality knife at a good price. Based loosely on the earlier Imperial M3 military knife, the design had a broad appeal to the targeted generation. Nowdays, you will frequently see them described as military fighting knives, but they never were. They were civillian hunting knives from day one.
The Utility Hunter had a saber ground five inch clip point carbon steel blade, an overall length of 9 3/4" including the aluminum guard, leather disc handle, and enlarged aluminum disc pommel. Plastic spacers on each end of the leather handle were brown, red, or black.
The H-15 represents a good value today to the collector, and are not hard to find in excellent condition. As with any older carbon blades, examples without patina or peppering bring a premium, but prices are very reasonable still. The varients are much more uncommon, and among these, the Craftsman marked knives are most often seen.
Codger
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=370340&highlight=H-15
Now, the H-15 Utility Hunter was one variant of the predecessor 138 Bowie Hunter introduced a few years earlier. Here is a bit about the predecessors.
The #138 "Bowie Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, a saber ground carbon steel 5 1/8" clip point blade, leather washer handle with spacers, curved aluminum bowie style guard, and aluminum flat pommel. This pattern was a varient of the H-15. It was cataloged in1957, two years before the introduction of the H-15. It listed for $3.95 in 1962. 1973 ½ was the last year for this pattern, and it listed for $8.00.
The #144 Hunter’s Pride (144L) appeared in the 1957 price list, but with no description or illustration. In the 1959 catalog, it is illustrated, but not described. Finally, in 1961 we find a complete description and viewable illustration. The 144 has an overall length of 9 3/4", a plain ground carbon steel clip point blade, grooved leather washer handle with plastic spacers front and rear, symetrical upper and lower guard, and flat metal butt plate. It listed for $3.95 in 1962, $4.65 in 1964, and $6.75 in 1969, the last year listed.
The H-15 "Utility Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, 5" high carbon stainless steel saber ground blade, leather washer handle with spacers, aluminum guard, and aluminum flat pommel. It was first cataloged in 1959.
The H-15WE "Utility Hunter" had a 9 3/4" overall length, 5" high carbon stainless steel saber ground blade with the serrated "Wonda-Edge", leather washer handle with spacers, aluminum guard, and aluminum flat pommel. It was also cataloged in 1959.
By the late sixties, the leather washer handled knives were falling out of favor with both buyers and manufacturers, and Schrade experimented with different molded plastics for the handles. A few patterns continued to be made with the traditional leather handles, like the 138L, seen as late as 1973, and H-15 still in the 1975 catalog.
The #138L was unnamed in the 1973 catalog, but was the same basic H-15 predecessor earlier known as the #138 "Bowie Hunter" in 1961. It still had a 9 3/4" overall length, a saber ground carbon steel 5 1/8" clip point blade, leather washer handle with spacers, curved aluminum bowie style guard, and aluminum flat pommel.
But for the most part, other than on the H-15 and it's varients, the classic traditional leather handle were discontinued. One last Hurrah for them was a series of knives made from 1973 to 1979 (the 498S was produced again in 1983), the comemorative "49'er Bench Made Collection" series.
I hope this answered your questions and also brought forward some buried research I did a while back.
Michael
