What is the story behind the 1992-1996 112 Founder's Knives?

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Happy Hippo

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In 1992 and 1993, the part number is 112NK. For 1994 to 1996, the part number is 112N4. Any significance of this?

They are all n/s bolsters and etched blade in the catalog. But there are n/s 112s with unetched blades in the 1992 to 1996 timeframe that I have seen. Any reason for this?
 
The 110NK and 112NK were the Silver Anniversary knives and appear in the 1988-1993 catalogs. They had a corresponding blade etch. The 25th Silver Anniversary for the 110 was 1963-1988. The 112NK 25th Anniversary is an interesting FACTORY ERROR. The 112 was not introduced in 1963 but 1972. Some one got it wrong thinking it was introduced at the same time as the 110. For a small family owned company it seems a glaring mistake. They made a bunch of the 112's so not rare. Interesting side note, Buck has been inconsistent about the 110 birthdate. This knife referenced the 25th anniversary as 1963-1988 but we celebrated the 50th anniversary as 1964-2014.

The Founders knives 110N4 and 112N4 are the same Nickel Silver frame with a different blade etch " Buck Knives since 1902" honoring the founding patriarch Hoyt Buck who made his first knife in 1902. These show in the 1994-1996 catalogs.

To answer your question. I do not think it unusual or odd that Buck would do a general release of Nickel Silver knives during the same time period without a blade etch. Not everything makes it into the catalog. Possibly available to the distributor network.

About 2006 there was a brass framed "Founders Edition" 110 & 112 for WalMart. They came in decorative collectors tin. The 110 had Al Buck's signature etched on the blade and the 112 had Hoyt Buck's. The tang stamp had a unique semi-circular shape. The semi-circular format was later used on the BCCI knives.
 
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110NK & 112NK Silver Anniversary (catalog '88-'93)
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110N4 Founders knife (catalog '94-'96)
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If some one has a boxed N/S 110 or 112 that is not a special edition from the '88-'96 time period it would be interesting to know the model designation and catalog # on the box.
 
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DeSotoSky said:
If some one has a boxed N/S 110 or 112 that is not a special edition from the '88-'96 time period it would be interesting to know the model designation and catalog # on the box.
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Seems like a lot of pictures of unetched blade examples are shown on Worthpoint. But unfortunately, for the few that had boxes, they didn't show the right angle. They seem to be present only for the ones in early nineties.
 
I know I bought a 110 NS for my dad in the early 90s, something about 25 on it, I believe it had a sliver looking box. It is somewhere in my boxes, I held onto it after his passing in 2009.
 
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