The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Here is another Sharpfinger SFO, the "other" MM152 "Master Mechanic" for True Value Hardware (Cotter). I already had one with the MM152 tang stamp. This one has only the blade etch added to the stock pattern, as seen on several folders sold before the custom tang stamps and shields were ordered.
A while back, we had a thread about the Master Mechanic marked SFO's in which Sheathmaker informed us that they were made for True Value Hardware. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=376948&highlight=Master+mechanic
True Value Master Mechanic Knives and Tools
The history of True Value began with John Cotter, the founder, who worked in a retail store from at ages 12 to 44 before creating Cotter & Company. The hardware co-op was established in 1948 with 25 retailers. In 1997, Servistar/Coast to Coast merged with Cotter & Company to form TruServ. In 2005, TruServ was renamed True Value Company. Today, they have more than 6,000 stores worldwide and 3,000 employees. In addition to the national-brand products that True Value carries, they also offers private-label products, featuring the True Value, Master Mechanic, Green Thumb, Master Plumber, and Master Electrician brands.
In 1989, Imperial Schrade presented a line of special factory order knives to Cotter Company, the owners of True Value Hardware chain. Their original plan of twelve items was accepted. Anticipating a large order from Cotter, some of the components for some patterns (MM18, MM152, MM8) were sent to Camillus for assembly.
1989-90
MM18 (18OT)
MM3 (3OT)
MM33 (33OT)
MM34 (34OT)
MM8 (8OT)
MM89 (89OT)
MM108 (108OT)
MM152 (152OT)
MM897 (897UH)
MML5 (LB5)
MML7 (LB7)
MMS7 (SP7)
And an additional promotional item, the MMS7, SP7 Lightweight lockback.
During 1991, blade etching began, instead of the special tangstamp and shield being used. The MMS7, MML7 and MM152 were discontinued, and the orange handled MMT1, MMT3, and MMT4 were substituted.
MM18 (18OT)
MM3 (3OT)
MM33 (33OT)
MM34 (34OT)
MM8 (8OT)
MM89 (89OT)
MM108 (108OT)
MM152 (152OT)
MM897 (897UH)
MML5 (LB5)
MMS7 (SP7)
MM27 (127UH?)
In 1992, the 8OT pattern was used for a Cotter Company Commemorative. By 1994, the eight Tradesman knives were used, in addition to twenty-one other regular Schrade items.
1994
MMT1
MMT2
MMT3
MMT4
MMT5
MMT7
MMT8
MMT9
As you can see, the regular production Schrade name brand knives were sold to Cotter before and after the private labeling, and likely during as well. So seeing one in a MM box is not odd at all. Note that productions/deliveries did not begin and end on January first, so we might best say "the MM152 was produced only circa 1989-1991". Less that a three year run, no doubt, makes this particular one a uncommon SFO for the Sharpfinger pattern collector.
Edited for additional information on the patterns and dates.
Codger
So I'd say "rare" is accurate.
