Schrade LB7 timeline

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neyef

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Jul 8, 2013
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Could someone help me fill in and/or rearrange the timeline for the LB7? Thanks!

Schrade+ USA LB7 - 4 pin with serial number - '78
Schrade+ USA LB7 - 3 pin with serial number - '??
Schrade+ USA LB7 - 3 pin w/o serial number - '??
Uncle Henry Schrade+ LB7 USA - '??
Uncle Henry Schrade - made in China - '??
 
We'll move this one along. I'm sure someone at the Schrade forum will help out.
 
I saw that thread the other day but was hoping someone had the approximate transition dates already figured out. I guess I thought it would help me date the knives. I was thinking of getting a type set together and it would be nice to know the dates each different type ran. For instance, when did they start putting Uncle Henry on the USA knives? I believe it ended in 2004.
 
went back in that thread and copied this for you.
"So far, this is how the numbering system is shaking out:

First serial numbers were four place digits. I have 0326, so there is a 0001 out there, possibly a 0000, and a 9999.

Serials up to 17693 were produced in 1977.

Serial numbers 17694 - 334585 were produced in 1978 when 316,892 LB7's were made.

Serial numbers 334586 - 785250 were produced in 1979 when 450,665 LB7's were made.

Highest all numeric would be six places, 999999. I have recorded serial number 914569. Thus the first million knives had no alphas. This point was reached some time in 1980. A total of 1,106,906 LB7's had been produced by the end of that year.

When the single alphas were added, the serials still kept to six places max, so only 99,999 knives were made of each alpha. Lowest alpha recorded so far is A25594.

When the rotation went to double alphas, the serials went to seven places. I've recorded BB56630 as the highest double alpha. Some time after this, the serialization ended.
 
I am getting the feeling that I am doing something wrong here. That is good stuff but it is not helping me with my original timeline.

I would think the 4 to 3 pin transition and the adding of Uncle Henry could be solved by looking at old catalogs? I do know now that the USA production ended and the China production began in 2004.
 
the four pin to three pin occurred sometime in the range of the Nxxxxxx serial numbers as best can be told. none of the cataloges say anything about this or detail when the Uncle Henry was added to the blade. the last serial number that we have been able to document is BBxxxxx. the serial numbers ended sometime in the early '80's i think. the one knife you are unsure of, if it was made in China, should be easy to tell. if it does not have US on the blade stampings then it is from China or another of Taylor's licensees.
 
neyef said:
I am getting the feeling that I am doing something wrong here. That is good stuff but it is not helping me with my original timeline.

I would think the 4 to 3 pin transition and the adding of Uncle Henry could be solved by looking at old catalogs? I do know now that the USA production ended and the China production began in 2004.
Click to expand...

I had questions like these and a Schrade expert replied to me:
"Schrade was in the business of making knives, not catalogs".
I think you'll find they weren't very interested in documenting the details of what, how & when.
 
Stelth said:
I had questions like these and a Schrade expert replied to me:
"Schrade was in the business of making knives, not catalogs".
I think you'll find they weren't very interested in documenting the details of what, how & when.
Click to expand...

As well as most of the people that have seen this question asked about several times a year. There are millions of LB7 knives out there.

http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/Catalogs/index.htm
Here are all of the catalogs for the most part.

"I would think the 4 to 3 pin transition and the adding of Uncle Henry could be solved by looking at old catalogs? I do know now that the USA production ended and the China production began in 2004."

Knock yourself out neyef, but it is not in the catalogs.I'm sure someone has posted the time when the tang stamp changed to the Uncle Henry script line, but I don't know when that was. These are not like Case knives for dating and as far as collect-ability, it does not make a big difference. They are not that old, 25 years from 1979 until 2004. The tang stamps tell as much as anything, and there are still mysteries behind the 4 pin build that will never be answered. The only way to date them is if you have them new in the box with the paperwork that shows the year, but even that is no guarantee it was not made a few years prior.
 
those catalogs are great!
the first instance I found of a 3 pin is in the 82 catalog in several color shots pages 8, 10, 15
the first instance I found of Uncle Henry is in the 88 catalog on the front page.
 
Last edited:
I hate to throw yall off on your research but here is a 4 pin with an X80xxx serial # with Uncle Henry on the blade. I know for certain this knife was manufactured 1981 or sooner being that my father went and purchased it the day they brought lil newborn baby me home from the hospital...

Riddle me that Batman!
 
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