Schrade USA LB7 4 Pin Staglon

haasmand56 · Oct 19, 2021

How rare is a Schrade USA lb7 with 4 pin Staglon (DuPont Delrin) handles? I read where the last year of manufacture was 1980 and in 1981 they introduced the LB8 4 pin with Staglon handles. I am not sure when they started/ended the making of the LB7 3pin Staglon but that is about all you see offered for sale. I have a LB7 4pin Staglon from a 1980 Uncle Henry Ltd Ed. Dixie Collection 2 knife set. I have seen this same knife in other pre-1981 Uncle Henry multi-knife sets. I've kind of run out of places to find info on this knife and any info would be appreciated.

tongueriver · Oct 19, 2021

This may or may not be helpful. There should be an alphanumeric serial # on your knife (A plus a number, then B plus a number, and so on). That will tell you where YOUR knife falls. Meanwhile, they don't seem to be particularly rare; I see at least one 4 pin and sometimes several any day on Ebay. The 4 pin Old Timer 7OTs are considerably rarer.

haasmand56 · Oct 19, 2021

Thanks for your reply. I searched eBay and found 0nly 3 of these knives sold going back to July 2021. My serial number on my knife is 209 and matches the 144uh in it's set. Are we talking about the same knife?

Codger_64 · Oct 19, 2021

Dixie Collection was 1980 and there were 500 pieces made of each two knife set, serialized. Complete sets are quite uncommon today.

haasmand56 · Oct 19, 2021

Thank you for the info. I have seen several different versions of this set (blade etch and color of box insert differing) all with a serial numbers under 500. Do you know the how many versions of the Dixie Collection were produced or could you recommend a reference site that I could go too for more info on the LB7 that came with this set? Thanks again.

Codger_64 · Oct 20, 2021

haasmand56 said:
Thank you for the info. I have seen several different versions of this set (blade etch and color of box insert differing) all with a serial numbers under 500. Do you know the how many versions of the Dixie Collection were produced or could you recommend a reference site that I could go too for more info on the LB7 that came with this set? Thanks again.

We explored these issues more than a decade ago right here and found more info than my memory recalled. Use this link for an informative read.

1980 Dixie Collection Thread (144UH and staglon LB-7)

I just purchased these on eBay. I have wanted a "Guides Choice" since I first saw them in Field and Stream thirty years ago but alas, my paper-route didn't afford such luxuries back then. I've wanted a four-pin LB-8 (7) like this too and so I couldn't resist this sweet set: Please...

bladeforums.com

haasmand56 · Oct 20, 2021

Thank you for the enlightening info Codger_64. I have just joined Blade Forums and am glad I did. Sir, you are a wealth of knowledge and I am looking forward to reading the threads provided. My search for a LB7 with a 4 pin Staglon handle has not yielded much. The only ones that I've been able to find have come from sets and they are few and far between. Is it possible, in your opinion, that after the issuing of the last sets in 1980 the production of the 4pin handle changed to a 3 pin handle? Thanks again for your time and patience.

haasmand56 · Oct 23, 2021

Codger_64 said:
We explored these issues more than a decade ago right here and found more info than my memory recalled. Use this link for an informative read.

1980 Dixie Collection Thread (144UH and staglon LB-7)

I just purchased these on eBay. I have wanted a "Guides Choice" since I first saw them in Field and Stream thirty years ago but alas, my paper-route didn't afford such luxuries back then. I've wanted a four-pin LB-8 (7) like this too and so I couldn't resist this sweet set: Please...

bladeforums.com

Codger, thank for the direction. That is what I needed to get me started on my search. I read and got a little bit of info from threads, most of my info came from your posts and replies to posts and I'd like to thank you for generously sharing your vast knowledge to us all. I have been a collector of USA made Schrade products since it's Ellenville,NY closing 2004 and I present my opinions from this point of view. My OP about the Schrade LB7 4 pin with the Staglon handles has led me to the assumption that it is the first LB7 with Staglon handles that was produced. I have see a lot of statements that this knife is a LB8 with a LB7 blade. I find it hard to believe that the initial production of a new model knife would be incorrectly tang stamped because they didn't have the correctly stamped blades and used what blades they had on hand explanation. Did they have that many of the LB7 blades on hand to continue thru 1980? I know I wasn't there in the factory when the LB7 knives were produced and I am coming at this from a logical point of view. Of course some of the places I've worked at weren't very logical in their operations and I have taken this into account. I believe this knife to be the forerunner to the LB8 which I gathered was issued for purchase in 1981. The variations between the LB7 versus the LB8 other then the tang stamp is the 4th pin and I believe the shield. No start up version of the LB8 with the 4 pin configuration was produced making the 3 pin version historically the first configuration of the LB8. I found that there really hasn't been much discussion on this LB7 for it's uniqueness to the iconic Schrade LB7 model line.

bladecollectorr · Oct 24, 2021

That "Dave Thinkstoomuch" knew a thing or two about Schrade knives (but not as much as Codger of course). He had a temper and got banned... long story. I happen to have his pics from the old thread Codger referred to (saved them way-back-when). Here they are again:

Here's pics of 3 of the 4 staglon LB7s. I used to own these three sets myself but I sold them.

haasmand56 · Oct 24, 2021

bladecollectorr said:
That "Dave Thinkstoomuch" knew a thing or two about Schrade knives (but not as much as Codger of course). He had a temper and got banned... long story. I happen to have his pics from the old thread Codger referred to (saved them way-back-when). Here they are again:

Here's pics of 3 of the 4 staglon LB7s. I used to own these three sets myself but I sold them.

I agree with you about Codger. Nice knives, thank you for your input.

Codger_64 · Oct 24, 2021

bladecollectorr · Oct 28, 2021

Super special! Serial "000" is the best! Great Tennessee Set.

Codger_64 · Oct 28, 2021

bladecollectorr said:
Super special! Serial "000" is the best! Great Tennessee Set.

Unfortunately these are the only pictures remaining from when I archived them years ago. I may have one more, Florida I think, but it may not show much. I'll have to look.

Codger_64 · Oct 29, 2021