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Buck 119

mhawg

mhawg

Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
5,057
First time joining you on the Buck forum. I purchased this Buck 119 sometime in the late '90s I think. I was under the assumption that it is handled in deer antler. I've seen the discussion of Buck's use of elk horn. My limited search skills lead me to a 1991 (119+) manufacture date. I really haven't found one like it with any descriptive information online. I'm afraid I'm going to have to set it free soon and would like to be able to describe it accurately. Yes, I met Chuck Buck at the 2002 Blade show in Atlanta and he volunteered to sign/etch the blade while we were talking. For sale purposes do you think this adds or detracts from any value? Thanks for any input.
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Agree.

Nice knife, thanks for sharing, and welcome to the wonderful world of the Buck forum :thumbsup:
 
mhawg said:
First time joining you on the Buck forum. I purchased this Buck 119 sometime in the late '90s I think. I was under the assumption that it is handled in deer antler. I've seen the discussion of Buck's use of elk horn. My limited search skills lead me to a 1991 (119+) manufacture date. I really haven't found one like it with any descriptive information online. I'm afraid I'm going to have to set it free soon and would like to be able to describe it accurately. Yes, I met Chuck Buck at the 2002 Blade show in Atlanta and he volunteered to sign/etch the blade while we were talking. For sale purposes do you think this adds or detracts from any value? Thanks for any input.
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For the sake of accuracy,Elk are members of the deer family.

Elk have antlers and not horns.
 
I was thinking more along the lines of whether it was 'India stag' or elk antler.
 
mhawg said:
I was thinking more along the lines of whether it was 'India stag' or elk antler.
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I'm sorry I had to run an errand.That's a legitimate question but I'm not sure I have the correct answer.

Your second picture would lead me to believe it's elk but I'm not positive. I know it's not much help but that's the best I can do.
 
Hi mhawg, nice of you to share your Stag 119 with us here on the Buck forum. In 1987 Buck added the Sambar stag line to their catalog. In 1988 they started calling them the BuckHorn knives and these were still a factory catalog item in 1991 when your knife was made. The 1995 catalog the BuckHorn line is gone from the picture part of the catalog, but still offered on the price sheet. By 1996 the BuckHorn is also gone from the price sheet.

Sambar or Elk? I sure can't tell by looking at it and I don't anyone who can for sure. The Sambar was a catalog item at the time your knife was made and Elk was not. See my photo below, the top 119 was made in 1987 I always thought it was Elk like the bottom 119 in the photo, now the top one may just be Sambar according to the Buck catalogs
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119 stag1.jpg
JB
 
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There was discussion here a while back on the subject of signatures on blades and if they add or subtract. I came away with the feeling that there was no real conclusion. Like many things it depends on the time and if whoever is looking wants what your selling. Nice knife and I would say it's handled in elk.

Here is another cousin and a few distant relatives. Preston
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I believe if his signature is on the back of the blade it will have less negative impact to potential buyers..But I consider his signature as a plus for any odd 112 I would buy and display.
 
Isn't Sambar or Red Stag a Darker color than Elk. Anyone I have seen is that way, Elk has lighter tones than the other...Even in the above picture. The top one has darker tones and the ridges and valleys are more defined, I would say this is Sambar or Red Stag, The bottom one is lighter in color and the overall texture much smoother...Maybe I'm all wet, but that's how I tell the difference...

Don
 
I vote on the negative. Chuck Buck was born with an engraver in his hand. He has signed too many to be special. If you bought a Buck knife at one of the events then his signature has personal memory value to you as the recipient but as a collector that memory value does not transfer to me. Another example is the Signature Series. Called Signature series for a reason but the mirror polished blades would have been so much more beautiful without all the chicken scratch. I recall a thread few years back and I think the vote ran 50-50. It's a good thing we are not all competing for the same thing. I'm set up at a knife show this weekend and scored a BUCK Blacksmith Shop mirror with Chuck's signature across the front in magic marker. Guess I'll leave it but that is an exception for me.... ;o)
 
DeSotoSky said:
I vote on the negative. Chuck Buck was born with an engraver in his hand. He has signed too many to be special. If you bought a Buck knife at one of the events then his signature has personal memory value to you as the recipient but as a collector that memory value does not transfer to me. Another example is the Signature Series. Called Signature series for a reason but the mirror polished blades would have been so much more beautiful without all the chicken scratch. I recall a thread few years back and I think the vote ran 50-50. It's a good thing we are not all competing for the same thing. I'm set up at a knife show this weekend and scored a BUCK Blacksmith Shop mirror with Chuck's signature across the front in magic marker. Guess I'll leave it but that is an exception for me.... ;o)
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I have one 110 with chucks signature. I don't care for signed knives, probably because I don't care for display knives or unsharpened knives.
 
I have had Sambar Stag gun grips for several revolvers and pistols that were nearly white. It just depends on the quality, I think. To me, it looks like Sambar Stag. Elk does look similar but I think Buck listed Sambar Stag in the catalog and not Elk. I had a 501 in Sambar Stag that was just beautiful (someone else liked it and took it while I was at the gym). It was from the late 1980's to about 1990 time frame.
 
Well, from what I can determine from the dates when Sambar stag was listed as available versus Elk antler in the catalogue I'm going to call it Sambar. As for Chuck's signature I agree that it is a personal thing but I always liked seeing it on the blade. Thanks for the input and I will have some other Buck knife questions later for sure.
 
mhawg said:
Well, from what I can determine from the dates when Sambar stag was listed as available versus Elk antler in the catalogue I'm going to call it Sambar. As for Chuck's signature I agree that it is a personal thing but I always liked seeing it on the blade. Thanks for the input and I will have some other Buck knife questions later for sure.
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That's a reasonable assumption.There's one issue.Since you bought it in the late 1990's and it's a 1991 production, there's always the possibility that it was re-handled.If you bought it new during 1991 from a dealer,then the re-handle issue would be a moot point.

Regardless,it's a nice knife and a good example of a Buck 119.
 
The only way to tell sambar stag from elk antler, that I know of. Is by the core. Sambar stag is very dense and the core is very small and still hard. Elk has a much larger softer core.

Both can be white or darker. Ed
 
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