Buck slip joints before the 110 Hunter

J

jec88

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Mar 6, 2012
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I was just curious about what were some popular Buck folding knife patterns before the 110 Hunter? Seems like when I look up any type of history of Buck knives, I come across all kinds of info from the last 50 years, and not much on the first 50 years.
Was the 110 based on any particular slip joint? Was there a 110 hunter-type knife by buck that didn't lock? I'm probably not the best researcher so I apologize if this is something that has been beaten around on here before. I'd sure like to see some early Buck pics if you have some to post.
Thanks
 
Not 100% sure but I believe Hoyt Buck started out making fixed blades and that was primarily what Buck made until the 110 came out in 1964. He might have re-bladed various slipjoints for customers but I don't believe Buck did any slipjoints with their name on them until they started the contract knives with Camilus.
 
Buck knives was incorporated in 1961 as a modern manufacturing company, that is why you see alot of information for the last 50 years. The 110 hits the scene about 63-64. The first slippies were the 301/303 under contract with Schrade about 1967 and changing to Camillus about 1969. Prior to 1961 knives were hand made. Others will jump in here but I believe there was no primary manufacturing of pocket knives in the pre factory years but did do reblading. Bring in your broken pocket knife and you could have a Buck blade put in it. I have seen pictures of pocket knives with 'BUCK' engraved on the blade. There is also a knife which was a rebladed WWII life raft knife. These knives are very rare.

I'm sure Matt Jannusch may know a bit about these early reblades and I know Oregon has some pictures.
Hopefully they will visit.
 
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This shot has the entire boat knife re-blade in it (notice how the blades look a whole lot like the early 110 blades):

 
A boat knife re-blade being hand-modeled by Maralee Houser (Joe's lovely wife):



The boat knives were war surplus from life raft survival kits and the blades were worn files, at the end of their filing life, bot for a penny each and fashioned by Hoyt into cool knife blades (recycling, oh how green).
 
HEY, Good job guys you have just about covered everything. Thanks Oregon for the photos, I will add just one. The pearl Joe H. knife shown is the or one of the first folding knives made by a BUCK. After WW2 some knives out of the survival kits in rubber life boats were sold in the San Diego area and Buck bought 200 + knives. The long sheepsfoot blade was removed and Hoyts special treatment was applied, likely to old files, and BUCK marked blade or tang were put into the surplus knives for the first "mass" produced Buck folder.

NUMBER ONE, BE CAREFUL, You can still pick up these aged lifeboat knives and some good AMERICAN has made a few fakes. If you find one to buy take good close-up photos, send them to Matt, Me, Larry Oden and Joe H. or anyone you know to be a long time Buck collector before you spend the big dollars they cost. If it is $20 buy it anyway.
And yes the real Bucks with full blades are going for big money, that is why I don't have one. Most you find are like the one above with some blade loss. Again be careful. Costs are up in the multi-hundreds of dollars. I could have bought one with a really bad blade for $400 and wouldn't do it. That much money will buy a lot of nice 303s. There are likely a half dozen or more BCCI members who have one of these.

300Bucks

I was suspicious of this one because of the brass rivet, the more people checked it out the more the group grew to think it real.
The bid started at a couple of thousand and over several months was lowered to $850 and someone other than me bought it. At $250 I might have scratched my head once. In the end it is not a 300 series and I don't need one. Case closed. But if someone finds one for $50 let me know.


 
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This knife is the 1 300Bucks was describing, I believe the previous owner also described it as the very knife that was used in the photographs in "Blade's Guide to Knives & Their Values".

pix435356968.jpg
 
David,

The two shown are the two that are 'out in view' as oldest. You know as well as I there could have been a hand made folder early on before the 110 was ever hammered on. Back when he was making everything different. Two or three would be a answer I would not disagree with. Likely Joe H. would know about them with the most actual knowledge. I can't tell you how many lifeboat based folders are out there I can easily name you a half dozen people you would know with one and I would wager another dozen or more are out there at present also.
300
 
I was counting it more like the large double bladed and the life boat knife. For two...? It's not like they had a lot of experience before bringing out a large lock-back. DM
 
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