Identifying a Vintage Buck 124

[ScottK]

I recently acquired a mint vintage Buck (124?) or Nemo that I need assistance in dating and estimating its value. This knife is stamped Buck USA it's sheath is stamped 124. The knife has a phenolic handle and white spacers near the butt and guard, it also has a thong hole in the butt.

Thanks,
Scott
"knifecoop@aol.com"

 

[Tightwad]

Scott, You are one lucky fella. I've been looking for one of
these in mint condition for a good long while now.

Nice score!!!

 

[glockman99]

WOW! I didn't know that Buck made the early 124's with white spacers, a more rounded handle, and a lanyard-hole! I like it alot better than MY 124 Frontiersman!...Wanna trade?..

 

[Larry Oden]

Scott,
You have one of the rarest Nemos known. It was probably made in about 1967, maybe 1966. The white teflon did not seal properly and Buck switched first to rock hard fiber and later to micarta spacers. I have one of these Nemos (actually model 122)and know of one other with the white teflon. Mine is like new and the other one is rather beat-up.
In my opinion, if you paid anywhere below $300, it was a bargain. Value should be in the $350 range and would be more if the knife came with the Nemo plastic diver's sheath. Since you have the Frontiersman leather sheath (model 124), I think the $350 range is probably accurate.
Joe can confirm this, but I think this model may be the first knife Buck stamped with the U.S.A. added under Buck's name on the tang.
There was another one on eBay a few weeks ago and I do not recall how high it went. Did you get this one from eBay?
Buck marketed the same knife under two different model numbers and names. Some lucky buyers received both a leather and a plastic diver's sheath according to some reports I have heard. Joe can you add to this or make any corrections?

 

[Joe Houser]

A lot of what is generally accepted as fact on the 122/124 was based on theories about the evolution of those two knives. I am not knocking those alleged facts, especially since i started most of the rumors!
This is what i think happened, and this represents a change. I think the very first nemos/frontiersmans, stamped BUCK, U.S.A., had the bone hard fiber spacers. At that time, 1967, all other Bucks with black phenolic handles had these spacers. It stands to reason that we would have done the same on these noe models. After some production got out, maybe a year or so, we started getting them back rusty. We experimented with the white teflon spacers but quickly abondoned that idea. I believe we went back to bone hard fiber and then, in 1969, we went to red micarta, like all our other knives in the line. Of course the next variation was the slab micarta without spacers.
We have a Nemo, in the early style sheath, that has bone hard fiber spacers and this supports the above theory. If you want info on early/later style Nemo sheaths, let me know.
I hope this helps. Oh, by the way, whichever order the white teflon one came out, it is still the hardest to find, especially in the box! Wow!