LB7 Bear Paw LB Survey

Got 2 more 4 pin
Schrade +
USA Lb7
4 pin


Schrade +
USA LB7
4 pin
 
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Hello,

New member due to finding my trusty old LB7 and wanting to get some history on it. Many thanks to the moderator and members for your methodical approach to sorting all this out!

This post may help tighten-up the S/N dating info because I was actually using this knife (s/n H25388) in May of 1980. I think that puts this knife earlier than what was posted for this series of alphanumeric s/n knives. I bought it earlier than May of 1980 but not sure when but I certainly had it with me on a memorable trip in my last year of high school.

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This is one of the lowest numbers I have ever seen 0162
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bawana said:
This is one of the lowest numbers I have ever seen 0162
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I think that is the earliest serial number I have seen as well.
Considering the zero is just a place holder with no value, can we call this a three digit serial number? :cool:
 
New member here. I know this is not a Bear Paw, it's a Papa Bear. But I wanted to post this here because I believe it is an unusual example. I just got this yesterday from Big Sky Images and Collectibles. It has a Staglon handle, but an LB7 blade. The serial number is A15720.









I don't know a lot about knives, but I have carried one since I was about 10 years old. I have always had Buck, Case or Old Timer knives, and I always wanted an Uncle Henry. This is my first one. Is this a four pin knife?

 
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Norton72 said:
New member here. I know this is not a Bear Paw, it's a Papa Bear. But I wanted to post this here because I believe it is an unusual example. I just got this yesterday from Big Sky Images and Collectibles. It has a Staglon handle, but an LB7 blade. The serial number is A15720.
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I think it fits well in this thread, and is a fine example. :)
Norton72 said:
Is this a four pin knife?
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Looking at the handle this one appears to be a three pin version. In post 363 above you can see what a four pin looks like.
 
Ballenxj said:
I think it fits well in this thread, and is a fine example. :)

Looking at the handle this one appears to be a three pin version. In post 363 above you can see what a four pin looks like.
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OK, thanks. So we count the pins in the handle, and the hinge(?) in the bolster doesn't count. I'm learning.
 
howdy everybody!
i have an early LB7 (1978 #91780) that needs a little help, is there any way to fix minor blade wobble?
just a bit of movement side to side, & a little more slop up & down...
sorry if this has been asked before, or if there is a different thread for repair questions...
thanks!
 
WHOA BAWANA! that is like, WOWZA!!!
kinda like ea42's #0185!
so where did you come across that?
i remember that display, i would intentionally go out of my way as an 11 year old just to stop in at the hardware store downtown to ogle that super sexy LB7 in the pretty red display, & as i recall my uncle finally got me one for my 13th bday, along with a long lecture about using big knives safely... can't remember for sure, but i think it was a 4 digit Q serial number... unfortunately, that one was stolen out of the jockey box when my truck was broken into around 1993 in downtown san francisco...
again, wowza, super sweet LB7 man!
 
delmas2nd said:
just got this one in. it is the "highest" serialed number one with 4 pins i have seen.
4 pin
Schrade +
USA LB 7
Q2980
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got any pix of that one delmas2nd?
my first LB7 was, if i recall correctly, a 4 digit Q ... lost in about 93 ... had a real nice flick & snap action to it ...
 
Hi Sparky42,
I was lucky enough to pick the knife up from Ebay didn't know the serial number at the time but I figured it would be low judging by the sort of packaging it was in.
 
sale thread, 21 October 2016:
K71962 - four pin
SCHRADE+
U.S.A. LB7

These next few are from ebay, 23 October 2016:

THREE PIN, all say SCHRADE+ over U.S.A. LB7

AW13023
AW64979
AW72598
AY26528
AY50409
AZ32166
BB43358
P44879
P53867
S66073
W40426
W93373

FOUR PIN, all say SCHRADE+ over LB7

258575
20680
354804
390562
88238
950924
C49993
J594
N21429

~Chris
 
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Ballenxj said:
That's an interesting compilation. I have to wonder about that four digit one that starts with a "J". I've not seen or heard of that before.
Thanks for taking the time. :)
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Thanks. I've seen a few oddball numbers, before we started collecting them for this list.

I you look at Codger_64's post on page 1 (post #18) he explains the logic behind the serial numbering of the LB-7 line. Every once in a while I'll look through ebay just to see what's available, and if I have time I'll take a few minutes & compile a list. Can't do it as much as I used to.

Here's what he said about the letter-number combination serial numbers:

Codger_64 said:
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.
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~Chris
 
Ballenxj said:
That's an interesting compilation. I have to wonder about that four digit one that starts with a "J". I've not seen or heard of that before.
Thanks for taking the time. :)
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It it does seem a little odd to the eye.

As well the 4pin N alpha is the highest I've seen for a 4pin. I know there is a discussion somewhere when Schrade went from 4-3pin lb7s.
 
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Here is a clue to that J alphanumeric.

howieareyu said:
Hi - Have many LB7s - 3 and 4 pin - Sturdy Tools all

Got an oddly numbered 4-pin via auction today.
J761 - 4 characters centered in the normal spot on the bolster
Looks to be same, normal stamp font
Haven't seen that numbering scheme before

Sorry but can't as yet take a pic to put up

Howie
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Codger_64 said:
Howie, as you have noticed if you have read thru this thread, the production LB-7 serial numbers pretty much always contained more numerics or alpha numerics that yours. I have no proof of it, but your four place serial suggests to me that the knife was made for something special. Like a set for a special retail custommer, or some sort of commemorative. The features added to the knives to customize them varied. Sometimes they had laser engraved handles, fancy bolsters or gold filled blade engravings, other times it was nothing more than a light blade etch which, with time and use, disappeared.

Anyway, this is all "best-guess" supposition on my part, that the "J" denotes the issue like the "BP" denotes issue on my U.S. Border Patrol knife, serial # BP0108.

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howieareyu said:
Hi Michael - thanks for the reply

Yup based on postings that precede me - sounds like a logical (logical and Schrade?) conclusion

Only other thing is that it came with the SAS-18 black basketstitch sheath that looks all but new - could have been paired up at a later time.

Blade is mint and bolsters/scales don't show any wear but have a good bit of accumulated 'age'. Looks to have been stored closed for years.

Thanks again -- HOWIE
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