Schrade 152OT Sharpfinger

Another Sharpfinger "get". Reference materials to see what SMKW offered when. Kevin Pipes told me the catalogs were not available from their archives so... I made an eBay seller a deal for the batch, 1997-2001. Wonder what I will find?

Nice add! If you're taking requests, could you let me know if you spot this one in there?
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The gents who frequent this forum may recognize it before then. Something tells me it is from a brown bone SFO set. Check back often.
 
I have most of the 2004 Duck knives, with the blade etching.
That is the first SDU152 I have ever seen.
I do not think any 2004 Duck Display Units were finished...Ken
These two at the bottom are etched 2003 and 2004.

Is the Sharpfinger Duck in your collection, Codger?
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It is on it's way to me via a trade. I saw one in a cabinet at my local lumberyard in 2004 and passed because I thought it was overpriced.
 
From briefly looking at the catalogs, circa 2000 they started listing the oak DU issues individually up through the end. The DUPH2 was made most of those years, but only the last two or so the SDU152 oak. So 1 1/2 years production on those. The sets were mainly assembled on demand for sale directly to DU chapters for fundraisers I think. So there could be some out there.
 
ETA: We apparently are missing the color and shortline catalogs from 2003 from the archives. So not definate on which fixed blade was offered in the oak DU series that year. Anyone have a 2003?
 
And... I finally gave in and bought one of the infamous "pallet" knives. Finished Sharpfinger blades sent by someone to China to have pressed wood handles installed with too-small brass rivets.

Sellers on the bay have been going crazy with stories and prices, but I found one as cheap as an original used knife, so made an offer. I'll see if this brown wood example has the loose handles that I have heard about on many of them. The tang stamps vary but this example has the last stock stamp, also the hollow grind.

There is another on now that the seller claims to have had in storage over fifteen years. Guys, someone remind me as to when the wood handled pallet knives first showed up here?
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This knife arrived today. Blade is excellent and the handle slabs aren't loose, just ill-fitted and not high quality. Curiosity settled, I am considering sending it to a friend to have salvaged jigged bone ) installed from an old Outers pattern knife, circa 1930's. I am out of mammoth ivory. And fancy stabilized burl wood.
 
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Ken, if you would, email it complete to Larry Vickery with permission to archive it on the COSRUS site. Do you also have the 2003 shortline?
 
Thanks! Every bit of information helps! I count five in the set but perhaps one was a predecessor that gave them the idea of the series which followed. They are handsome etches when found pristine.

On The Run
The Big Stag
Hunter’s Dream
The Getaway
Hunter’s Companion

...

I am beginning to go through the SMKW catalog back issues. I found the answer to these etched 152UH's in the January, 2001 issue. There were indeed five different artworks as listed above. They sold for $14.99 each and the ad states they were limited to 1,500 of each etch.

On The Run - SC152R
The Big Stag - SC152BS
Hunter’s Dream - SC152HD
The Getaway - SC152G
Hunter’s Companion - SC152HCK
 
Bringing forward the photos of the five SMKW 152UH knives mentioned above for reference.


152UH-SMKW-Five1583370745.jpg
 
1991 - Another special issue is the 152OTO knife with hunter orange Delrin handle and "OLD TIMER" or “LIMITED EDITION” shield. It was commissioned by Smokey Mountain Knife Works circa 1991 for inclusion in their "father and son" hunting sets with the 165OTO "DEERHUNTER", 15OTO "LIMITED EDITION", and 158OTO with an "OLD TIMER" shield. The original production 152OTO most often are found with sheaths having a deer head image embossed on the front. Quite a number of these orange handled knives appeared for sale after the Schrade closing, so they are unique, but not really rare. I believe these used the 1095HC carbon steel blades and had the standard "Schrade USA 152" tangstamp. “Father and Son” sets (152OTO and 15OTO) were again offered in 1998.
Still combing through the SMKW catalog back issues, here is an ad for the orange handled knives, 152OH (SMKW numbers). Note the original price before you go all crazy buying one today at high prices. Also note that it is one of the most common SFO copies made by TBLLC and TBI. We see in this ad the quantity of originals made, 3,000 pieces. Christmas 1997 catalogue.
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Yes, the power of bulk buying. SMKW was an important market for Schrade for quite a few years. Even many if not most of the factory seconds seen on today's market were sold through there. I see seconds Sharpfingers priced at $9.99.
 
Nice ones Tongueriver! Are there any SFO Sharpfingers in that fall 1992 SMKW catalog?

Here is another very recent find. A 2001-2002 DS15 Federal Duck Stamp issue but in stag jigged natural bone. The only one I have ever seen. The catalogs show them with green pickbone handles. Though I have seen a few over the years with dyed staged bone handles.

2001-2002-SDU15-8a1572398029.jpg

2001-2002-SDU15-91572398259.jpg
 
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