Schrade 152OT Sharpfinger

[Littlecat]

Codger
Glad you included the Rough Rider Sharpfinger clone in the forum. i just bough one for myself. I purchased lots and lots of Sharpfingers in the bankruptcy. I instantly became a collector. I had owned several over the years as a teenager and adult. My favorite is the Black handle Granddad Sharpfinger.
The last few years I have been buying China Sharpfinger and other clones/copies and giving them as gifts the some older responsible kids and letting the enjoy the knife, some day some will becomes fans and collectors of the original USA made knives like we are “pass on the fun”.
it’s Christmas and the Rough Rider Sharpfinger is neat knife makes great gift.
or an old USA made Sharpfinger even better.
MARRY CHRISTMAS

 

[Codger_64]

Codger
Glad you included the Rough Rider Sharpfinger clone in the forum. i just bough one for myself. I purchased lots and lots of Sharpfingers in the bankruptcy. I instantly became a collector. I had owned several over the years as a teenager and adult. My favorite is the Black handle Granddad Sharpfinger.
The last few years I have been buying China Sharpfinger and other clones/copies and giving them as gifts the some older responsible kids and letting the enjoy the knife, some day some will becomes fans and collectors of the original USA made knives like we are “pass on the fun”.
it’s Christmas and the Rough Rider Sharpfinger is neat knife makes great gift.
or an old USA made Sharpfinger even better.
MARRY CHRISTMAS

Merry Christmas to you as well Littlecat!

Some day in the not too distant future my extensive Sharpfinger collection will be back on the market via my heirs. Hopefully it will provide much entertainment and opportunity for future collectors.

Meanwhile I continue to add missing pieces. I am still amazed at the variety of originals made by Imperial Schrade. And pattern copies by other American cutleries too.

 

[Codger_64]

Merry Christmas Schrade Collectors! Yesterday, Christmas Eve, was "Uncle Henry", Henry Bodenheim Baer's 124th birthday! Schrade lore has him as the designer of both the patented 15OT Deerslayer and it's smaller relative, the copyrighted 152OT Sharpfinger. Here is a promo photograph of Uncle Henry in his office sharpening the new Sharpfinger with a Honesteel. How do I know the Sharpfinger is new then? I can see the accompanying sheath which only in the beginning had a pointed tab on the choil keeper strap.






I note also that only the very earliest came in the rigid two part slip-top "Gift Box" accompanied by a gray sharpening stone and leather wrist thong. I see this mentioned in only the first dealer catalog ads for the Sharpfinger.



"Handcrafted Sheath Of Top Grain Steerhide"? You bet. When examining one of the scarce unused, unravaged by age original first sheaths there is an apparent quality difference in materials and in craftsmanship. Evidently too costly to maintain over the long lifetime of production. And certainly, with a few scattered exceptions, since original production ceased some 19 years ago.

 

[Codger_64]

Did someone say "Christmas"? How about a new custom Sharpfinger?

My son revealed his secret project to me yesterday morning. I had no clue that he had the interest and skill to do this. But he does know and appreciate my collecting the pattern, production and custom. Thus my handmade Christmas present from my son. U.S. sourced finished 8 7/8" blade blank (Damascus 416 layers @ 5160, 15n20, Ni200), 4 inch handle (quilted maple stained to walnut 224), Mosaic star pins and reconstituted aluminum tubing for lanyard hole liner.

 

[Codger_64]

First addition to my collection for this new year, 2024. This one included no box or other packaging to aid in dating it. However the details of the knife and included (non-original) sheath indicate it is most likely one of the later produced in 2000-2001. Other than some minor storage patina, it appears to be unused. The rare excellent condition first production sheath was a pleasant bonus. The knife itself went to my son for a custom dyed, carved camel bone handle.

 

[Codger_64]

My 100th Anniversary birdseye maple Sharpfinger finally has a new home. Produced with the help of friends, an empty factory DS-15 Duck Stamp box was repurposed to house it along with a 100th Anniversary money clip and lapel pin. I am quite pleased with the result!




In the hectic days of 2003 - 2004 when ISC was planning to celebrate their 100th anniversary yet fighting a forced bankruptcy closure, only a few of the 100th Anniversary set displays were completed and shipped to dealers. I don't expect to ever acquire such a set, but consider myself lucky to have added the Sharpfinger to my collection. Here is a photo of a complete five piece display boxed set owned by another collector.

 

[Codger_64]

It was fun designing the box cover central art panel. The main text frame came from the 34OT anniversary tin lids. While the steamboat motif came from the Walden box inserts, I wasn't able to find usable image of the steamboat as printed. So I found the art elsewhere and grafted it in. It is from an etching of the Mississippi River Sidewheeler Steamboat Robert E. Lee.

 

[Littlecat]

It was fun designing the box cover central art panel. The main text frame came from the 34OT anniversary tin lids. While the steamboat motif came from the Walden box inserts, I wasn't able to find usable image of the steamboat as printed. So I found the art elsewhere and grafted it in. It is from an etching of the Mississippi River Sidewheeler Steamboat Robert E. Lee.

View attachment 2449100View attachment 2449106View attachment 2449115

 

[Littlecat]

Wow Supper Tin, Codger you should have been in Schrade Marketing Department
I was just looking at my hap hazard and poorly organized collections of Sharpfingers. I have a Duck Unlimited.
oak handle with DU logo, highly polished hollow grown with 2004 on the blade.
i have other regular 152s with the same grind not polished. They all have handle shrinkage’s, guess that is common for the period.
Note the oak handle on the DU knife is perfect , it is the best finished 152 I own, it’s beautiful.

 

[Daedric Panther]

https://imgur.com/a/ToIlabQ

The sharpfinger is easily my most carried fixed blade. I know many who ride with one of these on their belts, myself included.

 

[Codger_64]

The sharpfinger is easily my most carried fixed blade. I know many who ride with one of these on their belts, myself included.

The size and shape of the Sharpfinger earned it's popularity with many folks I know it did for me. Unobtrusive for daily carry by very active outdoorsmen and others.

 

[Codger_64]

Wow Supper Tin, Codger you should have been in Schrade Marketing Department
I was just looking at my hap hazard and poorly organized collections of Sharpfingers. I have a Duck Unlimited.
oak handle with DU logo, highly polished hollow grown with 2004 on the blade.
i have other regular 152s with the same grind not polished. They all have handle shrinkage’s, guess that is common for the period.
Note the oak handle on the DU knife is perfect , it is the best finished 152 I own, it’s beautiful.

Unfortunately for collectors today, of the five annual Oak Ducks Unlimited sets, the Sharpfinger was only issued in 2004, an abbreviated year. The previous four yearly issues featured a PH knife as the oak handled fixed blade.

I'm not sure I understand the shrunken handles you mention. I've seen a lot of damaged knives in my twenty or so years of collecting the pattern, but I've not noted Delrin shrinking. Can you show us?

 

[Daedric Panther]

The size and shape of the Sharpfinger earned it's popularity with many folks I know it did for me. Unobtrusive for daily carry by very active outdoorsmen and others.

That’s what I like about it. I like carrying a fixed blade but most are too bulky for me and the small skeleton handle ones just aren’t comfortable in use. The sharpfinger is the perfect size, feels like a “real” knife in the hand and doesn’t scream wannabe Rambo.

 

[BigMoney]

I've had this since a kid. Cut myself real good with it. Thought I lost it for while but found it boxed up a couple years ago. Big hole cut in the sheath of course.

 

[Codger_64]

We've mentioned here several times about the reasons for the sheath changes from choil retainer strap to handle retainer strap so I thought to show a few recently seen examples.



This was more common than one might think. And something to watch for when buying a used Sharpfinger with this type sheath.

 

[Littlecat]

By shrunken handle I meant the flat top of the handle has a slight concave or sunken shape. I would not think the mold would be shaped like that, it is a common feature on the latest production blade contour. I think some were on this forum it’s been mentioned that the last 152 blades were stainless.
I have the brown and yellow handles the concave or sunken handle shape, all of my older 152 have a very flat top on the handle.

 

[Codger_64]

By shrunken handle I meant the flat top of the handle has a slight concave or sunken shape. I would not think the mold would be shaped like that, it is a common feature on the latest production blade contour. I think some were on this forum it’s been mentioned that the last 152 blades were stainless.
I have the brown and yellow handles the concave or sunken handle shape, all of my older 152 have a very flat top on the handle.

Ah yes. I understand now. True that more sinks and other defects appeared to pass inspection in the last years. And even that was exacerbated with the huge lot of rejects and hastily assembled knives that came from the factory auction. Warping, pin cracks and other defects as well. Remaining workers were tasked with assembling any knives they could from July to October to fluff inventory for the bankruptcy sale in 2004. Those knives are still circulating in the mix of Sharpfingers on the market today. However with the full tang construction, most molding and assembly defects have no effect on the knife's usability.

Something most don't realize is that those Delrin handle covers are slightly hollow on the backside. This was to reduce sinks during molding and also relieve any tendency to warp and crack when mounted and pinned

 

[Codger_64]

I'm very glad that people are still finding the info in this thread useful. New information comes to the top still after all of these years.

Here is a 502SC Scrimshaw which I had not seen until a friend on the other side of the planet brought it to my attention. For some years Imperial Schrade made special event knives as commemoratives and fundraiser events for the local Ellenville Wawarsing area. 4th of July and Christmas lighting being two prominent ones. Here is the Sharpfinger used for the 1995 Christmas lighting fundraiser. A local landmark building on the mark side and the municipal seal with text "Happy Holidays 1995" on the pile side. Records show the quantity of these produced would be 100 pieces. And of course the distribution would have been almost entirely local, not nationwide.

There was a second use of the 502SC pattern for the Christmas Lighting Program in 2001. Art was the D&H Canal Office and as with the earlier issue, the order was for 100 pieces. I need an example of that one.

A recent find, the 2001 Ellenville/Wawarsing Christmas Lighting knife. With only 100 made and so long ago, they rarely come to market these days.




Also uncommon, this particular example came in it's original box and other packaging.

 

[Codger_64]

Here is one I had not seen before, another use of remaindered pile side marked SC205 knives from the 1983 production for K-Mart. Evidently Schrade anticipated large continuing orders that didn't materialize as the SC205 knives are frequently found today blank without handle art or blade etch or with clip-art printing on the handles. This one has a unique blade etch, " Florida Whitetail Deer Hunter" in addition to low quality printed deer clip-art on the handle. No clue as to who the merchant or customer was, when made or quantity.

 

[Codger_64]

This is the 1983 K-Mart SC205 SFO mentioned above, complete in it's gift box.