Sears Craftsman Tall Tale 141BH

Codger_64

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The 1959 Spring-Summer Sears Roebuck catalog

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Among the many Schrade Walden, Ulster and Imperial knives in the 1959 Sears Roebuck catalog was the Sears version of the 141 "Tall Tale" bear head knife. That wasn't it's first listing, but the best illustration and description I have found to that date.

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Also among the several sheath knives featured in that catalog was this one most of you will recognize.

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The Schrade Walden H-15.
 
I love these combos.

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That's the SW 148L. I have the mint knife and sheath, but alas not the axe and it's sheath.
 
Those "Kameo-Karved" knives were sold by Sears in 1959 as well.

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That one is an Ulster K 50D Slim Serpentine Jackknife Stag Head 3 1/8".

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and an Ulster D415.

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A deal-for-real on a combo set with the matching Imperial sheath knife.
 
Here is the 141BH in the 1957 Sears catalog, #9534 with the Wonda-Wood handle.

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Love your work Codger.......
I have put together a representative montage of what those early Sears Craftsman might have looked like all together.
The Craftsman 141 BH Wonda wood together with the 141BH Leather Handle and that quite bazarre design original Craftsman sheath as depicted in your above thread.<close up photo will show you what I mean. No doubt the forerunner shape of the 49er series sheaths>
I have used a bit of creativity with the stag head combo set but similar to what it would have looked like.
The Axe set in Staglon is genuine Craftsman but not rubber handle as in your thread but still similar.
Q: I dont know the pattern Number of the Craftsman Fixed blade Bear Head shown which is a little larger than the 141 BH. Do you know any details?
Keep the research coming mate...Hoo Roo
 

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more photos......
 

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and would you believe more......
 

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10 cents MORE for the Bear Head pommel!!!?? :eek:
Sign me up!!!!

Thanks for posting this Codger
I got my eye out for a bear head Schrade now :thumbup::cool:
 
The Axe set in Staglon is genuine Craftsman but not rubber handle as in your thread but still similar.

The axe matches the X-47 Outdoorsman set. I see it in the 1961-63 Schrade catalogs with the 147L knife. Yours, Staglon handled, matches the slightly later X-47S Safari Set seen in the 1964 and later catalog with the 147S knife. In 1970 they switched the knife in the combo to the 148S and the combo was called X-48S. 1971 is the last year I see the axe / knife combo listed. Of course, Sears often had dibs on first production pieces, up to a year before appearance in the Schrade catalogs, and often continued to buy remainders after a pattern had been dropped from the Schrade catalogs. I did not see axe combos listed in the 1962 Fall / Winter catalog.

Q: I dont know the pattern Number of the Craftsman Fixed blade Bear Head shown which is a little larger than the 141 BH. Do you know any details?

No, but a bit or searching might turn up a few clues. Sears bought them quite a while after they were dropped from the Schrade catalog. So the regular 141 pattern, or the 491 or 41OT for that matter, might have been used to make them resulting in slightly longer blades. It is still listed in the 1962 catalog (#10627) with a 4 1/2" blade, same as 1957, but 1/4" longer than the ad in 1959. In the Schrade catalog, it is illustrated with the bear head pommel for the last time in 1965. A full look-see at the Schrade records of Sears shipments shows it sold much longer.

9534 - SW 141 Fixed Blade Wonda-wood handle, bear head pommel (1957)
9547 - SW 141BH Fixed Blade (1959)
627 - SW 141BH Fixed Blade (1960)
10627 - SW 141BH (1962-1964)
21541 - SW 141BH (1967)
21641 - SW 141BH (1967)
21651 - SW 141BH (1971)
73615 - SW 141BH (1972-77)
 
Here is the 1959 Imperial catalog of the #9533 Combo, the HK3550 "Kombo Set".

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I have this set albeit in another version with a different base knife, the HK3506 set.

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....keep' em comin' mate! Codger do you have any info on the Imperial Sportset with the snazzy set of pliers?
 

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No, not really. There is this "peppermint" in the 1957 Sears catalog though:
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Nice one Jackie.
Attached the Craftsman Hunting Knife and Fisherman's Plier Set #9547.<as above>
Knife #9508. These colored handles make sense now so the hunter/fisherman could always see the knife in most situations,and I hadnt figured those pliers as Fishermans <Fly?> pliers however now I can see they would be perfect...so might use them........Hoo Roo
 

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Codger, in your travels through the Sears Catalogs could you keep your eye out for promotion of the Sears Divers/Marine knife Pattern#57234? <J.C.Higgins> Thanks.
 
My library of Sears catalogs is still incomplete, and not every knife contracted for was intended for catalog sales at that. Some were intended for store sales only. That said, I did run across the aforementioned Staglon handled X-47S Safari Set in the Fall -Winter 1964 catalog, Sears #10641 with price of $7.75. I don't have this issue scanned yet.
 
what i can't figure out is how you guys manage to get so many old knives in near mint condition, esp. the FBs. 99% of the ones i see(ebay) are used.
there must be other, better sources ?
care to share any "secrets" ?
roland
 
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