The Schrade Walden 153 Uncle Henry...Golden Spike & Schrade 153UH variations..

As to the sticker on/off, adhesives were still in a state of development at that time. It is not uncommon for old sticker adhesives to dry and harden, thus release cleanly over time, while some became permanently attached. Later shipping weight reductions may well be due to the move from the nice lined leatherette covered slip top gift box to the cheaper, lighter fold down box. A survey of serials might prove or disprove this theory though. I do know that the Sharp Finger was introduced at this same approximate time and while first ads list the gift box with stone, it seems to have been discontinued rather quickly as I have only seen one or two in such packaging, finally acquiring one recently. Seems the early to mid seventies was a time for quite a few changes besides the name change. New patterns, brochures, packaging, slogans and logo, advertising. Not surprising that much of it was not documented and left for us to sleuth out here years later.
 
Nice of you to join us codger. You were AWOL for a bit there. I was thinking the weight difference was attributed to the smaller blade size you spoke of in earlier posts.
 
The blade weight is a possibility, but also weigh the different box types. The boxes changed long before the blade materials. All of my remaining knives and boxes (and reference materials) are packed away for now. By the way, do you have a date for the previous ad slick you posted?
 
fy0jyr.jpg

Saw this # today. Holy cow that seems high. What is the highest we've seen?
 
They saved 4lbs on 12 boxes. According to my calculations that's four pounds. Had to be a combination of the two. Maybe trimmed down the sheaths a bit. I guess when your shipping do many pieces that adds up pretty fast.
 
The pictured serial is about the highest I have seen. I calculate that it would have been made sometime around mid year 1991 according to year end production records.
 
james counsellor said:
They saved 4lbs on 12 boxes. According to my calculations that's four pounds. Had to be a combination of the two. Maybe trimmed down the sheaths a bit. I guess when your shipping do many pieces that adds up pretty fast.
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So that would be a weight reduction of 5 1/3rd ounces per unit/box. What year was that weight figure taken from?
 
Have to go back and find the print add again. I'll take a pic. I have some lb7 adds with visible serial numbers that can be dated from other publications in the picture. If that would help your research.
 
jq2t79.jpg

This listing just ended seller has receipt in picture. He responded back and told me serial #20181. Date on receipt is sept 21, no year but he is sure he purchased it in 1979
 
Codger_64 said:
The manufacture date for #20181 would be late 1975.
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Codger, did you see this reply from Dale?

Ken,
The 153UH was introduced in 1973 and the Schrade Walden tang stamp ended in about June 1973 when Schrade Walden changed their name to Schrade.
I imagine a few 153s were made in 1972, to see how they looked, iron out any potential production issues, etc, as well as for salesmen’s samples.

The new patterns for each coming year were usually introduced by Schrade at the annual sales meeting, usually held in October or November for the upcoming year.
I am sure there were a few made in 1972 to introduce the pattern at the sales meeting in October or November of 1972.

I don’t know when they scheduled the first full production run to begin in 1973.
If it was scheduled after July 1st, there may only be a handful of pre-production pieces made to introduce the new model.
If they started the first production run in January, there may be several thousand 153s with the Schrade Walden tang stamp, but I suspect that was not the case. I do not recall ever seeing a 153UH with a Schrade Walden tang stamp.

Has anyone else seen a 153UH with the Schrade Walden tang stamp?
Does anyone know for certain if any were made? ::shrug::
 
Yes. The above knife is not a Walden marked Golden Spike. The included papers say Schrade Cutlery. And... we have seen with our own eyes now eight Walden marked 153s and a serial just shy of 2,000.
 
Ken, Dale's post tends to muddy the waters on what we have established as likely fact.....they do obviously exist, likely 2000 odd made 72/73 during the Schrade 'name transistion' period....by known serials...first likely issued in Bear Skinner brown Uncle Henry Box's unused for its predecessor the 172UH and then ""some"" had the golden Sticker 'Golden Spike' on the Uncle Henry lid pending the issuance of the new 'Golden Spike' box with gold embossed 'Golden Spike' wording....I don't post on that other Forum however I often see what we have established as fact on many Schrades through research and looking at our actual knives on this Forum, are still often erroneously speculated upon, being discussed on that Forum...I am yet to see anything revealed there on both old and newish pattern Schrade's, that we have not already established here....just my observations....and I have never discussed that other Forum previously..other Forum members have through the years....we are fortunate to have collectors of the calibre of Codger lrv, Eric , plus some from Herman Williams himself,etc posting accurate info here IMO.....Hoo Roo
 
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Our understanding of the patterns such as this evolves constantly. Who, what, when, where and how. Prior to the OP post of this thread, the existence of a Schrade Walden 153UH was unknown to the majority of collectors and pretty well forgotten by former employees. And totally ignored by the scant guidebooks and collector's references. There is no telling what new information will come to light in the next week, month or year. Some of it may prove out our suppositions or, as in the case of some details of Dale's post on another forum, be corrected. Where noted authors have failed us due to lack of information, the group effort has once again come through.

If I may regress, the knife pictured above? Made some time in 1975, owner says bought in 1979? Both may well be true. When a knife was made does not tell us when it was bought by a retail customer. Who among us has not found and bought a discontinued Schrade from a retailer years after the factory closed and, at times, several years after the pattern was discontinued. A sales receipt tells us only the latest it could have been made, not the earliest.
 
Dear jamesc41001,

it is 5 digit number starts with 236. Can you estimate its age by knowing that number? If so plmk , thank you.

- fn925
 
Oh I see. I answer and you get all the glory and adoration! :D

Ok, it was made in 1976.
 
If the seller is correct, this is an example in the low 2000's. That would just about answer this question. Your original estimate would seem correct.
 
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