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

You have a good way of sorting all this nonsense out codger. You know how schrade collecting is,just when you think you know the rules they change the game! You might see a schrade tang with a serial # on it. That would narrow things up a bit. I do like your low serial and Larry's mint complete package though. I think the gentlemen who had that knife had the foresight to fill out the loss certificate and bury it while he used the replacement. I have two craftsman examples the first like all the others I've seen is pale in color the second is not. I'm thinking it might have been rehandled. When schrade annouced they were closing it attracted all kinds of people. Some were there for different reasons. As we can see from the way some have behaved over the last 10 years, the people with an emotional attachment have good reason to be a little guarded with their things. Do you ever get the feeling everyone's passing around the same 2ot's. Except for Larry's of course. In the end we are all just looking after them for a bit.
 
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As far as working backwards on the serials to determine the last Walden marked 153UH, here is a start. Serial #105527 would have been, according to production records, produced in mid-1979. There were an aggregate eight year total of 127,373 of the pattern shipped by the end of that year.
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That's funny. Bout drove myself nuts trying to figure that out. Not sure if your ready for a barrage of pictures anyway. Schrade sure did make a lot of those 153uh's. I think if you put them all In a pile you can see them from space. Not sure why it was such a popular pattern. I don't hunt but I do make hunting knives. I understand a little about the geometry involved in getting the applied pressure to the cutting edge from different angles. From looking at it, looks like it could be used as a skinner, bird and trout, or filet knife pretty much equally as good. As someone with experience does this seem accurate?
 
Pretty much. But I myself prefer a duo of other patterns, the 152OT and 165OT. If you have both of the larger knives, compare them visually and by feel. The Woodsman is meatier, heftier. And the semi square cross section, serpentine handle indexes better for me. In the end, it is just personal choice. And what one has become accustomed to. The 153UH does have more visual appeal to a lot of people. And both patterns were very affordable thru their lifespans. Not cheap, but affordable. But some people don't like the piercing tip of the trailing point. And some like more or less belly in a blade. Why were they so popular? How about the Sharpfinger? It turned out to be their all time best selling fixed blade knife, continuing to be so when fashion changed and larger hunting knives began to decline in sales. The 153UH fell to less than 1976 production in 2002 (14,768 vs. 12,190), the last year for which I have record access.
 
If I could only grab two they would be my SW165uh and the SW127....and my 172. my extreme survival. Is that more then two. I could see a razor sharp,sharp finger working real nicely skinning a deer. Some of those DU and SFO sharp fingers are real nice.
 
153UH serial #58268. This would have been made and shipped in early 1978.

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Only one or two? :eek:

I had several hundred stolen. I am glad to have what remains, both users and new in the box of many patterns including some of my favorites.
 
james counsellor said:
That's a nice knife. That's a schrade+ yes
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No. I think the switch to stainless was much later. I'll check my records.

Yes, per drawing #20-00582 rev, A, the change was made to stainless in late 1995. It required new guards, handle tube moldings and blades as the stainless was thinner stock. The components did not interchange. New "+" tang stamp given to production control by 5/5/95. Butt piece and washer changes made inhouse. Tool room modified existing handle cores.

* Blade from .165 carbon to .135 stainless
* Grind switches from flat to hollow
* Guard closes up (old guards do not interchange).
* Same for new handle moldings.

Per memo dated December 2, 1994. Last of the carbon blades were being blanked at that time. The memo mentioned a production forecast of almost 1,000 knives per week for 1995. The forecast was off by quite a bit. For 1995, 22339 pieces shipped for the combined old style carbon knives and the new tooled stainless. For 1996 it was 21012 of the new design and for 1997 17,241 pieces.
 
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Codger and James, I have been sitting on the fence looking at this for some time, starting when Old Mate Larry started it up.
I moved this post to AAPN from Blade Forums and Blade Forums to AAPN, this helped to push thing alone.

As a Schrade collector, I have a small amount of fixed blades.
When you posted your 153UH, I had a look at my one and only 153UH.
It’s never been out of its’ brown box, the oiled / greased blade is in its’ plastic sheaf and all of its' bling is under the sheaf.

The blade is stamped “SCHRADE USA – 153HU. However, there is no serial number. I think it's a carbon blade.
The white protective sleeve; has been stamped “153UH”in ink.
My question, why does everyone have serial numbers? What happened to my numbers?
I'l talk to Old Mate Larry about swopping boxes, I like that GOLD STICKER... Ken.

James, this is a special order Sharp-finger nice bone handles (made about 2002-03)
Codger has a nice (wooden handled) Anniversary Sharp-finger among all the others, he has in his collection.
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We don't know exactly when they stopped serializing them. An educated guess is that the numbers just got too big for the available space on the guard and that, as with the serialized 897UH, 165OT and LB-7, the serials just became too much bother since their warranty policy was quite liberal anyway. I am yet to see a 153UH or 165OT serial resort to single and double alpha prefixes like they did on the 897UH and LB-7s.
 
Heh! I figured you would catch on soon. Nice picture. I am not surprised however that the spa treatment those guys gave your knife turned out so well. From just the few names I know there, they have a total of well over 100 years experience, mostly with Schrade knives.
 
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