WESTERN Sheath knife 666 or 999 model

[98src]

I don't have any references for Western sheath knifes. Can some help me on this one? Appears to have bone scales and came in a Kinfolks sheath. When was it made and a value?

[zzyzzogeton]

It's a model 666. 66 pattern with Delrin scales. The 6 as the leading digit in a Western model number represented bone prior to 1960 and Delrin 1961 onward.

The model number stamped in the guard means 1968 or later. Boulder Colo / USA means not later than 1972. The "Boulder Colo" was dropped from the stamps starting in 1973.

Price is difficult to judge. With the original sheath, it would probably got for $40 to $80 on fleabay, depending on who was looking for what at the time. With a non-Western sheath, I'd say $25 to $50, again depending on who was buying.

Then again, you might run across a collector of Kinfolks knives who couldn't care less about Westerns BUT "just absolutely HAS to have THAT sheath for some sheathless Kinfolks running around in a drawer at home.

[98src]

The scales are bone.

[zzyzzogeton]

Western shifted entirely to Delrin in 1960. No bone after 1960. With the model stamped in the guard, not earlier than 1968.

Edited to remove reference to stag.

[kootenay joe]

Looks like bone in the picture.
kj

[zzyzzogeton]

I forgot that Western did have a few stag handles in 1968 -
648(A),
648B,
639,
S-648(A),
S-648B,
S-639,
and
S-666

Stag is not bone.

Digging out my TKMWWW, per their own ads in 1968, there was NO 666 model - there was an L66 and an F66, but NO 666. It's possible that the 666 was left out of the 1968 catalog. But if they had had a 666, I would think they would have had stag handles as well.

However---- the 666 does show up in the 1959-1960 catalog - with bone stag. So it's possible/probable that this knife is from 1959-1960 period, with the bone stag being replaced with Delrin in 1961.

Now this leaves me with a new data point - a guard marked 1959-1960 knife. 1968 is when Western started advertising that their knives were guard marked.

I have 2 folks on here who state that they got their guard-marked L39s via S&H Green Stamps during the late 50s. With a 1959-1960 guard-marked 666, this brings up the possibility that all the 1959-1960 knives were guard marked. We have no proof either way, just 3 knives that don't fit the "rules". And I have multiple knives known to have been purchased in the 1961 to 1967 time frame that are pile ricasso marked, which "do" follow the known rules. Conundrums.....

The "1960 only" reprint in TKMWWW just shows the F-series knives. Western chose not to include the 1961 catalog reprints, for which I will always be less than happy.

That being said, that would probably raise the value somewhat due to the limited production time / scarcity of this version.