Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Hoyt Buck produced the first Buck Knife in 1902. Hoyt and his son Al moved to San Diego and set up shop as H.H. Buck & Son in 1947. Al Buck revolutionized the knife industry in 1964 with the infamous Model 110 Folding Hunter. The company's innovative history and attention to quality have made for many great collectible knives.
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circuit-kreator
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Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by circuit-kreator »

Hello,

I originally posted in the “question” forum, but figured this may get more traction here.

Long-time lurker of this forum, but this is the first time I felt the need to ask a question. My inquiry is about the knife in the photos below:
IMG_4845.jpeg
IMG_4732.jpeg
I recently won this item in an auction, but have my doubts about whether it is an original Buck knife. It was cheap enough that I felt ok taking the risk, as it looks neat anyway. In my research, I have found that HH Buck was possibly known to reblade knives for customers when they had broken blades. The odd thing is that I used “Google Lens” on my photo to see if I could find any matches for the knife, but couldn’t find anything similar. The blade stamp certainly looks like an early Buck stamp, and the blade appears to have been made from a file like the early Buck blades were (my understanding) but hoping that someone here may have some insight.

I’m hoping that once I receive the knife (should arrive tomorrow) that I may be able to tell if the tang has been ground down and restamped, or if it’s obvious that the knife has been apart.

I realize that early Buck folders aren’t known to exist in any sizable quantities, so I’m leaning toward “counterfeit” here, but wanted to ask the experts.

Thanks in advance
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OLDE CUTLER
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by OLDE CUTLER »

Looks fake to me. The pull on the blade looks like it was cut with a Dremel tool.
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bestgear
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by bestgear »

circuit-kreator wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 3:06 amThe blade stamp certainly looks like an early Buck stamp
Can you share an example of an early Buck stamp please?
circuit-kreator wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 3:06 amI realize that early Buck folders aren’t known to exist in any sizable quantities, so I’m leaning toward “counterfeit” here...
I'm not a Buck expert but I do know that in 1964 Buck introduced their first folding knife, the Model 110 which has become one of the most popular knives ever made. Until then, I believe only fixed-blade knives were produced by Buck which is not to say that they didn't dabble with folding knives.
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circuit-kreator
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by circuit-kreator »

Yes, it is possible that is it fake. I was able to find another early Buck knife - the Buck 117, which was made from WW2 lifeboat knives by HH Buck after the war (from my research). The blades were allegedly replaced with blades that HH Buck made from files. Here’s a post that talked about it. The pictures aren’t great in that post, but the long-pull style and placement looks to be similar to the knife I posted above.

viewtopic.php?t=24737

I found another picture online of one, but again, it’s not the best picture.
IMG_4847.jpeg
circuit-kreator
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by circuit-kreator »

bestgear wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 3:35 pm
circuit-kreator wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 3:06 amThe blade stamp certainly looks like an early Buck stamp
Can you share an example of an early Buck stamp please?

Example here:
IMG_4848.jpeg
circuit-kreator wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 3:06 amI realize that early Buck folders aren’t known to exist in any sizable quantities, so I’m leaning toward “counterfeit” here...
I'm not a Buck expert but I do know that in 1964 Buck introduced their first folding knife, the Model 110 which has become one of the most popular knives ever made. Until then, I believe only fixed-blade knives were produced by Buck which is not to say that they didn't dabble with folding knives.
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dsutton24
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by dsutton24 »

Peter E Buck and Sons was an importer out east that imported Germany cutlery into the US up to WWII or so. That's what you have there. I don't know much about PE Buck, but I do know Buck stamped knives are rare, I have a jack knife and a pair of sheep shears with that same stamp. The price was right, I'd have bought it except that you got there first. :)

As far as I know there's no connection to Hoyt Buck and the company he founded. Hoyt undoubtedly turned out some pocket knives. He was a blacksmith, so knives were only part of his output. He spent most of his time making hinges and repairing wagon hardware and the like. The knives he did stamp in that era were done with four individual stamps, and the stamp was uneven. Those are known as 'four strike' knives.
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Re: Rare original single-line Buck Bone Folder?

Post by circuit-kreator »

dsutton24 wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2024 7:23 pm Peter E Buck and Sons was an importer out east that imported Germany cutlery into the US up to WWII or so. That's what you have there. I don't know much about PE Buck, but I do know Buck stamped knives are rare, I have a jack knife and a pair of sheep shears with that same stamp. The price was right, I'd have bought it except that you got there first. :)

As far as I know there's no connection to Hoyt Buck and the company he founded. Hoyt undoubtedly turned out some pocket knives. He was a blacksmith, so knives were only part of his output. He spent most of his time making hinges and repairing wagon hardware and the like. The knives he did stamp in that era were done with four individual stamps, and the stamp was uneven. Those are known as 'four strike' knives.
Thanks a ton for the information! The longer i looked at early Buck knives, I started to realize what you indicated. It looked like each letter was struck individually in the early days. The knife that I posted a picture of was most certainly a stamp that included the entire name, as the letters are level and evenly spaced.

If you have the time or if it’s convenient to do so, I would appreciate seeing pictures of the pieces you have. The coincidence between the two manufacturer’s markings is pretty interesting to me.

Thanks again!
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