All About Pocket Knives

Anyone collect Belt Buckles? I am not sure how I even started. I just woke up one day and realized; "I guess I collect Belt Buckles...

A few more...

Yes, if it has a knife!

Gerber made quite a few of these with advertising and without, would be quite a collection if someone collected all the different ones they produced.

I gave up after about ten of them

Nice buckles guys

I don't "collect" belt buckles but I have accumulated a few over the years.

Very Nice! I had a few nice ones given to me over the years --- ended up selling them on ebay few years ago. I never used them, but always appreciated the design work that went in.

I have a box somewhere here with buckles in it.

Three were issued years ago by Smith & Wesson and each was a duplication of an old advertisement poster from the 19th century. One, I remember, was called, The Hostiles.

There are some others, including one I gave my dad for Christmas.

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 4:33 am Anyone.....

There are some posted here:
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=63250

I don't collect them, but I won my first buckle last year in a sporting clays shoot. Big buckles are pretty common around here in rural Texas. Back in the day, they used to be mostly be given out as awards at Rodeos, but other sporting events have started awarding buckles instead of trophies and plaques. I much prefer the buckles.

Here are a few that I can get to without climbing or having to move a ton of stuff out away from them.

The majority of mine are safety awards, promotional products, and gifts from companies within "spitting distance"--primarily mining-related businesses in Southwest Virginia and Southern WV (and occasionally Eastern KY).

Baker Mine Service, Bluefield Coal Show, thinking mid-'80s by the style of it. Baker Mine Service is located in Fairmont, WV; but the Bluefield Coal show takes place every other year in Bluefield, WV. It's one of two main coal trade shows in the US, with the bigger one being MinExpo in Las Vegas.
My Granddad bought it at a church yard sale for a buck, then gave it to me for Christmas that same year. I'm actually surprised he paid so little. People overvalue the crap out of old mining memorabilia around here when it isn't really that valuable--I've bought some of my stuff from local sellers and eBay auctions for pennies on the dollar what someone selling them at a flea market booth asks.
From 1986-1994 American LaFrance was located here in my hometown. A lot of our shop equipment came from the factory closing auction, including a Lincoln arc welder that produced 150 fire trucks, got blown up from lightning, and has had the feed motor rebuilt TWICE. And it still manages to work.

However, their building was built by Kersey Manufacturing, who produced mining equipment; who was bought out by Figgie International in '85? I think. Figgie relocated them a couple streets over and moved American LaFrance's operations from New York to Virginia.

I wore this one for about five years before the hasp started giving me trouble (it popped out regularly).
American LaFrance, I believe, produced a series of three belt buckles as promotional items. I haven't seen any others--though I suspect the Patriot and Pioneer 90 both got one.

Serial #1, a 1986 Century 2000 delivered to Albany, NY is depicted on this one dated 1989. However, production numbers say #2001, while a mug from the Skyline Lakes VFD in New Jersey says theirs is #1 (it's actually #2002, the second one), but was the first delivered. These were remounted onto Freightliner chassis by Emergency One back in the late '90s.
Back:
1990 featured a 1989 Water Chief II ladder truck painted up in a demo livery. Not sure if it depicted a specific truck.
Could be this one depicted on an old approval drawing from the plant. It was given to me by a former American LaFrance employee who taught at a local community college after the plant closed. It had been displayed in his office the whole time. The truck is still in service with a department in Delaware.


American LaFrance, during Figgie's ownership, started a historical apparatus collection that lasted until it closed for good in 2014 after mismanagement from a hedge fund. This 1911 Metropolitain Steamer was one of them.
The interesting thing about this one is that it doesn't have the 600 Mountain Ln., Bluefield, VA address listed on the back, but instead Figgie's home office in Ohio.


I am curious if the lower serial numbers were gifts to employees, as the last two came from rather local sellers--one a couple towns over--one next county over.

New_Windsor_NY wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 5:39 pm

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 4:33 am Anyone.....

There are some posted here:
viewtopic.php?f=21&t=63250

Thanks Skip! I was looking for that thread and did not see it. I guess the real thread I should have made was "Who wants to buy all the damn belt buckles I have piled up over the years? ...

cody6268 wrote: ↑Wed May 03, 2023 2:57 pm Here are a few that I can get to without climbing or having to move a ton of stuff out away from them.

The majority of mine are safety awards, promotional products, and gifts from companies within "spitting distance"--primarily mining-related businesses in Southwest Virginia and Southern WV (and occasionally Eastern KY).

Very nice collection!

I started collecting mining buckles because there were lots of copper mines around southern Arizona where I grew up. Then I started collecting about any other kind of buckle available...

My house was robbed last week... and I lost a lot of good belt buckles.....

A few R.R. collectibles.....

Some neat buckles I'll have to gather some of mine