All About Pocket Knives

Hi

got this knife from my father in law and want to get some information if i can.

Value...purpose of knife..when made, etc.

Attaching some pictures. Any help would be appreciated.

Welcome to AAPK. Sorry no one has replied to your post yet. I’m no Schrade expert but I can tell you the best source for current value is an advanced search of eBay sold listings only, for the item. In this case search for “Schrade Walden push button knife”, or similar. Tang stamp charts for determining age can be found here download/file.php?id=177016&mode=view

That’s about all the help I can give you. Maybe one of the members here who knows more about Schrade will see this and educate us.

Ken

It's pre-1972...

I don't know much at all about autos. Weren't these sometimes purpose driven as a pilot's knife, for one hand opening?

As for value, it can vary widely depending on handle material, scarcity, and condition. I would say in that condition, $100 anyways...(at least I'd go that much for it)

Looks like nice old paratrooper knife. I believe those are composite handles. They came in orange as well. They were also offered in jigged bone. Lots of folks here will be able to give you more info on dates and value. I would say the composite handle were made during the war years. Nice knife!

dawgn86 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 13, 2023 1:49 pm Hi

got this knife from my father in law and want to get some information if i can.

Value...purpose of knife..when made, etc.

Attaching some pictures. Any help would be appreciated.

Attached is a pamphlet produced by Schrade. I'm guessing this pamphlet was produced between 1950 and 1965. Your knife is pattern number 1553 3/4. I would agree with earlier opinions regarding man-made (composite) Handles. Aesthetically speaking, the knife looks good. Blade appears to be full and not rusting. Hard to tell from pictures, but looks lightly sharpened and doesn't look buffed. Because this is an automatic (i.e., switchblade), the functioning of the knife is equally important to the "appearance" of the knife. It should fire open crisply and lock open and lock closed. My guess is the knife was made between 1950 and 1960 and is supported by the tang stamp trademark of Schrade Walden NY USA. I am not a knife appraiser... I would expect a median price of $300 (i.e. midpoint of 200 to 400) to be a reasonable expectation.

Thanks for the good information folks...appreciate it

looks like it is the 1553 or 1543; i can measure the blade soon. Mine also has the lanyard loop on the end as if it would attach to something.

it snaps open crisply; remains pretty tight when open. Good shape for a knife that could be 60-70 years old.

Thanks again for the information.

A bit of an old post, I know, but the purpose was simply to have a knife that could be easily opened with one hand. These predated our modern-day one-hand-opening lockblade knives by decades, however the use was the same - a convenient knife for utility purposes.