Look what I found today! Buck 311 Trapper

[Baykeeper]

Here are the final pieces to my Buck 300 Series SFO puzzle-quest. Just received these two today: Buck #334 Millennium Trapper Limited Edition #0082 in Jigged Bone, and finally the pinnacle of Buck unobtanium, a #333 California Toothpick in simulated Stag, (Stagalon; a real stag version will follow soon I hope). I now have one of each of the 300 Series SFO's, and when I get the genuine stag toothpick I'll have all versions too. I want to thank all of you who participated in this thread for helping me along the way, bertl and 300bucks especially.

[garddogg56]

GREAT JOB THOSE LAST TWO ARE beautiful

[Baykeeper]

GREAT JOB THOSE LAST TWO ARE beautiful

Thanks GD, honestly I didn't think I would ever find them all, kinda amazed that I did. I'm going to try and stage a full family photo soon, but in the meantime I'm just going to enjoy them. That big Trapper is truly spectacular isn't it?

[Baykeeper]

Here is the family portrait of all the 300 Series Special Factory Order models made by Camiilus for SMKW. There were other SFO's, namely the #330 which was models #312 & #314 Trappers in Ironwood, but those were made in-house by Buck. The photo below is an example of every SFO Camillus made prior to their demise, (not all the versions....yet!).
The most recent additions were the Jigged Bone GD Barlow, Toothpick and Millennium Trapper. I know there are other versions out there, namely a real Stag #333 Toothpick, Smooth Black & "put together with old parts" #334's that went out the doors near the end of Camillus' existence, but this photo represents one of each CC-made SFO models, (my initial goal). For whatever reason the #333 California Toothpick was the hardest to find, in fact this one was the only one I saw for sale in the entire three years I searched for them.

In numerical order:

#322 Congress (1995)
#329 Trapper (1988)
#331 Grandaddy Barlow (1999)
#332 Barlow (1999)
#333 California Toothpick (not sure, can't find a date reference in "the database")
#334 Millennium Trapper (2000. Clone of the CC Jumbo Trapper used in their "American Wildlife Series" from the '80's).

Thanks again to those that helped, (enabled?)!

[Baykeeper]

Newest addition. 1988 Buck #301 Stockman NIB w/papers in Yellow Sawcut Delrin. I got this as a memorial for my stepson Joshua who tragically left us last month, he was born that year. I'll hold this for his son to have one day. It doesn't really fit into my Camillus-made Buck collecting emphasis, but I had to have it for obvious reasons.

About the knife: my first yellow #301, and of a vintage I admire. I like the Buck-made knives made in San Diego prior to their move and change of grind around 2000. I think they are obviously superior in many respects, better construction, better grind. Whatever the reason(s), a worthy knife to have.

[montemojo]

Baykeeper, I offer my condolences. I hope you get to send time with the boy. I think you could teach him plenty. Thats a good looking knife. If you have all the bucks you were searching for. What's next?

[Baykeeper]

Baykeeper, I offer my condolences. I hope you get to send time with the boy. I think you could teach him plenty. Thats a good looking knife. If you have all the bucks you were searching for. What's next?

Thank you, and it's in absolutely unused condition too. I also hope to be able to spend some time with him. He's too young to understand now, but we all hope to see that he remembers his dad. We are all still in shock, but we are just putting one foot in front of the other searching for our "new normal".

Well, I have a few collecting goals left to explore. I still have a single 300 Series SFO to obtain, (Genuine Stag #333 California Toothpick), and I want to get one of each handle color of the #305 Clipper. They came in several colors, (black, red, yellow, blue, and I also heard tell of a purple), so far I only have a blue one. I'll also be looking for any yellow/alternate colored handled pre-1986 300, there are a few of those out there. There are other rarities out there too, like a pre-1986 #317 Trailblazer with serrated master blade for example, I'd love to find one of those. However, things will slow a bit now, losing Josh has taken a lot of enthusiasm out of my life. My main goal now is to consolidate and document my collection so that my heirs will know what they are and what to do with them, (something I recommend any serious collector consider doing). They can keep them or sell them, whatever they want, but whatever they do it will be best if the collection is well documented.

[montemojo]

I think documentation is a great idea. I have a note book and descibe the knives and what I paid. I believe that stag toothpick will be hard to find. The differnt colored handles will make a great display. It sounds like you have it figured out. I'm sure your family life will settle in time. I really enjoyed reading your post in your quest and will be looking for more.

Monte

[Baykeeper]

I think documentation is a great idea. I have a note book and descibe the knives and what I paid. I believe that stag toothpick will be hard to find. The differnt colored handles will make a great display. It sounds like you have it figured out. I'm sure your family life will settle in time. I really enjoyed reading your post in your quest and will be looking for more.

Monte

Thanks again Monte. We will settle yes, but we will never be the same. Alas it just is what it is, so like it or not we just have to go forward.
Of course I'll be adding more, just popped for a NIB bolsterless-version of the #315 Yachtsman today, (a version I didn't have yet). I'll post photos when it arrives. It truly is about "versions" now that I have one of each model number, there seems to be endless versions of most of this series. 300bucks and bertl keep me going too, they pipe in every once in a while with a, "what about this version" comment, and that sets me off again looking for more Buck-branded unicorns.

[Old Hunter]

Baykeeper, my condolences in the loss of your stepson. BB

As to records, I have them pretty well on my Buck Knives, but haven't kept up with my Case, GEC, Schrade and others in several years - got behind and just quit. OH

[Baykeeper]

Baykeeper, my condolences in the loss of your stepson. BB

As to records, I have them pretty well on my Buck Knives, but haven't kept up with my Case, GEC, Schrade and others in several years - got behind and just quit. OH

Thanks OH. My daughter insisted I do it. She knows she will eventually get it all, and though she likes knives, she isn't a "collector". She watched me deal with my parents and sisters' estates and saw how hard it was for me to make sense of some of the things that were left, (and she knows how important family heirlooms are to me), so she asked me to put together a binder with photos and written descriptions of each knife. I'll also put links to the forums & contact info for other collectors for her to reference. She also realizes that a complete "collection" of something is sometimes more valuable than individual items if parted out, so she wants all of that documented too. I especially want her to know about and appreciate the family heirloom knives that I have, she can sell the rest if she wants, but those few generational knives need to stay in the family. I have other generational items that will be in the binder too, my great aunt's lamps for example, both have been with the family for over four generations, so I want them to stay in the family line. I also have multi-generation family hand tools I'll document. I always told her she wouldn't get an estate with any kind of money left in it, but would get an estate full of family relics to either sell or keep, least I can do is document it.

[Baykeeper]

Sometimes you get lucky.
I saw this one on the bay, and was just wanting to get a replacement of the bolstered #315 I have in my all-models CC-made '72-'86 collection, (which is very rough and in need of replacement). The listing had very poor photos, but I noticed the box more than anything. The seller was a newbie, but had very good feedback scores so I took a chance. The auction went a little further than I wanted at first, but by then I was sure I had found a somewhat hidden treasure so I persevered. What I got was a completely pristine, unused, untouched or sharpened #315 Yachtsman genuinely NIB w/ papers, (bolsterless version). The box itself looks like it just came out of the back-storage of a display case at the hardware store, and so does the knife. Any smudges or fingerprints visible in the photos are mine. The spike snapped closed so hard it actually startled me, the blade has a perfect factory edge and there are no scratches visible anywhere. I originally thought about just putting it in the roll with all my other "regular" 300 Series knives, but I decided this one should go under glass with the SFO's. If this had been sold by a more knowledgeable seller, who touted it's condition a little more with better photos I am sure the auction would have gone even higher, so I'll count this is a definite score.

[garddogg56]

Nice catch keeper

[Baykeeper]

Nice catch keeper

Thanks GD!

[bertl]

Baykeeper,

There's another 315 for you to get: no bolsters, no pins, hidden spring rivets.

Bert

[Baykeeper]

Baykeeper,

There's another 315 for you to get: no bolsters, no pins.

Bert

315 Yachtsman barehead, no pins, no escutcheon (1).jpg

You teach me something every time Bert. I had no idea there was a version both with no bolsters OR pins. Sigh, yet another search parameter to remember, but that's ok, I'm clearly addicted! Since I got this newest one I was wondering why I felt so weird, and realized it was because I didn't have another knife coming in the mail right now! Time to remedy that, off to look for pinless/bolsterless 315's!

[Baykeeper]

What do you do if you are a junker at heart and need to store a bunch of collectible knives? Do you purchase a nice appropriate glass display case? Do you store them in your safe? Pshaw, nope, you find an old knife box at the thrift store for $3 and re-purpose it, that's what ya do, (or what I did).
Not as fancy as a fancy glass display, but it holds all of the CC-made models including the SFO's and gives me a pretty good trailer-trash display option. In case of emergency I can just grab the whole box, my gun, my "bug out bag" and save both my own a** and my knives in one swoop. This holds one of each 300 Series model numbers made by Camillus, (including SFO's), with a few Buck-made favorites & duplicates thrown in for good measure. Looks good on the coffee table.

[montemojo]

I like the way you think BK nice!

Monte

[Baykeeper]

I like the way you think BK nice!

Monte

Thanks Monte. I have 33 Buck knives altogether, and a whole bunch of other brands, so I have a slight storage problem to say the least. I have eight other various Bucks in my EDC rotation, but wanted to put all the "collectibles" under one roof, so for $3 and a couple of hinges this works for me.

[Baykeeper]

Here is a new find, 1966 #301 Stockman by Schrade. This one was stored for decades in an old sheath, but other than some darkening of the bolsters and storage wear on the handles all aspects of the knife are pristine. The blades are factory sharp with no signs of usage, and all the blades are tight between the bolsters, (SC-made knives using the Swindon Key attachment system always seemed to loosen up with usage, a reason production was moved to Camillus in early 1971). Took me a while to find one, and I am thrilled to have found one in such good condition. Now I need to find a '66 #303 Cadet to join this one!

[montemojo]

Good looking knife BK, and good luck finding the cadet. That one is in great shape hard to believe it went all these years and didn't get used up.

Monte

[Baykeeper]

Good looking knife BK, and good luck finding the cadet. That one is in great shape hard to believe it went all these years and didn't get used up.

Monte

Thanks! This one apparently was stored for decades in a leather sheath and seldom if ever used, shows some slight storage wear & discoloration on the handles & bolsters, but the blades are perfect. Recently I had lost an auction of a NIB example, but then this one popped up and I managed to snag it. Fortunately it was in better condition than I expected, the listing had poor photos, so when it arrived I was more than pleasantly surprised at how nice it was.

[Baykeeper]

Here's a good reason for a thread bump. 1990 unused Buck #312BB Mini Trapper NIB w/ papers, just couldn't resist. I really like this era of Buck in-house production, their pinnacle of quality in my humble opinion.

[Old Hunter]

Nice Buck!

[Baykeeper]

Nice Buck!

Thanks OH. There just aren't that many bone handled Buck folders out there. Though I have a #312 in the regular Black Sawcut Delrin handles I just couldn't resist this when I saw it. Out of the thirty plus 300 Series Bucks I have this is one of only three I have w/ bone handles; works for me.