The TSA took my Grandfather's knife

[54reo]

I realize you guys probably get a bunch of "please help me find out what knife I had/have" threads from new guys. After much searching, I have reached the point where I realize that I need help.

As the title of the thread states, the Federal Government now owns my Grandfather's knife that I received from him when he passed.

Prior to leaving home that day, I had looked through EVERY piece of my luggage for that knife. What I could not locate, the TSA scanner did. As I was putting my boots back on, the TSA screener stated "You can't have this with you." while holding the knife and leather case that I couldn't find earlier. My heart sank. I asked him what options I had. He mentioned that I could hand it off to a relative or friend on the other side of the screening area; as I was traveling for business, I was alone. Asking if I could mail it from there, he mentioned that the Airport Post Office had closed over a year ago and that was not an option. I specifically asked if there were any options I had, at which he said "no". I reluctantly relinquished control of the knife, asked for (and received) the leather case, and went on my way. Approximately 25' down the causeway, the TSA screener that had been working the X-ray machine (different TSA guy from the one I had been talking to) asked if I was the guy with the hard hat (rather curious, as my hard hat was quite prominently attached to the back of my computer back-pack, and I am pretty sure not too many folks in the airport have hard hats hanging off the back of them). I answered "yes", at which he asked how long I had until my flight left; 1.5 hours (I was lucky in traffic to the airport) was my answer. He said that I could have returned to my car to leave the knife there, but that the other TSA screener simply didn't know that was an option; but at this point, the knife had already been dropped into the "box'", from which there is no accessing it again. It was gone for good. Agh.......

I do not intend for this to be an attack on the TSA, they receive far too much grief from the media anyway. They are just normal working-class folks like me trying to make a decent life. The TSA guy that put my knife in "the box" was simply doing his job, it is very easy to make a mistake by not knowing all of the rules. I'm sure he, and his fellow workers, put up with a LOT of crap from the average traveler, I do not envy their job.

So, if you are still reading after all of that, I come to the part that I need help. I would like to find the same model of knife that I had. While it will not replace my Grandfather's knife, it will come as close as I can get; something I can pass on to my kids. At least it will find a home in the same case as the original knife.

The knife was a single, locking blade Case. It had a black plastic handle with a crosshatched pattern on it, and nickle (silver at least) ends. It was probably from the 1980's, but it could have been as old as the mid-1970's (an educated guess). I have looked through a lot of ebay ads and other pictures in an attempt to find one like it, all to no avail. The closest thing I can find is a Buck Model 110. I am 95% sure it was a Case, but after a few weeks of no luck, and only a Buck looking anything like it, I have begun to doubt myself.

I was able to borrow the attached picture from "Owd Wullie" on this site. The knife at the bottom of the picture is the closest thing I have been able to find so far. It is VERY close to the same.

[Cutty]

Sorry to hear your story and the loss of a priceless knife of your grandfathers.

I don't recollect a case lockback having the handle you describe I could very well be wrong?

Puma also makes one similar to what you are talking about. There were/are other makers of that style. Puma is the only one that comes to mind right now. Hope this helps?

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid= ... &_from=R40

[313 Mike]

Wow, what a heartbreaker. Sorry to hear about that. I will keep my eyes open if I see anything that matches your description I will post here.

Mike

[RandyFew]

Could it have been a "Mako"?

[54reo]

The Puma looks VERY close. But I do not recall that name on it, 100% sure. I am still taken by how much it looks like it though.

A "Mako" is too big I believe, at least it looks like it is; I have no idea how large a Mako is but my knife was less than, or very close to, 6" altogether. Same style though.

I really REALLY appreciate the help!

It did have a silver "oval-ish" emblem on the side as well (similar to the Puma, but more oval shaped)

[Cutty]

Search Kershaw lockback on ebay Some similar as well.

[313 Mike]

It wouldn't have been a Case Caliber lockback would it? I know these aren't that old, but it does fit the description..

Mike

Case Caliber lock back.jpg (9.69 KiB) Viewed 1696 times

[54reo]

It wouldn't have been a Case Caliber lockback would it? I know these aren't that old, but it does fit the description..

Mike

Case Caliber lock back.jpg

No, I'm afraid not. The ends were silver (nickle?).

[54reo]

Search Kershaw lockback on ebay Some similar as well.

Again, VERY close!

[treefarmer]

54reo, A thought just popped in my mind, does the scabbard or leather case have a name on it, embossed or on the snap? Also the size of the leather and picture might help some of our experts come close to identifying what you had. Treefarmer

[313 Mike]

Here's an old Frontier Lockback...checkered black handles, two bolsters, oval shield, 70's to 80's timeframe...getting closer?

Mike

Frontier lockback.jpg (3.89 KiB) Viewed 1681 times

[Quick Steel]

This is my Puma with black scales.

[junebug]

great idea TFARMER!!!!!!

[Cutty]

The "Puma Corporal" is the closest match I can come up with. Right size 3"closed or approx, 6" open, cross hatched black plastic handles, silver bolsters, lockback. The only thing that doesn't match is the shield. I know it's not the one you are looking for but if all else fails it is a very good knife

Hopefully someone will come up with the correct replacement.

[muskrat man]

TSA catches crap for good reason, another agency that has FAR too much power.

At any rate, sorry to hear about your knife and hope you find a similar one to replace it, though it will never truly be replaced.

[54reo]

Here's an old Frontier Lockback...checkered black handles, two bolsters, oval shield, 70's to 80's timeframe...getting closer?

Mike

Frontier lockback.jpg

That is it!!

I don't know if the trauma of losing it made me think "Case" or what, but it all came back to me seeing that! I recall that it said "All Americans" on the shield.

The rivets in the ends were very slightly different, but that is it!

Thank you so much you guys!!

[philco]

How hard would it be for the TSA to keep a stack of USPS Flat Rate Boxes available for use by those like the OP who accidentally end up with a banned item in their posession? They could simply collect the six bucks or so for postage (heck charge $10 and turn a profit) and once a day, send one of their employees to the post office to mail them back to their owners. Or does that make entirely too much sense for the federal government to ever implement ?

[jerryd6818]

How hard would it be for the TSA to keep a stack of USPS Flat Rate Boxes available for use by those like the OP who accidentally end up with a banned item in their posession? They could simply collect the six bucks or so for postage (heck charge $10 and turn a profit) and once a day, send one of their employees to the post office to mail them back to their owners. Or does that make entirely too much sense for the federal government to ever implement ?

They used to do that at Chicago O'Hare. I've lost three knives to TSA (four if you count a key chain "tool" with a sharp edge about an inch long) since 9/11. The last one I forgot, the guy pointed to a stack of padded envelopes which had a cost of $10 each (but not until after I complained). Since that was more than the knife was worth (a Marbles Doctor's knife from the land which shall not be named), I just gave it up.

Trivia Question: What's the most forfeited knife at airports?



54reo -- Is this close to what you lost? (5" closed so may be too large) -- http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRONTIER-AA-51- ... 460bda699f

This one may be closer. (4" closed) 2nd picture -- http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-FRONTIE ... 1e765c3c45

[Cutty]

Trivia Question: What's the most forfeited knife at airports?




SAK's

[jerryd6818]

Bingo. They must confiscate a barrel full of those little key chain SAKs every six months.

Last week, my buddy went to North Dakota to see his 93 year old mother. He's kind of an odd duck and will only carry one of those key chain SAKs. His knife actually made it through TSA in Chicago but when he came back, it didn't survive the eagle eyes of those boys in Fargo North Dakota. No siree Bob. As far as they were concerned, he was armed and dangerous. No mailing envelopes at security in Fargo to save his beloved little SAK. Turn it in buddy.

John said, "What do you do with them?" and was told, "We throw them away." The guy was either a pathological liar of stupid.

[Cutty]

OH yeah, they sell 'em.

[tjmurphy]

I have a friend who is TSA in Louisville and he said that they contract and PAY a person to pick them up and haul them away. They are supposed to discard them but they end up selling them. So, they get paid twice for the knives.

[jerryd6818]

After 9/11 my local knife guy was buying box lots of TSA confiscations. That was before they started sifting out the good stuff and just started selling the cheap crap, fingernail clippers and common knives (key chain SAK's). I stopped by his house one time while he was sorting a couple of boxes and he gave me one of those mini-leathermans with the scissors and a Wusthof paring knife. He said he had found some really nice and valuable knives in some of the boxes. I was amazed at, not only the variety, but the things TSA considered dangerous. Screwdrivers, needle nose pliers, scissors of all sizes, an open end wrench and on and on.

[Cutty]

I didn't know how they got to the point of being sold back to the public but I knew that they were. I have seen at least one seller on ebay selling "TSA confiscated knives" . I didn't save the seller but I would imagine he/she is still on there. Most of what I remember being sold were sak's and cheapo lots.

[54reo]

I did notice the Frontiers on ebay.

I seems as though I had the AA-31.


Thanks so much you guys!!