Schrade Copenhagen "1 of 1" SFO - 1998 blued, sambar bowie

[bladecollectorr]

The Schrade knives that were polished, gold-etched and blued by Baron Engraving were recently brought up in the "My Latest Schrade" thread:

viewtopic.php?f=64&t=22218&start=2520#p851804

Baron did the polishing, bluing and etching on these. First the 1095 blades were mirror polished, then etched, then gold plating was added and lastly they were "gun-blued" (hot blued).

I just purchased a fine Schrade with this type of blade. This one is a large sambar-handled bowie made for UST (a Copenhagen SFO). It's a serialized "1 of 1" award-knife that was given to a rodeo "Series Champion" in 1998. This is my first Schrade bowie-pattern knife.

Unfortunately, the knife is locked inside it's display because the key has been lost. I have zero experience with these-type display boxes and I have to decide whether to have it shipped to me as-is or to have the seller remove it from box before shipping (likely wrecking the display).

Main points I'm considering:

1. Knife might destroy itself and the display during shipping so I might as well wreck display and save knife.

2. Knife might ship safely as-is. Seller thinks it likely would but he's not sure. This would allow me to carefully open box myself.

Can the bottom be removed from the display?

Could the lid be slid to one side or the other if hinges were removed?

Can the lock be easily picked?

What would you do in my position? Do you think it can be safely shipped as-is?

I will post fresh pics and more details when I receive the knife. I'm trying to nail-down who exactly the "Series Champion" was but I haven't solved this mystery yet.

Thanks for any replies folks!

Pics of the stand-alone Pearl Harbor knife in the same type of display:

[cody6268]

Gorgeous knife. And one of one! I've sort of been into the whole cowboy thing a bit since I was a kid, although I haven't ridden a horse in years. That definitely beats a buckle.

Looks like a hollow barrel skeleton key. Those seem to be mostly generic and non-specific, and thus, somewhat easy to find. I have a curio cabinet that uses pretty much the same key it looks like. I haven't found one to it, but am meaning to--while they almost never visit, family friends have young kids, and I don't want them getting in the contents of that cabinet--pricey fragile diecast models. I have a desk from 1834 that uses them, and at one point, I stored my knife collection in it.


I have picked skeleton key locks before (lost the key to my desk when I lost my keys once). If you slip the edge of something flat, thin, slick, and flexible (I have a fake all-plastic credit card that came in junk mail in my toolbox for this) between the lid and base, it should slip the latch without damage

[knifegnome]

I would have it shipped in the box and find a non destructive way into the display case. Hopefully there isn't a lot of space between the top of the knife and the glass so it wont slide out of the display base.

[kootenay joe]

Take this display box to a locksmith. He will have it open in seconds. And might even have a key that works for you to take with you.
Don't ship with knife in display box, too risky.
kj

[Steve Warden]

Take this display box to a locksmith. He will have it open in seconds. And might even have a key that works for you to take with you.
Don't ship with knife in display box, too risky.
kj

Yup.

Knice Knife!!

[bladecollectorr]

Thanks for all the replies guys! Such a helpful community.

My gut was saying "Don't do it!" as well (regarding shipping as-is) and I was leaning towards junking the display to protect the knife.

Wow! Some aapk magic happened and the correct key to the case in question is being sent to the seller tomorrow. It's a kind loan from a fellow aapk member.

The knife will soon be freed from it's prison, packed carefully, sent to my US parcel-forwarder's address and then re-shipped to me in Canada.

I will give it a polish and post fresh pics when it finally arrives. I'm sure the pics we've seen so far don't do it justice.

I know from my similar "Ducks Unlimited" lockback that these gold etches look outstanding on the blued background. The unadorned pile-side of these-type knives looks almost as impressive. They are very much a black mirror.

Schrade may have come up with some of the best pics themselves. Here's a link to Schrade's flyer for their "50th Anniversary WWII" set. The center-piece "Pearl Harbor" bowie is very similar to my new knife and was shipped in the same display (when purchased individually).
http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/ ... II-Set.pdf

My DU knife with similar blade treatment for those that haven't seen it before.

Finally, a couple good pics of a similar NRA bowie (that I don't own) for reference. The white, natural stag found on my Copenhagen bowie is far more of a contrast to the dark blades than the warm-colored toasted stag found here and on the Pearl Harbor knife. No bad choices though. Both types of stag look great to me.

[philco]

Some fine looking cutlery you're showing us BC and kudos to the AAPK member that has stepped up to help you with this situation.

[tongueriver]

and kudos to the AAPK member that has stepped up to help you with this situation.

X2! Thanks, Good Neighbor!

[bladecollectorr]

and kudos to the AAPK member that has stepped up to help you with this situation.

X2! Thanks, Good Neighbor!

There was actually a degree of separation between us so it was more than one aapk member who stepped-up. Three members really tried to help me and I feel gratitude towards all of them.

You know who you are... Thanks!

[bladecollectorr]

As luck would have it, the lock on the display box broke when seller tried the key. I decided to trash the display box to ensure I got the knife in good shape. Knife arrived today. I gave the brass a gentle Flitz, the stag a little rub-down with mineral oil and the blade got washed with alcohol.

Awesome knife! Heavy knife too. Those were my immediate impressions when I held one of Schrade's bowie-pattern knives for the first time.

I did some digging and I believe it was Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductee Ty Murray who was originally presented with this knife for having the highest total score in a three-ride event. Schrade made a black 3OT "Ty Murray" SFO with a gold-plated shield so he had that connection to Schrade as well (through UST).

I contacted The National Western Stock Show through their website. This is the storied rodeo in question. They were very helpful and while they weren't able to check a data-base of those records (at this time) they did supply me with a newspaper article that seems to contain the information I was after.

The Billings Gazette, Montana, January 14, 1998.

It lists "Total on three: 1, Murray, 259, $16,000". I take this to mean that the sum of the scores from his three rides was 259 and that his prize winnings were $16,000 (plus a nice Schrade knife!) as a result. Fun fact: Murray made his first million dollars at the age of 23. He is certainly a hard-working success story. He was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in 2018.

I feel pretty lucky to become the owner of this knife without having to ride even a single bull. It would have been a journey hundreds of rides long to become the original Series Champion at this event. They are Tough Co. material no doubt.

The large mirror-polished blade is close to flawless and reflections look great in it. The thick-looking gold-fill on the etch is brilliant. The mix of black and brass spacers at both ends of the sambar handle is a classy touch. I like the gentle contours of the guard. My scans still don't do it justice. Too many competing reflections.

Thanks again to those who helped me try and unlock the original display box.

Yeehaw!

[tongueriver]

A great knife, and a great write-up! In 1998 I was already a little too old for bull riding; I just missed my chance, I'm sure.

[bladecollectorr]

Thanks tr!

Once again with some sambar cousins.

[tongueriver]

All very handsome three-dimensional objects there! I am especially enamoured of the #5 whitetail special.