Help on value of a S&W folder

[98src]

Got this early Smith & Wesson folder in a group of knives. I couldn't find another on the web. Anybody have an idea of the value? It has the factory edge but no box. Also any idea of the meaning of the 2 in a circle? Factory SECOND??

[just bob]

You don't provide the length of your knife, but this looks a lot like it.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... 1898758286


If that is the case then a 109W S&W knife is fairly common and there were some commemoratives made using that model. It is possible that the 2 in a circle indicates it is a factory 2nd? You can look at the images on Google and the completed items on Ebay and see if you can match it up better. Search for Smith & Wesson lockback knife. There are other models as well. Hope this helps.

[btrwtr]

The "2" likely means the knife is a second. I've seen seconds that were hard to figure out why they were labled as such. Very small mechanical or cosmetic imperfections that are very hard to see. The handles are a wood laminate and could be something as insignificant as the light coloring at the tail of the mark side made it a second.

[Case V42]

The S&W knives such as yours were designed by Blackie Collins and sold in the 1970's, beginning in 1973 as I recall. There were seven models of the knives, two fillet knives with different blade lengths, an Outdoorsman, a Survival, a Bowie, a Skinner, and the folder. The six fixed blade models were made by S&W in their plant, but the folder was contracted to Alcas.
There were many S&W branded knives made after the brand was licensed to Taylor. None of the later knives measured up in quality.