The TSA took my Grandfather's knife
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2013 2:50 am
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.
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.
I could very well be wrong?
