All About Pocket Knives

Today, I was perusing a local surplus type store that kind of overlaps in some way with secondhand and police supply type stores. I saw what I thought was a Schrade Old Timer in the case. I noticed an engraving of a dragline excavator and PQMC 1993 on it. So, I asked what the lady wanted for it. She said that whoever they were selling it for wanted it sold with five others (probably all engraved like this) as a whole set for something like $100. I explained her I didn't have that much on me. She did some work on an adding machine and said I could have this knife for $12, which I happily paid.

I thought it over and finally realized PMQC stands for "Pounding Mill Quarry Company" located less than ten minutes from my home (Strange I didn't remember this--the company delivered a load of gravels and spread them over the driveway just yesterday!) According to a retired employee of Pounding Mill, a friend of my grandfather, the company used to have (and may still do) knives engraved every year to give away at Christmastime to employees and customers.

I think I'll see if I can trade a nearly new Leatherman Skeletool I bought with Christmas money and quickly regretted with some other extras for the other five. I figure I can trade the Skeletool for the $50 I paid for it, and offer $75 for the others, meaning all I'll have to pay about $25.
Engraving closeup:
Tang stamp:

You can say I have a Stockman problem! Buck (the one here, will not be carried due to engraving), Imperial (I bought this for $4 and fixed it up for carry), Old Timer (my grandfather's, notch in main blade is due to cutting live wires with it which he did several years ago), and Case (Boy Scout model, a knife I've had since childhood, emblem has fallen out).

The blade is marked printed 93 but should also have a date stamp after the 301 stamp. Hard to see the date stamp in the photo likely a - or / . Be careful cleaning the knife(s). That marking is just printed on the blade and can be removed with too active blade cleaning. If you were willing to buy the minimum number of knives Buck requires to do a special printing you could have your own printed. Usually a business tax involved situation for most special company printings. I believe Buck currently favors laser engraving over printing. Many companies change models or handle materials every year to make it different.
300Bucks

300Bucks wrote:The blade is marked printed 93 but should also have a date stamp after the 301 stamp. Hard to see the date stamp in the photo likely a - or / . Be careful cleaning the knife(s). That marking is just printed on the blade and can be removed with too active blade cleaning. If you were willing to buy the minimum number of knives Buck requires to do a special printing you could have your own printed. Usually a business tax involved situation for most special company printings. I believe Buck currently favors laser engraving over printing. Many companies change models or handle materials every year to make it different.
300Bucks

Thanks! I thought that marking was meaningless originally.

Looking at the blade, the mark is a dash after the "301". Looking at this site, I see the knife was made a year prior--in 1992.

http://www.knifecollector.net/BuckKnifeDates.html

I'm not going to clean it, even though it's something I almost always do upon arrival of Ebay knives and even some locally purchased ones like this. Usually all I use is a toothbrush, dish detergent and warm water.

Gentle brushing with soap and water should not harm printing. But, just to get it looking good. Brasso, Flitz or Mothers Mag wheel polish will remove ink with good scrubbing. 300

Got one myself last week. Tough knife .

Enjoying this Buck .

Nice score Cody I'd get the rest also.

garddogg56 wrote:Nice score Cody I'd get the rest also.

Apparently, none of the others were imprinted or engraved "PMQC" or any other markings like a logo that would have anything to do with the quarry. I will be on the lookout for similar here locally, since I can only buy these here, something I rarely say. I did buy all the "good" knives they had, though. From the same place over the past few months, I have got an unmarked (only "USA" on each blade) jack knife, a Camillus Craftsman stockman, and a Buck 442 Bucklite with the date stamp for 1996, my birth year(yesterday, just a few days before my birthday Tuesday, quite fittingly) . These were the only non-new quality knives they had--the rest were overpriced Chinese knives. All have been good "working knives"--not in the best shape, but they're great workhorses.

Got another one.

Both are solid EDC knifes.

Carrying one of my 301's today.

My first 301 is on my desk under my phone as I type this. .
A great knife and I have found having 3 sharp blades is 3 times better than one.