All About Pocket Knives

Good evening. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm. I have another question.
I just bought a Buck 102 with the tang stamp inverted. It just says Buck U.S.A. Can you all tell me when Buck started putting the model numbers on the 102's and what year did they actually start making the 102's. Just curious of the age of mine.
Thank you.

That description should put the knife from 1968-1972. If you have a photo, that would help. Are the spacers hard fiber or micarta? Did you get a sheath with the knife?

Bert

I think hard fiber. No sheath

To see if the spacers are hard fiber or micarta you will need good lighting and a magnifying lens, about 10X will do. The hard fiber spacers have fairly even and straight layers (1st photo); the micarta layers are a little wavy (2nd photo). In the second photo there are leather spacers on the right, but they are earlier than your knife.

Bert

For a photo of the spacers, you will probably need to use a macro lens.

Bert

Ok, thank you Bert. I don't have a macro lens..
Actually I don't even know what one is!
But I will check the best I can.
At least this gives me an idea of age.
Do you know when they started putting model numbers on the 102's?

Don't worry about a photo with a macro lens, but if you have a magnifying lens look at the spacer under strong light and tell us what you see.

Model numbers started in about 1972 with an inverted three-line stamp. That quickly changed to the regular three-line stamp.

Bert

They look a bit curvy, but it is late and I have been up since about 3:00 a.m, with my beagle.
So it could be my eyes. I will check tomorrow under better light and hopefully more sleep.
Thank you so much for all your help.

Beag1eGal wrote:They look a bit curvy, but it is late and I have been up since about 3:00 a.m, with my beagle.
So it could be my eyes. I will check tomorrow under better light and hopefully more sleep.
Thank you so much for all your help.

I hope there isn't anything serious.

Bert

Thanks Bert, Ginger is 13 and has Addison's Disease,which is a tumor at the base of her brain on the pituitary gland. So that gland does not function properly. She cannot regulate her body ttemperature,handle any stress and she cannot balance her electrolytes .she is on medication, but she has a lot of days and nights she is just off or not feeling well.
Anyway, back to the 102...
I do believe it us wavy and looks more maroon,than black.
Tried a picture or two and am sending them.

Sometimes in a photo it is hard to tell micarta from hard fiber, but I think that is micarta. If so, the knife is from 1970-1972, although it's possibly from very late 1969.

Give Ginger a hug and tell her it's from a dog lover.

Bert

Thanks Bert. I surely will! She's so sweet. We have had her since she was 5 months old..

Sorry to hear about Ginger.. And Yes.. Give her a hug from me also.. And a treat too!! This is my Daisey that I lost in 2013.. Heck of a bunny chaser she was!! John

Daisy is beautiful!!! Such a hard,hard, loss.How old was Daisy?

Yes it was a hard loss.. She was 12.. John