All About Pocket Knives

Hello all! New to the forum, but I have collected pocket knives since childhood. I recently bought a large collection of new pocket knives, have been selling them slowly on the bay, and one of them has me a little puzzled. I had multiple new in inbox Old Timer 340Ts, but this one has an all black handle on both sides. I have never seen this on an Old Timer. Does anyone have an explanation for this? Thank you!

I can't say anything specific about that knife, but I know Schrade made the early 300 series knives for Buck. They had the sawcut black scales like your knife does, but the Buck knives had slant bolsters with a groove along the edge, and the scales were pinned just like yours. I'd bet that your knife is 100% legitimate. Knife makers never seemed to throw anything away, the scales could have been leftover material from the Buck knives, or maybe Schrade just liked the look and built a few. I'm not an expert by any means, but I don't recall ever seeing a black Old Timer.

For what it's worth, Camillus made the 300 series knives after Schrade did, the Schrade Swindon Key construction meant they couldn't easily be repaired. You see a lot of Camillus stamped knives that are identical in every respect to the corresponding Bucks with both black and yellow scales.

OldTimer2022 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 01, 2022 12:09 pm Hello all! New to the forum, but I have collected pocket knives since childhood. I recently bought a large collection of new pocket knives, have been selling them slowly on the bay, and one of them has me a little puzzled. I had multiple new in inbox Old Timer 340Ts, but this one has an all black handle on both sides. I have never seen this on an Old Timer. Does anyone have an explanation for this? Thank you!
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I have one in black. You will find a few 80T in black.I think they made knives as special orders and use the left over material on their own knives.

Grant

I had a black 8OT once as well. Solid knife, should have held onto it.

I have seen a few black 34OT knives for sale on Ebay over the years. They are legitimate. If they have pinned bolsters they are Camillus made. I am not suggesting that yours is a Camillus because I can't see from your images whether they are pinned or Swinden construction.

tongueriver wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 5:32 pm I have seen a few black 34OT knives for sale on Ebay over the years. They are legitimate. If they have pinned bolsters they are Camillus made. I am not suggesting that yours is a Camillus because I can't see from your images whether they are pinned or Swinden construction.

How would I tell if the knife has pinned bolsters or uses a Swinden Key?

The Swindon rivets are hidden under the bolster. There is a keyway cut in the backside of the bolster and the head of the rivet locks into the keyway slot.

If there is a through pin, you should be able to see a pen in the bolster. They are often not visible at first glance and sometimes you need to scuff the bolster a little bit with Scotch-Brite or another very fine abrasive in order to be able to see the pin.

oldtimer 2022 - what is your ebay id?

oliviaduke wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 8:18 am I am unable to comment specifically on that knife, but I am aware that Schrade produced the first 300 series knives for Buck.
drift hunters

Oliviaduke, Welcome to AAPK!

to AAPK OT2022, and Olivia! Beautiful Rhinos guys, I especially like the shiny ones, and that wicked blade, wow!

As for the Old Timer pocket knife with the all-black handle, it's possible that you have come across a variation or special shell shockers edition of the Old Timer 340Ts. Knife manufacturers sometimes release limited editions or variations of their models with different handle materials or colors to appeal to collectors or commemorate certain events.
heardle