Western Color - What's factory and what's not?

[zzyzzogeton]

When a Western knife has a colored handle and has ANY model number stamped on it other than P28, P48A or P48B,
IT HAS BEEN REHANDLED AND IS ABSOLUTELY NOT "factory mint", I don't care what the seller claims on fleabay.

The last KNOWN factory tenite handled knives were the 1960 catalog listings of the P48A and P28 B&Ts in red, ivory or yellow. These knives would have had

WESTERN
BOULDER, COLO,
MADE IN U.S.A.

on the mark side ricasso and

P48A or P28

on the pile side ricasso

If a Western knife has handles in colored Delrin of ANY color other than bone stag, it has been rehandled.

Also, if the color is one of the known tenite colors - red, ivory, yellow, orange, green (seafoam green pre-WW2 and dark green post-WW2) and possibly, very rarely, a dark blue and there is any pattern at all - swirl, "snakeskin", yellowjacket, etc, the knife has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored plastic/acrylic handles and also has a model number that begins with "L" or "F" or "6" or "W", it has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored handles and a model is stamped in the guard, it has been rehandled - the model numbers shifted to the guard in 1967 or 1968, depending on model and there were NO P-series knives being made by that time.

If a Western knife has colored handles and a date code as part of the stamp, it has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored handles and no mention of BOULDER, COLO. as part of the stamp, it has been rehandled. Any reference to BOULDER,COLO. was dropped in 1973, over a decade after the last factory colored handled knives left the shipping dock.

The 1966/1967 wholesaler's order sheet lists ZERO P-series, so definitely not made after 1965.

I have seen only 1 ad depicting a P-series type handled knife that was NOT a P48A, P48B, P28 (1955 to1960) or 48BGG, 48BAP 48CAP, 28AP (1947 to 1954) or 48/58/68BGH or 48/58/68BG (1941).

That was for a P39 in yellow tenite from sometime in the 1950s. I can't find my copy of the ad right now to narrow the year down any better than that right now.

There's multiple sources on fleabay for these rehandled Westerns. Most of the knives appear to very well assembled using real Western blades. The assemblers appear to do good work.

They just are NOT FACTORY ORIGINAL. They are NOT FACTORY MINT. They are NOT VINTAGE. They are not even "Factory Fresh", what ever the hell that means.

They are recently assembled knives using old blades that have been polished up. They are not, IMO, worth $$$$ to any real collector.

Will the knives work as knives? Maybe. Allegedly, these are being made from a Colorado source of leftover factory blades. Why were all these various era blades available to be "acquired for purchase from the factory" when it closed? Were they all seconds left hanging around in junk storage?

Will these knives ever perform a single cut of real work? Probably not.

Edited to correct grammar.

[Beavertail]

This is the kind of information people need so as to not get burned.
Thanks for the time and effort you put into this.

[doglegg]

Z, thanks for the info. Very helpful.

[ea42]

Awesome info as usual Z, thank you!!!

Eric

[btrwtr]

Great information Z.

I don't know what the buyers of these so many rehandled eBay Westerns are expecting or believing. That said I can't see any knowledgeable collector ever paying such prices.

[Felanmac]

Thank you again Zzyzz for this info!

[Thomasg]

Would this be a good example of a western fixed blade that is a fake?

[1967redrider]

Near mint!!! I can't believe some defend this liar.

[Thomasg]

When a Western knife has a colored handle and has ANY model number stamped on it other than P28, P48A or P48B,
IT HAS BEEN REHANDLED AND IS ABSOLUTELY NOT "factory mint", I don't care what the seller claims on fleabay.

The last KNOWN factory tenite handled knives were the 1960 catalog listings of the P48A and P28 B&Ts in red, ivory or yellow. These knives would have had

WESTERN
BOULDER, COLO,
MADE IN U.S.A.

on the mark side ricasso and

P48A or P28

on the pile side ricasso

If a Western knife has handles in colored Delrin of ANY color other than bone stag, it has been rehandled.

Also, if the color is one of the known tenite colors - red, ivory, yellow, orange, green (seafoam green pre-WW2 and dark green post-WW2) and possibly, very rarely, a dark blue and there is any pattern at all - swirl, "snakeskin", yellowjacket, etc, the knife has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored plastic/acrylic handles and also has a model number that begins with "L" or "F" or "6" or "W", it has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored handles and a model is stamped in the guard, it has been rehandled - the model numbers shifted to the guard in 1967 or 1968, depending on model and there were NO P-series knives being made by that time.

If a Western knife has colored handles and a date code as part of the stamp, it has been rehandled.

If a Western knife has colored handles and no mention of BOULDER, COLO. as part of the stamp, it has been rehandled. Any reference to BOULDER,COLO. was dropped in 1973, over a decade after the last factory colored handled knives left the shipping dock.

The 1966/1967 wholesaler's order sheet lists ZERO P-series, so definitely not made after 1965.

I have seen only 1 ad depicting a P-series type handled knife that was NOT a P48A, P48B, P28 (1955 to1960) or 48BGG, 48BAP 48CAP, 28AP (1947 to 1954) or 48/58/68BGH or 48/58/68BG (1941).

That was for a P39 in yellow tenite from sometime in the 1950s. I can't find my copy of the ad right now to narrow the year down any better than that right now.

There's multiple sources on fleabay for these rehandled Westerns. Most of the knives appear to very well assembled using real Western blades. The assemblers appear to do good work.

They just are NOT FACTORY ORIGINAL. They are NOT FACTORY MINT. They are NOT VINTAGE. They are not even "Factory Fresh", what ever the hell that means.

They are recently assembled knives using old blades that have been polished up. They are not, IMO, worth $$$$ to any real collector.

Will the knives work as knives? Maybe. Allegedly, these are being made from a Colorado source of leftover factory blades. Why were all these various era blades available to be "acquired for purchase from the factory" when it closed? Were they all seconds left hanging around in junk storage?

Will these knives ever perform a single cut of real work? Probably not.

Edited to correct grammar.

Here is a nice example of a fake with model # stamped on the guard .