All About Pocket Knives

herbva wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 10:59 pm Here's a bit about the TL-29's from the Milsurpia website:

TL-29 Knife History
The TL 29 is often thought of as a WW2 pocket knife but actually predates WW2. The TL-29 started life as the Signal Corps Knife and dates back to at least May of 1919 when the first Army specification was put together. The knife was undoubtedly manufactured prior to this. Early knives have elaborate escutcheons with markings indicating the Signal Corps as “SC USA”, “US Signal Corps”, etc.

These early knives are often just considered Signal Corps Knives. Signal Corps knives are typically marked on their escutcheons with either SC-USA or Signal Corps. Another key identifying feature of these knives is the presence of a half circle cutout on both sides of the screw driver blade. These knives are often at a premium and fetch a higher value than the more contemporary versions.

Ridgegrass wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 12:34 am That mark is the 1950's. Nothing uncommon about TL-29's. Very easily found. J.O'.

just bob wrote: ↑Tue Dec 19, 2023 2:28 pm Here's an entire thread about the TL - 29 knife.


viewtopic.php?p=983265&hilit=TL29#p983265

orvet wrote: ↑Mon Dec 25, 2023 2:52 am CarMan, having the TL-29 tang stamp on your knife identifies it as military issue. Whether it was actually issued or not, you may never know, but it is a military contract knife. The nomenclature TL-29 is military. It stands for Tool, Lineman's, 29.
The wood handle or indicates it was probably made during or shortly after World War II.

The early US Signal Corps knives were shorter than the World War II and later era TL-29s. If memory serves they were 3 and 3/8 in and sometime between World War I and World War II they changed to three and 3/4 inches.