2006 #23 Laser Smooth White Bone - Blade etched 1-25

[binflobby24]

An early GEC Laser Smooth White Bone Pioneer Trapper that differs from most other examples in one notable way: the blade is etched ‘1–25’ rather than having a bolster serial.

The knife came with a contemporaneous handwritten note from Ken Daniels referring to ‘family + close friends,’ which I’ve included in the photos.

Most known examples, including the one examined in this Knife Thoughts 2021 article, lack this blade etching and retain only bolster serial numbers.

https://knifethoughts.com/great-eastern ... d-origins/

My working idea is that a physically marked subset existed within the 81‑knife production run, distributed informally early on, without later internal documentation.

If others have seen similar examples or have anything else that supports or challenges this interpretation, I’d appreciate hearing about it.