All About Pocket Knives

Hello fellow knife lovers. I welcome you expertise on this vintage gerber knife I found. Anyone know the age or history of these engraved Gerber's. This one has malechite scales. Thanks!

Kemper69 wrote: ↑Sun May 03, 2026 9:44 pm Hello…..

Possibly an answer here:
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... m.php?f=99

I could be wrong but looks to be a 70's era jade lock back.

Your knife is a Folding Sportsman (FSIII) the largest of three FS models. It has jade handle inserts and was made 1976 to 1979. The knife originally was sold in a walnut presentation box. Gerber made nine different variations with wood, stag, jade, and agate handle inserts.

Those handles are malachite, not jade.

My resources only list wood, stag, agate and jade. Gerber may have used other material, or the inserts could have been changed.

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate the info!

Somebody put malachite handles on this Sportsman 2. I don't know who. Of course there have always been people customizing knives. Since the wood handles on the Gerber Sportsman knives are just glued on it wouldn't be very difficult for someone to pry them off and glue new ones in there place. I don't imagine this is any help, but it shows there's more than one out there.