All About Pocket Knives

I recently purchased this Black handled Schrade. I was told it was the Union shield, is it in fact the Federal Shield?

The other knife with the jigged handles is an old stock Schrade USA 708 1973-2004.

The shield is a bit larger on the black handled knife and it does not say Schrade...the tang is the same Schrade USA 708. There is one diference I just noticed there is a cross to the right of the Schrade on the black knife.

Bryan lists a Sag 708 with the Federal shield 1946-1956.

Really my question is is this knife 1946-1956 or is it a 708B 1973-2004 or something inbetween? (There is no B anywhere on the knife.)

Goin's says that Schrade used the Schrade / Walden mark from 1946 until 1973, so this knife would have to be after that. As far as the shield is concerned, I don't think that there is an authoratative source for the names of shields. I have seen this one called a badge shield, a federal shield, and even a bomb or acorn shield. As for the last two (bomb and acorn) I would just say that they are wrong, and that there is a fairly well established understanding of what a bomb shield or an acorn shield is, and that this one isn't one of them, but as to the others I think that they are a matter of preference. I can't recall seeing the shield called a union shield, but it wouldn't surprise me.

Pen & Toothpick wrote:I recently purchased this Black handled Schrade. I was told it was the Union shield, is it in fact the Federal Shield?

To us civil war re-enactors/living historians "Union" and "Federal" are interchangable.
Along with *&^% Yankee...