Where I Bought Knives

[dsutton24]

I've always had knives, probably from age ten or so onward. I remember clearly that I decided that I was going to collect pocketknives. Buck, I thought, it's a neat little company, I'd just buy one of everything they produced, and move on. It's been forty years, and I'm still buying.

We're out in the cornfields of Illinois, and back then there weren't a lot of options. No internet for a couple of decades yet, some mail order, ads in magazines, some newsletters. A locally owned farm supply store had a lot of the current production stuff, and a small department store chain had some stuff. I bought knives when I could... I was making six bucks an hour, had a new family and mortgage to feed, so it took a while to accumulate knives.

A local gun shop bought a Buck display from an old hardware store that closed. That's where I learned of the vast number of variations in the 300 series knives. I had a card, that when folded four ways fit perfectly in a shirt pocket, and it was the record of my collection. Those were heady days, I can tell you. I bought a few knives from them, and got the inevitable question, "Why don't you just buy them all?" Wow. It was impossible, of course, but they let me put ten or twelve knives back on the promise to buy a new one every payday, and I doubt I missed more than one payday. Weird... These guys are still in business, and they have a reputation for being really unpleasant to deal with. The display had a hell of a hodgepodge of stuff in it. I offered to go through it and match boxes with knives, and buy the surplus boxes. "S***, we just threw all those boxes away!"

There was a trip to the bootheel area of Missouri for a family thing. South of St. Louis there was a little gun shop on a really picturesque hill. It was time for a break, so I stopped in. Right inside the door was a glass case full of Case and Buck knives. Oh, wow! How cool! Something that caught my eye was a set of Buck kitchen knives. There was a guy who advertised every month in the Buck Collector's Club newsletter looking for Moderna knives. I remember dropping a postcard to him about them, turns out they weren't Modernas, but thanks for the heads-up. I don't know if he ended up buying the knives or not.

Then there was a company meeting in a resort town in Indiana. The first night there was a bunch of the Chicago guys yukking it up over this nearby town. "There was a gun shop on all four corners of the city square." Hmmm... The day of the inevitable golf outing came up, and I borrowed a car from one of my fellow inmates. How could I not explore this? I rolled into town and discovered that the story was, as I expected a gross exaggeration. There were only two gun shops on the square. Over the door of one was a huge sign, 'CASE KNIVES". Over the door of the other was "BUCK KNIVES". That's were I saw my first red and blue Delrin 300s, and jigged bone 300s. It's hard to describe that feeling, but damn!

There are so many others. The gun show where I found the first Schrade contract knife. The discovery that the old 110 that I used for skinning squirrels for years was actually a fairly rare knife. The Sawby Bucklock that I bought from an old guy because, "You can't sharpen a Buck knife."

These days I have more money to throw at the hobby, and the internet... Oh the internet is a mixed blessing. Seeing the Instant Gratification crowd moaning because the missed out on a drop of the latest knife built to excite the cognoscenti. Telling stories about writing letters back and forth in response to an ad, going to the post office and sending off a money order. Then waiting two weeks for your knife to show up. Or, as in the case of the Collector's club, having your money order returned because the west coast guys got the cool stuff.

You have to have stories. Let's see them.

 

[howiema]

Oh I have one of the same story , I used to vacation and go ice fishing and hunting on Province Lake NH, There was a gun store in Freedom NH on the river I used to sneak away to and they had the Buck Knife display.
I wish I bought every knife they had that was even there, when they folded up and I bought a half dozen Buck knives or so in the boxes mostly 110's and 112's . I used to go to the Fryeburg fair and found many nice Buck Knives ,
Boy I grabbed some nice bucks from that part of New Hampshire and Maine.


Here is one


Thanks for the memories

 

[eveled]

Times have changed that is for sure.

There were hardware stores and a knife store at a mall. That was it.

 

[STDK]

I grew up and live in Louisville Ky and was surrounded by places to buy. I started really buying Buck knives after attending my 1st NKCA show. I also would order from from the large knife store in the Smoky Mountains when all you could do is mail orders. Many flea markets in the area at that time.

 

[pjsjr]

From a very young age I was interested in hunting and fishing/knives and guns. I would read Outdoor Life, Field and Stream and Sports Afield cover to cover. When I would see the Buck Knives ad with the blade being hammered through a steel bolt I knew that was the one I was going to get. It wasn't until 1969 or 70 that I finally purchased a Buck 118 in the PX at Ft Dix, NJ. Some time later a 103 followed, but I don't remember where I bought it.

I do know that being a Buck fan boy and loving to prowl yard/garage sales, flea markets and second hand stores I'd buy any and all 100 series Buck knives that caught my eye and an occasional 300 series folder if the price was right.. The acquisition process was heightened by the introduction of the internet, eBay and online stores.

The old and a newish custom 118...

 

[dsutton24]

There used to be a tobacco store in a mall nearby called Baker St. They had all sorts of interesting guy trinkets, and it seemed like they got a fair number of interesting Buck knives that others didn't have. I don't remember seeing their name on the special projects announcements, so I wonder if there's another story there.

There was also a large hardware store in that town that carried a big stock of Buck knives. A couple of weeks before Christmas the Buck rep from the area would set up a table and engrave knives for customers. I always came prepared with a question or two, and sometimes got a little hint about something coming down the road. Sadly, the custom ended several years ago, and this hardware store just sells imported cheapies now.

 

[Hickory n steel]

We used to have a great store chain out here in California called Orchard Supply Hardware or OSH for short, they were such a great store.
They had an excellent selection of actual hardware, hickory tool handles, and not only did they have a typical little hardware store knife display they also had a knife isle with a bigger selection of Buck knives than Walmart or the local sporting goods store had.
They used to frequently have these " we pay the sales tax " days, and at OSH on one of those days is where I made my 1st Buck knife purchase.
A 482 Bucklite max for $20 out the door, then from there I bought a couple of the 283's and a Deuce which I gifted, I think I also bought one of those little oval keychain carabiner Bucks.
What were those things called again?

OSH closed down about 6 years back, and after that I pretty much just switched to ordering Bucks online and gifting 110 & LT's from Walmart.

 

[1911bphil]

A local sporting goods store sold SAKs and Boy Scout knives. The neighborhood hardware store sold Case knives. A jewelry store that friends owned sold Gerbers. This is all during the late 70s- early 80s. I wasn't interested in Bucks until a few years ago when I was gifted several.