My first Pocketknife was a Schrade Old Timer that had been handed down from my Grandfather. It was your standard 3 blade stockman, just like thousands of others, but to a 10 year old boy, it meant passage into manhood.

Well, that was before The Schrade company closed their doors after 100 years of being in business, and before the name was bought and slapped on cheap knives from China that bear little resemblance to the wonderful knives of our memories.

Today, there is an avid little community of folks who collect the originals, and while I am not quite avid, I am energetic, so if I see one for a good price, I will snap it up.

While surfing the internet instead of actually working,  I found this list of Schrade Old Timer models. While by the author’s own admission it is far from definitive, it is a great starting point for all of us who wish for the old days.