What is your oldest (earliest) Spyderco ?

[NASA50]

Mine is the first collaboration and first made in Golden, CO - The C15 Bob Terzuola

It was my EDC while on duty for many years.

I have two (2) as well as a C19 Jr.






NASA50

[sal]

Hi NASA,

Thanx again for your service and thanx for sharing.....and thanx for the support across the years. The Aluminum handle was the first one we made. Does yours have a number on it?

Talkin' Story: I was an associate member of the Custom Knife-maker's Guild and the American Blade-Smith's Society. Learning as I could. We'd been making sharpeners for a decade and stainless steel handled "Clipits" for a few years. Bob T and I had been friends seeing each other on the "show circuit". He said he liked my "hole Opener idea and the clip, but my designs were just ugly. "Handles go way way, blade goes anther way, terrible". I said, "You design a pretty one and I'll make it".

That's how the Spyderco's first collaboration began. One of Bob's requirements was that it be made in the USA. (Always the Patriot) Another was that he wanted special Blade steel, ATS-34 as I remember. This commitment was challenging because all of our knives at the time were being made in Seki-City Japan. I'd already spoken with most of the US makers and they didn't want to use the steels that I wanted to or hold the tolerances I wanted. I knew Bob would be just as finicky as I was so the only solution was to try to farm it out until we could build our own factory in Golden, which Gail and I were planning anyway.

We outsourced the first couple of runs to Les DeAsis at Benchmade, another friend of mine, and to Rob & Vince Ford, whom I met recently at a knife factory auction. The first several runs were challenging to say the least, but "Persistence is King". Bob T was our first collaboration with a Custom Knife-maker.

sal

[ZrowsN1s]

Cool knife NASA50! a rare one. I just got a CF Superhawk, that and my two super blue sprints are as old as I've got. Don't have much before 2015.

[archangel]

Here's mine, a Pacific Salt. I joined this forum in 2015 to find out if it was genuine, because it has no edged/lasered to the blade, and I was happy to learn that apparently some Spydies got their trademark bug only at a later point in time:

Not a vintage piece, I realize this. Still very special to me. It will never go.

[Nate]

My prized C27 Jess Horns:

[yablanowitz]

I always laugh when I read that story, Sal. Mostly as proof that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", since the Starmate is the only one of Bob T's designs that I don't find ugly as original sin. Sorry Bob.

I really don't know which of mine is the oldest/earliest, since a lot of them were aquired on the secondary market. Here are a couple of candidates.

Slab side C02S Mariner



PIG Police Model



Slab side three screw clip C01S Worker

[Jim Malone]

A first gen Endura with the molded plastic clip i bought in 1988 ish and carried thru my Law Enforcement career and as a "SWAT" member.

[Accutron]

Renegade C23GP (1994)


- first model to be both designed and manufactured in-house (along with the smaller Blackhawk)
- first model with G-10 handles
- first model with no thumb ramp
- first model with a 50/50 choil

[Mr Blonde]

For me, it would be the C24 Blackhawk.

[Mushroom]

Same answer from the “rarest Spyderco” thread for me - K06 Filet Knife

[Superflex]

Delica 1 with a fat FRN clip in AUS 8 was my first. Sadly gone.
The oldest in my current collection is a PS Delica 3 in AST55

[Superflex]

double tap

[wrdwrght]

My C34P Jess Horn 2. It was made some time during 1995-1998.

EDIT TO ADD: This thread enabled me for the rest of 2022. I now have a C08 Harpy in AUS6 (1988), a C09 Co-Pilot in G2 (1989), and a C16 Wayne Goddard in G2 (1991-1998).

[anycal]

My first Spyderco was a PM2. But the KW 204P Military is the oldest Spyderco I still have.

One of my earliest pictures here on the forum,

[sal]

Hi Superflex,

Welcome back.

sal

[The Mastiff]

I still have my first Spyderco that I bought at a gunshow in 1992. An Endura in Gin 1 marked "G2". It has the FRN clip still but that won't hold the knife any longer. Other than the clip it is ready for another 30 years. I have a few others from that time and after but the Endura was my first. A G2 Delica bought later that day went to my older brother as a gift and I believe he still has it along with a later VG 10 model I gave him.

[RevMike]

The oldest that I can date for sure is probably this stamped clip Economy I believe these ran only 84-86.

[RevMike]

There are a couple that might be older or at least close but I don't know for sure.

Anybody know how to date the molded clip Endura or Rescue? I think both could be late 80s but also early 90s.

There are a couple Workers that could be in the running but I'm not sure. One is Zowada Damascus but not from the evolution set. I still think that would place it around 90-91.

The strongest contender to the Economy is a Worker stamped Gin1 which was mid to later 80s if I remember correctly. I feel like the no steel designation was first, then G2, and then Gin1.

If anyone has any insight into dating the 4 knifes mentioned above I'd love to hear it.

[sal]

No Lite wts in the '80's.

sal

[attila]

Original no-hole Swick from 2005 or 2006:

Came with what I think is a factory sheath from previous owner.