First Run Question

[Roger]

Hello All,

I have a question about the "first run" figure commonly cited in regard to the Buck 184. I usually see that 2600 were made. The history on the buck-184.com site says that 2600 were made in 1984, and 53,000 in 1985. If the version with the compass in the pommel was discontinued in mid-1985, are there any figures available as to how many of these were made? It seems that a lot of 184's are advertised as "first run", but just having the compass in the pommel doesn't necessarily mean it was in the first run of 2600, correct?

Roger

[porterkids]

I'm not sure exactly when Buck discontinued the compass in the pommel, but there don't seem to be that many of them around. The three-line marking was used in 1984 and sometime in 1985 they added the PAT. PEND. The compass is only found in the three-line version, and the majority of the three-lined knives that I've seen do not have the compass. Therefore, I think the compass is a fairly good indication that it's an early piece.

[Roger]

Thanks for the info. I've seen some general production numbers, but to me it seems like they don't have a lot of bearing on the availability of the knives. I have two of the 184's with compasses in the pommel, but can't seem to find a good one with the patent number in the blood groove. I would have thought that being of a more recent manufacture date that there might be more of them around. Go figure.

Roger

[Evil Steel]

I have 1- 3 liner with no small compass and one with and I also have a pat pend 184 with a small compass that I bought from one of the Buck employees new in the box.

[rexmeyer]

I not sure if this is a first run or not, but it has a compass in the pommel. Here are pictures