American LaFrance SOG--What Model and How Rare?

[cody6268]

Today, I was browsing the Wayback Machine archive for American LaFrance (a fire apparatus maker that went out of business last year after around 140 years of business) for sometime in 2001, and came upon this, a SOG multitool with their name engraved on the handle. 

From 1986-1994, American LaFrance, owned by Kersey at that time, operated here in my hometown of Bluefield, VA.  Later, they were purchased by Freightliner, who then sold to the Lynn Tilton Trust, which led to the bankruptcy of ALF last year.   I also collect model fire apparatus, and am trying to build my American LaFrance collection of model fire apparatus.  I also have a small collection of American LaFrance brochures and promotional items.  As a piece that crosses over to both (as well as sort of being a piece of local history) of my major hobbies, I want it quite a bit.

Original retail was $46.76, quite pricey for 2001!





The few promo knives I have in my collection were either mining-related knives that were given to me by my grandfather who was a purchasing agent for a local coal mining company, and I would assume those knives were given to him by the representatives of the company engraved or stamped onto the knife.  The few  I've accrued were purchased because I liked the subject matter or were mixed with non-promo versions and picked by seller (Fred Hill Materials Wenger Handyman (which included a nice-full color engraving of a cement mixer on the scale, Worthington Trust  Victorinox SwissCard).   This will mark the first time I've actively pursued a promotional knife/MT. 



Since SOG is a brand I typically don't bother with, what model is this?   

How hard do you think it would be to track down?   

[Marcellus]

Looks like the Pocket Power Pliers, the PPP, can't tell the size
Could be hard to find, depends on how many made and where they went and to whom
I would start the search in region of the manufacturers home state

[cody6268]

Looks like the Pocket Power Pliers, the PPP, can't tell the size
Could be hard to find, depends on how many made and where they went and to whom
I would start the search in region of the manufacturers home state

Thanks for the model ID!

I guess that would be North Carolina, where their headquarters would have been at the time.  Once, back when they were here in Bluefield, American LaFrance made around 500 belt buckles in 1989 featuring the first Century 2000 (their main offering at the time) ever made.    Most I've found were out of the area, mine (no. 71) came out of Massachusetts.   You'd think I'd have found another at a local flea market by now, but I haven't  There was also a Zippo money clip knife I uncovered on Ebay (sadly, an expired auction that ended at $5 that I didn't know about until now) with American LaFrance's older logo, offered around the time they were probably here in Bluefield.   I may be able to find one of those.

It's strange.  Except for some odd tools and equipment as well as a picture of a Century 2000 (which currently hangs in my room) that my grandfather purchased in 1994 at the liquidation auction of the plant, I've found nothing here locally. Everything I've bought relating to American LaFrance when they were here came from out of state.

[gregozedobe]

I can't recall ever seeing a promo PPP for American LaFrance, so I'd hazard a guess that they are pretty rare (but I don't claim to be a SOG MT expert). 

SOG didn't seem to do that many different promo versions of their tools, I have the following:

Harley Davidson (these even had H-D cast into the plier heads)
Stanley Maxedge
Master Mechanic (one of these has "CLARKE CORP.") on one handle
Penn International (both SS and TiN)

SOG also made special purpose telecomms MTs for Paladin (PT-510, PT-525 & PT-540), and Fishing (the enormous "Blacktip") and Sailing MTs for West Marine.

Good luck with your search, maybe looking at all SOG MTs on fleaby might eventually uncover one.