Long Nail File Champions.

[GigaHz]

When did they move the LNF from one side to the other? Maybe when they got rid of the bail?

[kkokkolis]

And why did they stop including it?
What tools reside on the opposite side of the spring?

[Reinier]

Scissors

[kmanct3]

Thats a beutiful collection!

[jazzbass]

When did they move the LNF from one side to the other? Maybe when they got rid of the bail?

That's pretty much exactly when they made the change as far as I can tell - and I've looked at/owned many, many LNF Champions (I think I have 20 or so in my collection). If you take the 1968 date for the bail disappearing at face value, the LNF changes at about the same point. Note that the LNF is actually slightly different post 1968 - the nail nick is on the other side. I speculate that they did this to make it easier to open the scissors on large knives like the Champion, but ALL LNF knives got the same changes - the Luxury Motorist, the Huntsman, and the Climber all get their nail nicks moved to the other side of the file. As such, they have to be in the layer next to the openers to provide access to it (because if the nick was still on the back side it would be blocked by the flush backsprings of the saw/scaler/file).

If you look at scissor location for all of the other large knives, they moved the scissors to the layer next to the openers around 1962 (the beginning of the "small awl" period). All except the LNF knives, which keep the scissors next to the blade to provide nail nick access until about 1968 or so.

You'll also notice that about the same time (1968) Victorinox changes the scissor design from the old style with the tight fitting joint to a "transitional" style with a large scoop. This lasts only a couple years until the modern style scissors come out in 1973 or so. You DO see some overlap on the scissor designs and the location layer in the knife - I have one Champion with the transitional scissors in the traditional location next to the blade one with the vintage style scissors in newer "next-to-the-openers" layer.

[Northern Geek]

Impressive amounts of knowledge as always jazzbass

[GigaHz]

When did they move the LNF from one side to the other? Maybe when they got rid of the bail?

That's pretty much exactly when they made the change as far as I can tell - and I've looked at/owned many, many LNF Champions (I think I have 20 or so in my collection). If you take the 1968 date for the bail disappearing at face value, the LNF changes at about the same point. Note that the LNF is actually slightly different post 1968 - the nail nick is on the other side. I speculate that they did this to make it easier to open the scissors on large knives like the Champion, but ALL LNF knives got the same changes - the Luxury Motorist, the Huntsman, and the Climber all get their nail nicks moved to the other side of the file. As such, they have to be in the layer next to the openers to provide access to it (because if the nick was still on the back side it would be blocked by the flush backsprings of the saw/scaler/file).

If you look at scissor location for all of the other large knives, they moved the scissors to the layer next to the openers around 1962 (the beginning of the "small awl" period). All except the LNF knives, which keep the scissors next to the blade to provide nail nick access until about 1968 or so.

You'll also notice that about the same time (1968) Victorinox changes the scissor design from the old style with the tight fitting joint to a "transitional" style with a large scoop. This lasts only a couple years until the modern style scissors come out in 1973 or so. You DO see some overlap on the scissor designs and the location layer in the knife - I have one Champion with the transitional scissors in the traditional location next to the blade one with the vintage style scissors in newer "next-to-the-openers" layer.

Are you sure there aren't date codes stamped somewhere that we are all missing? 
Great info as always.

[jazzbass]

Are you sure there aren't date codes stamped somewhere that we are all missing? 
Great info as always.

Nope, just a slight bit of detail from Victorinox, data from old catalogs and info gleaned from a database of about 9000 notable knife auctions on eBay over the past 3 years.

BTW, here are the Transitional era scissors I was talking about. My guess is that most of your key ring knives up there have these type.