Victorinox Box Designs

[Saluki]

I recently became interested in SAKs and had a question about whether the original Victorinox packaging can be used to aid in assisting the age of a knife.  I realize this assumes the box is the correct original packaging, and sellers sometimes package a knife in an incorrect box.

I have noticed several different box designs while shopping on eBay and other sites.  Examples include:

Red & white box (sometimes with a mixture of English and German)
Grey Swiss Army Brands box
Burgandy Victorinox box
Current style silver box with Victorinox name and logo

I would illustrate this in pictures, but I don't own all of these variations myself and don't want to pirate someone else's photos.

I have searched this forum and others and have not been able to find much information about the evolution of Victorinox packaging over the years.  Are there any good resources that illustrate Victorinox packaging and the years the various box designs were used?

[captain spaulding]

Given the knife is original to the box, the box can give a general idea of age of the knife. There are also resources to find out the age of the knife by identifiers on the actual knife. Someone might come along with more information and possibly even pictures to help you identify age by packaging type.

[SAK Guy]

I was a SAK dealer in the early 80's and my stock was in the red & white slim and matchbox type (slide out) boxes, IIRC. Some had German/English and some just English.

[jazzbass]

The knife and its tools are almost always a better guide to the age of the knife than the box. In my research, the box age is almost secondary - i.e. "this is a box from the mid 80s because it's with a knife from the mid 80s" rather than vice-versa.

Here are some boxes from an active eBay auction:



Boxes here are, with approx dates, clockwise from the upper left:
- Burgundy Victorinox box, mid 80s to mid 90s
- Marlboro, early 90s, typically a cardboard surround over a burgundy box
- Old style silver Victorinox box, mid 90s-early 2000s
- Burgundy, as above
- Black/White Victorinox box. I think this is a non-US (i.e. non-SAB) early- to mid- 90s box.
- Old style silver Victorinox box, as above
- New style Victorinox box, early 2000s - present
- New style Victorinox box, as above
- Black/White Victorinox box, as above
- SAB Grey box. Late 80s- mid 90s SAB (US distributor) box
- SAB Box, as above

Then there this one, red early 1970s - mid 80s box:

You see a lot of these from the early 1980s.

[SAK Guy]

^^^^That last one is the one I remember lots of my stock in (had remembered them as slide out but that was the later 90's gray ones I guess) with the Pioneers and Farmers in the small slim red/white boxes. By the time had I closed my shop in late 84, the hinged burgundy ones were coming out.

Great post jazzbass!

[Gim]

I don't know a link will be opened or not.
http://rusknife.com/topic/7693-коробки-ножей-victorinox-и-wenger/
it is the Russian forum. use the automatic translator. there is a lot of photo of boxes of SAK

[basilio]

I don't know a link will be opened or not.
http://rusknife.com/topic/7693-коробки-ножей-victorinox-и-wenger/
it is the Russian forum. use the automatic translator. there is a lot of photo of boxes of SAK

Thanks for the link!
A lot of Wenger boxes there.

[Huntsman]

http://rusknife.com/topic/7693-коробки-ножей-victorinox-и-wenger/

Hey Thanks for the link - Not managed to transalet it yet - But I hope I can
Thanks also to Jazzbass for the info...

I picked up a couple of 'NIB' SAKs recently both came in 'matchbox style' maroon boxes.
I noticed something interesting on the bottom of the slide out - It looks like a date code.
Does anyone know if this is a date code please?

I enclose a picture.

The first one is a Grand Prix and the code just says 84 longways.
This absolutely matches the tool set on the SAK - So looks good/spot on.

The second is a Climber the code says 83 above a 12 across the box - Dec 1983?
This is the interesting one - From the tangstamp and toolset (it has the hook) I would date the SAK from '92-'05. So this does not match up! Maybe the seller used a different box??
However the label on the box does say it is a Climber - so that matches !! ....

Any thoughts please??