A fun coincidence

[Grant Lamontagne]

I recently picked up a few old SAKs from a seller on Marketplace- the price was good, even though the models were very ho hum.  There was a Camper, a Spartan and a Compact.

The Compact is my favorite model so I grabbed them all for now other reason than they were there.

The Spartan and Camper were in perfect condition, and the Compact was pretty beat up.  It obviously had a long and active life!   

I gave the Spartan to a coworker, and the results are here if interested!  https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,94130.0.html

I hadn't really looked at the Compact, being a bit annoyed that it was pretty well beat- at least until now.

I opened up the blade and saw that it had the usual "pretty much ground away" blade, but I noticed something else for the first time.

It had my initials engraved on it!

Well, probably the original owner's initials, but as they are the same as mine I'm going to pretend it's my initials on the blade!

Still, very cool thing to find!

Def

[Myron]

Very cool!

[zrxoa1]

Nice discovery!!!


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[LoopCutter]

It was written!

This was always destined to be yours!👍😎

[Grant Lamontagne]

The gentleman I bought it from was named Gary.  I assume his last name starts with an L based on this engraving, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was!

Still, it's cool to find a knife that is pre customized for you!

Def

[gustophersmob]

Very cool!

[FolderBeholder]

How exciting to be opening a blade and there are your initials!  Probably a once in a lifetime occurrence. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

For the fun of it I asked the AI what the most common initials were.  This was the result:

While there isn't a definitive official ranking of the most common initials in North America, we can make an educated guess by looking at the most common first and last names.

For First Names:

 * The most common first letters for first names are generally A, M, and J. (Based on analyses of US baby names).
For Last Names:
 * The most common last names in North America (particularly the US, which has the largest population) are Smith, Johnson, and Williams.

Given this, it's highly probable that initials combining these common first and last name letters would be very prevalent. Some likely contenders for the most common initials would include:

 * JS (John Smith, James Smith, Jessica Smith, etc.)
 * MS (Michael Smith, Mary Smith, Matthew Smith, etc.)
 * AS (Ashley Smith, Anna Smith, Andrew Smith, etc.)
 * JJ (John Johnson, James Johnson, Jennifer Johnson, etc.)

It's important to note that this is an estimation, as precise data on the frequency of every possible initial combination across North America is not readily available. However, considering the sheer number of people with these common first and last names, combinations derived from them would undoubtedly be the most widespread.


I wonder how many of us have those initials?   

Def

[Barry Rowland]

That's cool!!

[Alan K.]

You never know what you might get when receiving used knives. I have a few knives with monograms or engraving on them that are not my initials.  When I lend them to people and they say, "Hey, I thought your initials were A.K.?" I tell them, "Oh, those aren't my initials; they are the knife's initials."

[VICMAN]

Very cool!

[nate j]

When I lend them to people and they say, "Hey, I thought your initials were A.K.?" I tell them, "Oh, those aren't my initials; they are the knife's initials."

[zenostoic]

Excellent coincidence!! or as they say..

"The wand chooses the wizard."
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

[psyjohn]

I've got a few SAKs with names or initials but none that match anyone I know. I do have a company labeled, blue, smooth-Alox Executive. The branding consists solely of a nice looking "S" which happens to be the first letter of my last name. So it's like having this gorgeous knife "monogrammed." It was a happy day when I found that one.

[pfrsantos]

The gentleman I bought it from was named Gary.  I assume his last name starts with an L based on this engraving, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was!

Still, it's cool to find a knife that is pre customized for you!

Def

Lamontagne?...



 

[LoopCutter]

Thinking back, my dad, and two brothers all share the same initials, as I, and in my under twelve age I did mark my stuff with first name letter and the two capital letters on my last name, G V W

Not grasping then the concept, that 3 other people in my house had the same…

My ball glove was safe, as it was a left handed tool, but all else would seem to go missing only to be found abused or broken by younger brothers.

After my dad passed in 2003, my mom gave me his hunting knife, a Western bird & trout sized fixie.

A few years ago, I gave to my brother, learning he had no knives, only his carving tools.   It was fitting as my dad had scratched his initials in the leather sheath, GVW. Just same as my brothers to this day as he has no middle name.
Only then did I learn how my Cub Scout knife died😳

[Grant Lamontagne]

That's a great story LC!

See what I did there?

Seriously, it's great to hear that kind of stuff.  Stories like that are the whole reason I started a forum

Def