VINTAGE 1978 GERBER FOLDING SPORTSMAN I KNIFE : $70.00
Features:
Single, 2 5/8" drop point stainless steel blade. Inlays of tropical hardwood.
Length open: 6 1/8"
Length closed: 3 1/2"
So, I wasn't sure what knife this was because I could not find any similar pictures of it online. BUT...since I live in Portland, Oregon myself, I decided to drive on over to their business in Tigard, Oregon and ask them. The receptionist thought it might be a Folding Sportsman, a discontinued but highly collectible favorite amongst knife enthusiasts. Being unsure, she took this knife in back to speak to their warranty manager, who deals with all models of Gerber tools and knives and he was able to confirm that it was, in fact a Gerber Folding Sportsman I.
He was unable to give me any information about the emblem on it, the state of California with a bell and a set of three "jewels". He did tell me though, that in the late 70's, Gerber did make a number of custom knives for companies and had, in the past, used sapphires and rubies on some. He could not tell me whether or not they were real gems because it happened before his time. To be completely honest, he said that he didn't "think" they were real, but he wasn't sure.
They pulled out a huuuuge binder full of their old catalogs and after some searching, found this model in their 1978 catalog. They were also nice enough to make a copy of the page of the catalog for me to take with me and the section below, in bold and italics, is directly copied from that page (except for a few changes I made to the tense because in their catalog, they speak of all four models of Folding Sportsman series knives. So instead of "these", I wrote "this" and instead of "knives", I wrote "knife" etc.)
All in all, they were very helpful to me at Gerber and I really appreciated how easy they made things for me. Thank you to them.
The warm glow of solid brass against rich wood gives this knife an almost work of art look. But don't be mislead. This beauty is a beast of burden. Blade is of stain resistant 440-C Surgical stainless steel, double-wedge ground by Gerber craftsmen, one at a time. The all-important hinge pin is milled of solid brass, not cast or cut from wire. The entire handle frame works as a one piece bolster and liner to offer uncommon strength. The blade locks firmly open and can be released only by pushing the recessed thumb latch. There's even a built-in safety "pause" ot prevent snap-shut closing. Another Gerber exclusive, developed by their inventive designers.
The Folding Sportsman was made with the same attention to detail as every Gerber. Ruthlessly inspected along the way, and rejected at the slightest hint of flaw.
Of course, words and pictures only communicate a general impression. The most convincing sales pitch occurs when you pick up a Folding Sportsman. At once you will sense the care with which the knife was built. You'll feel the precise balance, the natural way it fills your hand. You'll see how all components and surfaces align, flawlessly.
Then you'll begin to understand and appreciate Gerber's penchant for building knives the right way!
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