Collecting the Model 1961 Soldier Knife, Part 5: All together now.

Chasing a complete collection of the Model 1961.

Welcome to the fifth and probably not the last part of my two-part series on collecting the Victorinox Pioneer and Model 1961, where we have been discussing my favorite pocket knife, its fundamental design perfection, and its many variations. In Part 1, I introduced the Pioneer and explained how it served as the basis for the design of the Model 1961, which, itself, went on to serve as the standard issue pocket knife to the Swiss military for 47 years. In Part 2, I suggested that collecting the Model 1961 might not be such a crazy thing, especially if one limited oneself to representative specimens from each of the six or so distinct editions of the knife.

The seven main variants of Model 1961, spanning 47 years of issue from 1962 to 2008.

In Part 3 I spent a little of your time talking about scout pattern knives in general, and how the Pioneer traces its lineage from this classic 20th-century design paradigm and its great-great-grandknife, the Model 1890. And in Part 4 I shared with you some details on the Kingston USMC and the Camillus Model 1760, the Pioneer’s American cousins that have a place in every Pioneer collector’s drawer.

Camillus Model 1760 and Victorinox Model 1961, both from 1965.

Now, in the fifth and (perhaps) final part of my two-part series, I am here to tell you where this all has led. As my theory went, a smart collector could have a lot of fun assembling a completely representative set of Soldier SAKs consisting of only a half dozen or so Model 1961’s. Throw in maybe a birth year SAK or other special year or two to make it unique and interesting, and you have an easy and affordable collecting goal with clear and realistic boundaries. Solid theory, right?

Distractions you will encounter along the way, top to bottom: Elinox Pioneer Technician, Swiss Rail Soldier, Dutch Royal Marine Knife, 1957 Pioneer with round awl and cutaway scale.

Following my own advice, I had assembled a lovely little collection of the six main versions of the Model 1961, stopping occasionally along the way to find BYSAKs for friends and family or for the odd Other SAK of Interest for myself, some of which are pictured above. But I found that rather than being abated, my fascination with this classic, elegantly functional pocket tool had only grown. I began to notice some interesting quirks across the Model 1961’s lifespan and within its main variants. I wondered, what would constitute an entire set, and what would it take to assemble one? Although I’m not yet finished, I’m far enough along that I thought I’d pause and share what I’ve learned. Before we can start Part 5 in earnest, however, there’s one last philosophical subject to cover…

The arguments for joining the Seven Main Versions camp.

Ever run across a news article describing ornithologists arguing over whether the Baltimore oriole wasn’t really just a northern oriole all along? Or astronomers debating whether Pluto is actually a planet? Consider also that what we call the “Series I” Land Rover was simply the Land Rover until the Series II came along. In a similarly hindsightful sort of way, there are a lot of collectors who consider the version 6 Model 1961 SAK to actually be two distinct versions. When I wrote Part 2 of this series, I was in the Six Main Versions camp, but I now believe there is an argument to be made for naming a 7th variant of the Model 1961, starting in about the middle of the 6th version’s run.

Variant 6 evolves into Variant 7, moving (L to R) from 2001 to 2002 to 2003. Note the changes to center pin material and shield color. .

Most notably, starting with the 2003 issue of the Model 1961, the color of the shield on the top scale became slightly but noticeably darker red. It’s this darker red shield that you will often hear cited as the primary indicator of a version 7 SAK, but this alone didn’t convince me when I was writing Part 2 of this series. After all, when you have a few of these in front of you, it’s easy to see a little variability from knife to knife, and relatively darker or lighter examples of red shield can be easily discerned.

However, an additional detail I wasn’t aware of, the switch to all nickel-silver pins starting on the 2002 knives, has to be acknowledged. Through 2001 the pin stock used for the Model 1961 was nickel-silver for the end pins and steel for the center pin. The material difference is subtle but can be seen in the pins’ color, as the picture above makes clear. Even still, exceptions occur. When you get there, take a look at my keyring SAKs below and see if you can spot the red herring.

L: 1995 shows thicker stock, ground finish, sharper edges. R: 1996 shows thinner stock, polished finish, softer edges.

Some collectors also cite a change to the thickness of the stainless steel sheet stock used for the implements and to the final finish imparted to the tools prior to assembly as further evidence. On older knives, the implements are thicker and have a machined, sharp-edged appearance, whereas on the newer SAKS, the slightly thinner implements are more polished and round-edged. The difference is easy to see, but the problem is that the date often given for these changes, around 2003-04, doesn’t jibe. In my own collection, at least, they first show up on my 1996 knife and remain through 2008. So I don’t think the implement/finish change argument is that clear, as it doesn’t coincide in time with either the change in pin stock material or red shield color.

Cap lifter from 1995 (top) is thicker and sharper-edged than the same tool from 1996 (bottom).

What we can say is that 2002-03 was a transitional time because of the switch to all Ni-Ag pins and the darker red shield, but not because of the changes in tool thickness and finishing, which appears to have occurred much earlier. Another complicating factor is the differences that were occurring between the two manufacturers, Victorinox and Wenger. For example, my 1988 Wenger has the thicker implements, but they have a somewhat polished finish, which I think is typical for 1980’s Wengers. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that SAK mysteries abound, my friends. See what I mean about Baltimore and northern orioles?

A 1988 Wenger, showing the thicker sharper-edged implement stock but with quasi-polished finish.

At the end of the day, I guess it’s kind of a silly discussion that only appeals to those of us cursed with the collector gene and the ability to split a hair finer and finer. You may have this gene and the accompanying keen eye it takes to appreciate such trivial minutiae if you’ve ever caught yourself explaining to your long-suffering spouse, “But this one has a keyring, honey.”

Having started, how do you finish?

At its simplest, there are 47 unique years comprising the complete set of Model 1961 SAKs. If you want the SAKs in your collection to be actually-Swiss-military-issued specimens, you have to watch for the Waffenkontrolle’s “W-K” acceptance stamp. But since the Swiss government stopped this practice in the late-1980’s, there’s no way to distinguish between issued Model 1961 knives and their civilian market counterparts after that time. So most likely you’re going to end up with Waffenkontrolle-approved Model 1961’s from both makers as well as Victorinox Soldiers and Wenger Standard Issues in your collection.

But the silver lining here is that if you have that certain collector personality type I was describing above, you may find you really enjoy digging into the special edition models produced specifically for the collector market, the anomalous knives, and the version-to-version overlaps and endpoints. Here are a few you’ll discover, and I’m sure this list is not exhaustive (hello, Part 6?).

Unexpected red scales. Technically, use of the original red scales only went through 1964, but they are known to occur through 1978. Some of these later red-scaled knives could be factory-serviced SAKs that started out life with silver scales, but the Swiss collector Thierry Deladoey offers another explanation in his excellent and definitive book, Le Couteau du Soldat Suisse (2012). He explains that the switch to the new cross & shield design in 1977 prompted the factory to use up existing stocks of red scales, the last of which apparently were installed on 1978 SAKs. (By the way, Deladoey’s book does not recognize the 7th variant of Model 1961.)

A Model 1961 from 1968, the latest in my collection with red scales. Collectors prize these unexpected red scales.

The rotating W-K stamps of the 1970’s. I have seen 1971 SAKs sporting W-K acceptance stamps in three different orientations. With the knife stood on end, the W-K can appear horizontal (ie, legible), rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees (most of which are slightly crooked), and rotated clockwise 90 degrees. The latter orientation is a defining feature of variant 3 SAKs, so I think it’s safe to assume that the horizontally legible stamps were a holdover from variants 1 and 2, and therefore that the counterclockwise stamps were something that didn’t last for whatever reason. My 1972 Wenger also has the counterclockwise stamp, although it’s not crooked. Unlike 1971, ‘72 is such a rare year that it’s difficult to compare across multiple examples. When I originally wrote this article, I speculated that this was something only seen in 1971-72, but since then I’ve seen a 1975 with the crooked counterclockwise W-K stamp, so who really knows. SAK mysteries abound.

The rotating W-K stamps of 1971. L to R, horizontal, crooked CCW, and CW. The latter carried on into Version 3 as standard.

Overlapped tang stamps. Conventional wisdom holds that Victorinox abandoned the Elsener tang stamp and started using the new VSSR tang stamp in 1976. However, there are 1975 specimens seen with both. So you may think you only need one SAK from 1975, but if you’re a hair-splitter-type collector, there are in fact two Victorinox SAKs and the Wenger that you could find. I’ve also seen 1975 knives without the W-K stamp, which must have been sold on the civilian market originally.

It’s possible to find a 1975 SAK with both of these tang stamps. These two knives date from ‘73 (L) and ‘77 (R).

Transitional years. 1977 is an overlap year between versions 3 and 4, and specimens of both variants are commonly found. The same is true of 1993, which spanned the change from version 5 to 6. It’s fun to have one of each in your collection.

Transitional years. Left two SAKs are from 1977, the two on the right from 1993.

Keyring soldiers. These were never made for issue to the Swiss army, and are not commonly found today. Victorinox says they were produced between 1992 and 2002, but not much other information is available. I have keyring Soldiers from 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Keyring SAKs from (L to R) 1996, ‘97, ‘98, and ‘00. Notice anything funny about the ‘98? Its center pin appears to be Ni-Ag, which is four years before it became standard.

Special collector editions. Depending on how you feel about these kinds of things, there are several special editions that you may want to keep an eye out for. Wenger made at least three, celebrating different anniversaries, and Victorinox produced 2003 and 2005 editions with Charles Elsener’s signature laser-engraved on the blade as well as a 2008 last-year-of-issue collector’s knife. Obviously these were never made for issue to the Swiss army but they can add unique and interesting variety to your collection.

Two of the many collector editions offered by both makers of the Model 1961.

What to look for in a good Model 1961.

For me, it isn’t really practical to pursue only new-old-stock or mint-in-box specimens. While not impossible, they’re hard to find if you don’t happen to live in Switzerland for one thing, and for another I actually like a little honest wear on a military-issued piece of kit. With this in mind, here’s what I look for in a good used specimen.

Blade length and condition. The first thing I look at is the condition of the blade, especially its length and breadth. Sometimes it’s easy to see that a blade has been over-sharpened, like what happens when a Dremel tool is used in anger. But other times a blade’s profile and proportions can look just right, and a shortened blade can only be discerned in its folded-up position. A full-length blade will come all the way to the stop at the end opposite its pivot. And a good seller will always say if they know a blade has been sharpened, but this statement doesn’t always tell the full story (and an innocent seller may not even know). Depending on the rarity of the knife, a blade that’s 1-2 mm shorter than stock doesn’t really bother me if everything else is right. A blade that’s 5 mm short, on the other hand, does, and I generally move on from that opportunity.

Judging blade length. SAK in foreground is ~2 mm short but looks just right when opened. Blade in background is full-length.

Broken implements. Usually these defects are obvious, but occasionally a shortened awl can be hard to notice in its open position. In the folded up state, the tip of the awl should come just past the inflection point in the can opener’s spine. More readily noticeable are the screwdriver tips of can openers that have been tweaked, broken, or filed off. Likewise, twisted or re-ground flat blade screwdriver ends on the cap lifter are not uncommon.

Note how the tip of the awl extends just past the inflection point in the can opener when viewed from the top down.

Broken screwdriver tip on this Pioneer’s can opener. Twisted screwdriver tips are even more common.

Corroded pins, damaged scales, polished anything. It’s not unusual to see the rivet heads of a SAK’s pivots with a little mild corrosion. Unless it’s severe and some of the material is actually missing, this doesn’t bother me and is easily set right. Similarly, badly damaged or corroded scales are fairly easily spotted. The kind of mild wear and tear that results from normal use doesn’t keep me from buying an otherwise handsome specimen, and I actually prefer it to one that has been “restored” on a polishing wheel.

The SAK above has been polished (note shiny pin heads) inside and out. Boredom-induced damage on red scales below.

Two 1971 Elsener SAKs. The one on top has been professionally polished, which is incorrect for this year of issue. The blade below shows the correct “glazed” finish — note the fine grain perpendicular to blade length.

Broken springs. Broken backsprings are easily disguised, and would show up as a hairline crack across the width of the spring in its de-energized state (ie, tools either all the way open or all the way closed). An upfront seller will identify the issue for you, but a shadier (or honest but clueless) vendor might simply describe the symptom, which is lazy or nonexistent snap. Fortunately, broken backsprings on the Model 1961 are rare.

Broken spring from a 108 mm GAK. Look for the telltale hairline fracture on the back of any Soldier SAK.

Brass Liners. One thing you don’t have to worry about looking for when collecting the Model 1961 is brass liners. If you also love the vintage “old cross” Pioneers, you already know there are examples with and without brass liners. I think Victorinox switched from brass to nickel-silver liners for the Pioneer in the late 1980’s, but I can tell you I’ve never seen a Model 1961 with brass liners from any year. It seems the Ni-Ag liners were used on the Model 1961 from the very start, at least in my observation.

Two Big-V VSSR Pioneers, one with brass liners (L) and one with Ni-Ag liners (R).

A 1964 Soldier SAK with Ni-Ag liners (L) and contemporaneous Elinox Pioneer with brass liners (R).

Which years are the easiest/hardest to find?

I’ve never seen definitive information on how many knives were produced in any given year, but I can tell you which years would seem to be the easiest and hardest to find based on my own experiences in the market and my participation in the greater collector community. Here are my observations by decade.

• 1960’s: As the decades of issue go, these appear the least often. I suppose this makes sense if for no other reason than the youngest of them is now 50 years old; however, a few are still quite easily found. 1964, ‘65, and ‘66 seem to be the most common, while ‘62 and ‘69 seem scarce.

• 1970’s: If you're searching for your birth year SAK and you were born in 1970, ‘71, ‘73, or ‘77, you’re in luck as these SAKs are plentiful. 1972 and ‘74 are famously rare, and were only supplied by Wenger.

• 1980’s: Good examples from both makers for 1980 and ‘81 appear very frequently, and Victorinox must’ve made zillions of 1983 knives as they are incredibly abundant today. The other model years seem to appear with approximately equal frequency, although I had the hardest time with 1985 for some reason.

• 1990’s: If you are a new collector, don’t settle for anything less than perfectly mint condition for 1992 or ‘97 knives; they are that plentiful. 1995 and ‘98 seem to be more scarce, but are findable with patience. Still, they’re rare enough that I’d lower my minimum acceptable condition for either of these two years. Also, keep your eyes open for good keyring models from this decade if those appeal to you.

• 2000’s: I had a hard time finding a good 2000, then found both keyring and non-keyring specimens on the same day. It never rains but it pours, I guess. Although you might guess otherwise, the last year of issue, 2008, is very not rare, so don’t settle for anything less than mint condition for one. The other model years seem equally abundant although it does seem that 2001 might be a bit less common.

How much might you spend?

The most I ever spent on a Model 1961 was $201 (for a hard-to-find year in excellent condition) and the least was $17 (for an even-harder-to-find year in tatty shape). Although I know how much my own knives cost me, I have resisted keeping other data on how often a SAK from any given year appears and for how much it ultimately sells. When there was only eBay this might have been doable, but there are simply too many other marketplaces to make this a practical pursuit these days. But I will say that collecting the Model 1961 SAK is refreshingly affordable, at least compared to some things (like keeping a 58-year-old British farm truck on the road, for example). Although I’m sure the normal rule of supply and demand must govern the market in aggregate, on any given day the market can be quite fickle. A good 1962 that sold for $225 today might go for only $125 next week.

My conclusion is that the law of supply and demand doesn’t apply purely and absolutely because most buyers aren’t looking to build an entire collection and therefore don’t make a distinction between 1972 (very rare) and 1973 (quite common), or 1992 (crazy common) and 1995 (fairly scarce). If you just want a good used Soldier SAK, this line of thinking goes, there are zillions to choose from and there is no appearance of scarcity.

This concludes Part 5 of my two-part series on collecting the Model 1961 SAK. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and as always, I welcome your comments and factual corrections below.