Quote:
Originally Posted by The Reaper
The original ones sold through the Gift Shop (and given to the graduates) just had Yarborough and the serial number. No "SF" prefix. Someone else may know for sure, but I seem to recall there being 1200 or so sold on the first run, before the sales program was cancelled by a certain GO. The issued knife serial numbers started at the end of the sale knife serial numbers and continue on that number sequence.
If you look around here, you will see several photos of both the original and the issue versions.
TR
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I believe that is correct in so much that you could get them at the gift shop while they were initially being issued in the beginning of the program and they had that run/batch in stock. Once they stopped selling them at the gift shop and only issuing them, the serial numbers continued on with each graduating class.
When the gift shop sales opened back up it created an issue as they have a batch of knives already set aside for the graduating classes and had to create the "-SF" version. The way it was explained to me by the woman at the gift shop was that it was easier for everyone involved to simply start the sales run/batch off with the "-SF" starting with 001 and keep the two programs separate than try to sell and issue from the same pool of knives they already had. Plus it's a money thing as I understand it, as the issued knives are budgeted and paid for by SWC and there was no way for the Gift shop to sell the knives to the rest of the SF community from that program and also keep the serial numbering in order. The easiest solution was introduce the "-SF" version for the rest of SF and let the gift shop sell them while maintaining the same kind of accountability as the issued ones.
If anyone knows anything different or I got something backwards please chime in as this is the kind of verbal history/story telling that seems to last or get lost over the years, kind of like the "Nous Defions" phrase thread.