Frank B 11" Picklock/Flat Button

[JulesVane]

Hi all...This very well may be a silly question, but I've had this piece for quite some time and it's my only Frank B Picklock. But, my real question pertains to it's flat button. Does the flat button have any significance regarding it's age? It's stamped Frank B over Italy. I can't really say that I know much about Frank B Picklocks in general. Any info (age/time period) would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!...Chris

[Bill DeShivs]

No. It's a new, current-production knife.

[JulesVane]

No. It's a new, current-production knife.

Thank you Bill!

[Beastofanarchy79]

I have a stiletto made by Frank B with what appears to be white pearl on the handle, and I can not tell if it's mSg or wSg on the other side of it. My pics say file too large. I believe it's from the 60's. I'm trying to get a rough date and value on it

[Bill DeShivs]

wSb. Made for Brad Skipper (a scumbag) in the early 2000s, I believe.

[Scotchman]

Who has passed on.

[natcherly]

The flat button along with a modern interpretation of flat guard style top bolsters first made its appearance in mid 2004. Walter Halucha commissioned Frank B to build a run of these picklocks that also featured a different style blade, a bayo with extended false edge some called a half grind. These knives were marked "Walt's Flat Guard" along with a three digit serial number. The were available in then standard scale materials - dark horn, light horn, stag. The knives in each scale material had their own serial number series, so it was possible to get the same number in each scale.

After that run was completed, various other runs were made by Frank. Some had flat guards, some had flat buttons, some had regular bayo blades, others had daggers still others had the half grind. A few had Kris blades. The variety of these knives was and continues to be endless.

[Tom19176]

Natcherly hit it on the head! The flat buttons were also seen on the swing guards around 2004 to 2007.....As Bill said the WSB was for a importer around 2002 to 2005 .....He was not looked upon as a good guy due his business ethics....

[john]

Hi Chris,
BTW your knife is beautiful! The color of the stag is way cool. I still don't have one of Frank's flat button in my collection. One of these days someone will sell one and I hope to be in a position to buy it.
John

[picklocksrock]

Beautiful picklock!

[sammy the blade]

I have a stiletto made by Frank B with what appears to be white pearl on the handle, and I can not tell if it's mSg or wSg on the other side of it. My pics say file too large. I believe it's from the 60's. I'm trying to get a rough date and value on it

Pics. will help and welcome to the forum.

[JulesVane]

Beautiful picklock!

Thanks! I can't say I see a whole bunch of Frank B stamped Flatguard/Flat Button Picklocks around, but maybe they're more common than I thought(?).
No D-Stamped liners.

[gravknife]

Great looking picklock Chris.
Lovely lines nice stag .and love the flatguards

Wish I owned one.

gravknife

[john]

Beautiful picklock!

Thanks! I can't say I see a whole bunch of Frank B stamped Flatguard/Flat Button Picklocks around, but maybe they're more common than I thought(?).
No D-Stamped liners.

They’re not too common.
I haven’t seen any flat button stilettos come from Frank B‘s workshop in over 10 years.
Does anyone else have any info on the flat buttons?

[JulesVane]

I'm sure, somewhere here, is a term definition list of dates of productions. 1: Current Production: must obviously mean currently/still being produced. 2: Modern: Produced 1960 to Present(?). 3: Vintage: 1940's through 1950's(?). 4: Antique: Pre-1940's(?). These are just my personal rough estimates of term definitions of dates of switchblade productions and would certainly welcome corrections. Then we have the transitionals and BO/BC that were certainly built better than the Modern category of swivel bolsters. Of course, some sellers on different sites will call 1970's through 1990's "Vintage" (must be a very young group of sellers) lol. I'm certainly not saying there's anything special about this knife, in fact, I don't think there is. But, new/current production would lean my thinking towards I could buy this same knife right now. That may very well be so and I just don't know where.