• Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup By Name
• Gerber Mark I Knife Serial Number Lookup
• Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup Number
• Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup Us

Gerber Collectible Vintage Factory Manufactured Fixed Blade Knives Gerber is a cutlery company that has been producing factory-manufactured, fixed-blade knives for many years. Their vintage factory knives are considered collectible pieces and are available in a variety of types, styles, steel compositions, and handle configurations. Gerber BMF Basic Multi-Function Survival Knife System that is near mint, not sharpened, and is an early model with a shorter blade and different grind than the models that came out during the last years of production. This one is serial number 015320 which means it came out in the first year of production, which was 1986. Gerber MK-1 boot knife. There's much more information available on the MK-II and almost none on the MK-1. They kept track of the S/Ns on the MK-IIs but not the MK-1s. $5.00 Per Knife or ($5.00 per knife - 1-4 knives) / $20.00 For Five Knives or ($4.00 per knife - 5-9 knives) / $35.00 For Ten Knives ($3.50 per knife - 10+ knives) / $5.00 Per Pair of Scissors / Lawnmower Blades and Garden Tools are by Quote Only / Overnight Service.

Gerber BMF Basic Multi-Function Survival Knife System that is near mint, not sharpened, and is an early model with a shorter blade and different grind than the models that came out during the last years of production. This one is serial number 015320 which means it came out in the first year of production, which was 1986. It was probably made at the end of the first year. It has the chisel tooth saw on the blade spine. It is a beauty and very heavy duty!

First year of production: Compare this model specs of 13' overall with a 8' modified clip point stainless blade with the specs of the last production model.
Last production model: It was Gerber's largest knife at 14.5 inches overall, 5/32 inch thick, with a 8-3/4 inch modified clip point 440-A stainless at the end of production around 1998. See comparison photos below.

The black Cordura sheath comes complete with a belt loop and leg strap assembly. It has military belt metal hooks (Alice clips) and has a diamond sharpener attached to the back side. It has a pouch for extra storage and comes with a Silva compass made in Sweden. The Alice clips are not removable. This knife was very popular during Desert Storm.

The following is from the Gerber web site:
Brad Parrish began his career working in the Gerber plant in 1974. During the 1980's Brad began making prototype models and progressed to design. His designs include the BMF, LMF, Magnum LST, Magnum Jr., Pro-guide series, The Gator and Gator Mate series, E-Z Out Series, Spectre, Yari and the AR. Brad's work has resulted in multiple design patents. The 1994 Gerber catalog has a color photo of Brad on page 3.

The following is from the information sheet that came with the early knives: Basic Multi-Function Survival Knife System™
Gerber's BMF is the latest generation of survival knives. From its conception, the BMF was carefully researched and engineered to be the best survival knife available today.

This tough, heavy duty survival system is designed to withstand heavy use under the most extreme conditions. The 8-inch blade is ground from tough 1/4 inch thick high carbon surgical stainless steel, with Rockwell hardness of c54-55. We have purposely lowered the hardness several points to increase toughness. The chisel tooth saw is the result of countless experiments until we knew it was 'just right'. It is designed for aggressive cutting of wood and other materials. The blade and stainless steel guards and but cap are treated with a non-reflective finish. The butt cap is specifically designed to endure heavy pounding, and is firmly attached to the full length blade tang. The most unique feature of the BMF is its revolutionary handle of highly compressed DuPont Hypalon. Hypalon's semi-soft composition cushions the hand during heavy use, and provides a comfortable positive grip. Each BMF is hand-adjusted so that the point of balance is approximately at the front guard, which makes it comfortable to use, even during extended periods of heavy usage.

As much engineering and designed time went into the BMF sheath as the knife itself. Blackie Collins really 'did himself proud' on this one. This sheath is made from black, heavy-duty DuPont Cordura and reinforced to provide protection for both the blade and user. Loaded with features, the sheath is specifically designed as a superior alternative to the hollow handle for carrying life sustaining and support accessories. It is compact and without protrusions to snag on brush or other objects in the field. Engineered to be silent, there are no hard surfaces other than rivets. A pocket at the top the sheath holds a quality, liquid-filled, jeweled compass. Permanently attached to the back of the sheath is a fine grain diamond sharpening hone, which is protected by a nylon cover when not in use. A unique accessory strap on the front of the sheath allows a folding knife sheath, survival, or other equipment to be attached. ALICE clips allow the BMF to be attached to standard issue military battle dress and harnesses. The ALICE clips are removable so that the BMF can be worn on a conventional belt. The BMF can be tied down to the leg or lashed to other equipment with nylon cord supplied with each sheath. Dated 6/86.

The BMF was introduced in January 1986 and
discontinued around the end of 1998.

First year of production - This is the one you are getting. Serial #015320

Last production model which had a longer blade.

This page and website is copyrighted.
Copyright © 1999 - 2011 Cutler’s Cove Knife Emporium ™ All rights reserved.

Click here to learn how we graded the knives above?

Back to previous page

Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup By Name

SERIAL NUMBERS - Serial numbers make dating the Mark II knives a simple process. It is fortunate for collectors that Gerber decided to stamp Mark II blades with a serial number as this added an extra step in knife production and thus extra cost.

To my knowledge, no knives were intentionally produced without serial numbers. However knives can be found that have no serial number and some are totally unmarked, missing both a serial number and the Gerber logo.

Mark II prototypes and salesman's samples were all stamped with a 000000 (six zeros) serial number (See the XKCT knife under Prototypes). The number of these knives is unknown. Serial numbering of production knives started with a six digit serial number, 001001 in early 1967 and continued to serial 112000 at the end of 1981. Most of these knives have blades which are made of L6 tool steel.

I've only noted one knife in this range stamped with an 'S', S/N 096939S, which indicates that the blade is made of stainless steel. This is a roughly Aug. 1980 knife and is somewhat puzzling as supposedly Gerber switched to Stainless steel around December 1979 which would be around serial 085000.

Gerber Mark I Knife Serial Number Lookup

The very early serial numbers were inverted, i.e. stamped where the digits are read with the blade pointing down. I have records of three blades 001001, 001030 and 001049 stamped in this manner. Sometime after S/N 001049 and before S/N 001116 the serial number stamping was rotated 180 degrees (digits read with blade pointing up) and remained this way until the end of production. There is speculation that the early inverted serial numbers appear only on the first day of the Mark II's production. I have no idea why the change was made.

Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup Number

In 1982 an alphanumeric numbering system was used. The new serial numbering system started with serial A1001S and continued to at least N4121S, the highest serial number that I have encountered.

Gerber Knife Serial Number Lookup Us

Special order requests for knives with L6 tool steel blades were honored for a short period after the start of the new serial numbering scheme. These knives were denoted by stamping with a trailing 'T' for tool steel rather than the 'S' for stainless. The 'T' suffix...