Ron patented his famous tail lock folder in 1971, and he first showed it at the Guild Show in that year. The orders came fast and furious, and the rest is history. The first few knives had finger grooves and a clip blade, but that soon evolved into this knife, the Saddle Folder. This design lasted awhile, and this piece was made in late 1971 or early 1972. The next evolution in Ron's knives came with a design by A. G. Russel, and the Lake/Russel was born. Ron soon went back to his own design, the Saddle, but he made it in a smaller scale of 4/5 size. The 4/5 Saddle is likely the most recognizeable knife to collectors that has ever been made. Ron made all of his first knives in brass and Cocobolo, and this original large Saddle is the 59th ever made. As you can see in one of the pictures, this knife dwarfs his Sierra, now the largest knife he makes. It measures 8 1/4" open, 4 5/8" closed, and has a beautiful mirror polished 3 3/4" blade. This is a genuine collectors item that looks as if it was made yesterday. It is crisp, solid, and utterly flawless in every way. The fit and finish is equal to any knife that Ron has ever made, and I was astonished to find this knife outside of a museum. A true collectors gem from one of the only two makers to have knives in the Smithsonian Institution.