Produced in 1984. Should be famous for "Rambo". I found some information for you
In 1984, BUCK began to produce this kind of knife and provided the first batch of 2,600 Buck184s that year to the altitude troops as knives for testing and equipment. These knives are marked "BUCK, 184, U.S.A." on the blade near the guard. The sandblasted blade is brighter than later versions. Moreover, the compass that later became an accessory was installed in the handle in this batch of products. In fact, this design is not good, because when the handle of the knife is used as a hammer, the compass is easily effective. In the 1984 version, there is no "buck" mark on the scabbard.
In mid-1985, the Buck184 design was patented, and its mark became "BUCK, 184, U.S.A., PAT. PEND." And I chose a relatively large compass produced by Silva in Switzerland. The compass was also separated from the round cap of the handle and placed in the accessory bag. The scabbard is also marked "Buck" and "PAT. PEND." Buck Company produced 53,000 of these knives in 1985, but sales have declined since then.
In 1986, the mark on the knife changed to "BUCK, 184<, U.S.A., PAT. PEND." The serrations for cutting ropes were also introduced at this time, and the surface treatment process of the knife was also changed. In September 1986, the black Buck 184 (known as 184BK) was born. Except that the surface treatment was black oxide, 184BK was exactly the same as the previous product. In November 1986, Buck Company successfully obtained the patent. The patent number is U.S. Pat. #4622707. This patent number is affixed to the packaging box.
The Buck produced in 1987 had a different scene: a blood groove was added to the originally flat blade. The blood grooves on both sides are printed with the words "BUCKMASTER" and "184 U.S. Pat. 4622707" respectively. Since then, Buck184 no longer displays the year mark.
3. Postscript
Until the discontinuation of production in 1997, 110,000 Buck184***s of various types were produced. Since then, BuckMaster has launched onto the stage as the originator of survival knives. The survival knives currently on the market have more or less the shadow of Buck184, and some are even direct imitations.