Traditional knives have a particular look to them. One could say that any knife designed before 1980 without a pocket clip is a traditional knife. Traditional knife handles typically have natural materials such a jigged or smooth bone, stacked leather, Stag (Antler), Delrin or Celluoid (early plastics), or wood. Traditional folding pocketknives are often either slip joint (non-locking) or lockback knives (the release is on the back). They often have bolsters made of nickel silver, brass, or steel. Traditional fixed blades usually have a guard bolster between the user's hand and the blade, and often the knife would have a leather belt sheath. These are by no means hard and fast rules for Traditionals, but it gives you an idea of what many if not most traditional knives look like.
