Anyone here who knows more about Tom Kuhn No Jives (is Ed Haponik still on the forums?) who is hip to the lore, what is the difference, chronologically, between these two?
Brown box No Jive (50.7 g) has sort of brown print engraving and “patent pending” on box. Green box (53.2 g) has black engraving, “the one and only” on box, which seems more like the other No Jives i have seen before.
IS there a difference in when/how/materials with these? Just looking for history, mostly; not trying to sell or get dollar valuations. Any info you have on these TK No Jives would help though!
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@chrismacg - in addition to @edhaponik, Chris is also a huge No Jive collector and has lots of knowledge of history. You may also want to checkout the Tom Kuhn Discord Group.
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The brown box were the first, printed before the patent was granted, so 1977-79ish and then the green, red, and blue were used afterward throughout the 80s/early 90s. Assuming they each came from their respective boxes originally, there would be no real difference between the materials or construction. However, by the mid 80s, some production was shifting from Tom’s workshop to Brad Countryman on the east coast. The color boxes were still in use until the mid 90’s I believe wen they shifted to the smaller clear boxes.
It’s common to see pretty significant differences between one No Jive and another, even from the same era and certainly from different runs within those eras. 
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Those are both fantastic No Jives.
IS there a difference in when/how/materials with these?
The main difference between the models is when they were made. I would estimate the difference is at most six years. They are both made of maple, and the visual differences between the two are mostly related to the differences in the initial wood used. The differences in weight and color have more to do with the maple than the manufacturing process.
As @edhaponik noted, the Brown box is from the first run of boxes that Tom Kuhn Custom Yo-Yos made. Prior to the arrival of this box (I believe this box was first available in early 1980) Tom Kuhns were usually sold in velour bags. The Brown “Patent Pending” box was usually reserved for standard No Jives and was available from the company through around 1987 when the Green and Purple boxes became more common. There is a Brown box with the patent number that generally was used for the laser carved No Jives.
The No Jive photographed with the box looks like a pretty early No Jive, probably from the mid-80s and most likely made before Brad started producing No Jive halves. I do not think that it’s earlier than 1982 because of the hex nut. The hex nut changed from a smooth surface to one with a point in the center around 1983. No Jives from this transitional period generally feature a ‘ring’ around the hex nut. This yo-yo has the dimpled version of the nut and no ring. The color of the maple has also aged nicely which indicates again that it’s from the mid-80s. I’d say this No Jive was made in 1985 to 1986. I could tell you more about the specific date of the No Jive if I were able to handle it. My book on Tom Kuhns will have information on how to ‘date’ a No Jive in it.
The Green box and the Purple box seems to have appeared around the same timeframe; probably around the company’s 10th anniversary in 1987. Some versions of the Green and Purple boxes have a silver foil inside, which I believe were used for the Diamond Specials. The Green and Purple white-inside yardstick boxes are pretty common and were available into the early 90s. They were followed by the red yardstick boxes and then finally the blue or green boxes with the pegboard hook.
The No Jive you have in the photos with the green box looks like an early model made by Brad Countryman’s company. Probably made around 1990. It looks unplayed and in great shape!
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Thank you guys so much for the detailed information! Bought both of these second hand a while back after my newer No Jive got stolen by a kid i work with—ended up each being about same cost as the original $45 spent on the newer one, so really glad to have more knowledge about TK history with these.
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