I’m not sure this fits here but Tom Kuhn gets a shoutout from the Yoyo Man for his custom yoyos.
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Any information on the differences between these two?
I’m guessing the one on the right is the first run and that’s why it hasn’t got the back stamp. It’s super glossy and the signature is underneath the finish. I don’t know if you can tell from the photo but the one on the left is a matte finish.
The stamp also looks black on the glossy and red on the matte. Is that a stamp or laser?
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I have the exact same pair as you, with the same variations. One signed and more glossy, and one double-sided and more of a natural finish. I believe that the one-sided variation was created for Tom to autograph, possibly for a yo-yo event in the Bay Area in 2002. It is the less common of the two, and with Tom’s signature I am sure it is worth more. One thing to note; the signature on mine is on the gloss finish, not under it.
As for the darkens of the stamp, I’ve been looking into this for my book on Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos. This type of stamp is heat pressed into the yo-yo, not laser engraved. A similar process was used on the Beginners and Original yo-yos. The ‘color’ of the stamp has to do with multiple factors; the heat, the wood, and the pressure.
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Thanks for sharing this info Chris - mine is a blank back, medium dark stamp. Sadly, no personal signature.
Many of the BC-era regular woody’s all had light/partial stamps - the one I have in a Hummingbird box is nice and dark. I wonder if the “brand” that was being used was getting worn out by then.
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I am looking for photos of old No Jive cardstock boxes with price stickers on them, especially price stickers that also have a date. I am working on dating the release of the different colored cardstock boxes (and a chronological list of variations to the No Jive 3-in-1 yo-yo) and boxes with dated price stickers are very helpful. If you have one, please snap a photo and send it my way!
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Hi, Stephen! I hope the silver SB-2 I sent you last year is holding up well. 
It’s a little late, but the proper name for that blue/green colorway is “Gamma Ray.” Here’s mine from 1999:
I really like how the anodization looks like watercolor paint on them.
It’s the only anodized TK that I have, though I’d love to get a Tortoise Shell SB-2 some day.
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That is a wonderment! I would love to see the tortoiseshell one. The silver is fine. I have too many yoyos. I just discovered a mobile gamer that I have two of in the samecolor. I seem to have lost my marbles and have moved on to loosing my yoyos!
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I found a tortoiseshell from '92 in my local used comic/toy shop. Snatched it up real quick.
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i have a beautiful tom cat if you’re interested
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