The Pre-64 White Hunter is actually a fairly easy knife to find. Having said that, the first three model variations, the wood handle version and the Model 6384 White Hunter Allzweckmesser, in my opinion, are very rare. The Pre-64 White Hunter, introduced in 1956, was in production for eight years before the introduction of the Control No. This number, a.k.a. Production Code or Date Code was introduced in the 4th Quarter of 1964 to assist PUMA with quality control and product improvement processes. As production ramped up to meet domestic and export demand, thousands were produced over those years. For that reason these knives, over an eight year production period, are commonly found on sites such as eBay.
The White Hunter is the knife that made PUMA famous in the hunting knife market. It also earned them international recognition as a premier maker of quality production knives. This recognition spurred rapid growth in exports. A major portion of their market became the United States. Most collector quality White Hunters, including Pre-64’s, can be found here in the USA.
If you have ever been curious about how a White Hunter is made, here is a nice short video of the process. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rZ2qA7MH2o