Case Tested stag whittler?

[Mumbleypeg]

What's the expert analysis of this one? http://www.ebay.com/itm/CASE-TESTED-XX- ... SwL7VWhtOc

Ken

[RalphAlsip]

I'll be "captain caveat" before I express my opinion and say that I don't pay much attention to the 83 pattern so my opinion is not based on any hands on experience.

I don't see anything obviously wrong with this knife, but I tend to be fall on the don't like it side of the spectrum. Here are some items that bother me:

1. Stag looks wrong to me for a Tested era knife, especially the back handle. My eye is more accustomed to a color tint more toward yellow. The stag seems just a little thick to my eye. The prominence of the grooves in the stag also looks out of character to me on Tested era stag.

2. The main blade edge being such a straight line from the tang to the tip of the blade looks off to me, I would expect more of a curve up to the tip of the blade.

3. The shield side bolster pin showing on the main blade bothers me more than usual with the handles and the main blade also looking off to my eye.

I am quite interested to hear what others think.

[MrBlister]

both clip blades are wrong...
and het....
very few 100 yr old knives shine like new..

fake as obamas diploma

HET

[RalphAlsip]

Here is a link to another eBay listing for a Tested 5383. The stag is comparable so my comments about the stag on the original post knife appear misplaced. Y overall opinion is unchanged.

I don't know how to include a picture from my iPad.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231853190603?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

[btrwtr]

Looks a bit like a Frankenkinrfe to me. That master has gone through some changes (heavily used, cleaned and reshaped) and the pen and small clip look like they could have just walked out of a USA stamp.

Wayne

[Mumbleypeg]

Thanks for the responses. Ya'll are good! I'm no expert but it also looks like a Frankenknife to me. Being shiney is concerning but not so unusual for a knife that's been "professionally cleaned" like a lot of eBay knives claim to be. The frame and the stag handles may be from a XX era 5383. The shield looks like maybe the open C, tall S variety that was used mostly on XX knives, but also on some Tested knives. The thing that really stands out to me is the master blade isn't right for the 83 pattern. In addition to being reshaped, it has an offset/swedge on the pile side that I've never seen on an 83 pattern. The master blade may be an honest Case Tested blade, but from a different knife (not a whittler) which might also explain the re-shaping. Typically see this swedge on a pattern where the master is offset to allow a blade from the opposite end to clear when closing. In summary, a XX (or maybe later) knife with Frankenblades.

What do you think?

Ken