A Case with two different tang stamps

[CarlM]

Did Case really make knives like this?
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 6632447028

[stockman]

Carl I have heard of transition knives in this pattern, but I don't think this is one the two dot tang stamp does not look right. The spacing and the slant of the letters and even the dots look wrong to me.


Stockman

[jonet143]

i too, have heard of a transition in this pattern, but a 78 blade in an 81 knife? and look at the bone around the center pin.

[CarlM]

The 78 stamp just doesn't look right to me. And the pins don't seem to match. I figured someone might have replaced a blade.

[knifeaholic]

The knife looks right to me...I'm not sure what problem you are seeing with the pins?

[olderdogs1]

Not being a case expert I may be out of line but I'm not charging anybody so here goes. Could this be a knife that Parker put together out of leftover parts when he owned Case? He was good at it with the bulldogs. I remember one article he wrote complaining about how many Tested blades the previous owners had buried.

[jonet143]

he did'nt own case in 1981.

[olderdogs1]

I knew that, not until 1988 or 89, but I have a lot of bulldogs made in 1991 with 1983 blades. So the knife wouldn't have to have been made in 1981 to have the older blades. Like I said, probably didn't happen, just a remote possibility.

[stockman]

I read Knifeaholic take on this knife, and I have noticed that he is usually right. This made me go back and look at the knife, I compared it to some knives that I have with the 70'S dot tang stamp, this knives stamp still does not look right to me.



Stockman

[knifeaholic]

I read Knifeaholic take on this knife, and I have noticed that he is usually right. This made me go back and look at the knife, I compared it to some knives that I have with the 70'S dot tang stamp, this knives stamp still does not look right to me.



Stockman

Maybe you can post a pic of what the 2 dot stamp should look like on a 64052, and point out the differences. Remeber the tang stamps could vary a little bit in appearance depending on the knife pattern and on the size of the tang.

Ask yourself this question - if someone is going to go to the trouble creating a counterfeit by restamping a knife, why would they do a 2 dot and not a XX or Tested? If this is a fake, what did the counterfeiter start with and why did they fake it this way?

These are the kinds of questions that I ask myself when "reading" a knife. If it is a phony, then what was the counterfeiter's logic in faking the knife? And what was the knife faked out of? For example, a lot of counterfeiters used to take 70's era Case knives, polish off the tang stamps, restamp them CASE XX or CASE TESTED, and rehandle them, usually in stag or pearl.

For this 64052, if it is a fake, what did it start out as? Case discontinued the pattern in 1980 or 81, then brought it back much later and using tooling that was much changed. So it must have started as a pre-81 knife, bit why would someone go to the trouble of altering say a one dot into a two dot?

[knifeswapper]

Looks good. Matter of fact I remember having a congress exactly like that. Always thought it was interesting going from 78 to 81, must have not made a lot of congress patterns in 79-80 to still have the blades laying around.

Case knives have a life of their own; that is why I always enjoy buffing up an old worker and sending him back out into the world.

[stockman]

Knifeaholic, you thoughts are probably right on this knife. I did not have this exact knife I was useing 70's dot knives of other patterns. You are right in the idea of why would anybody fake this knife. I do know that they were produced as transitions, I have looked again at the knife and still don't like the stamp, but it is probably ok.

Thanks for the good lesson, I like your comments
Stockman

[CarlM]

Thanks, knifeaholic..for the knife lesson. I didn't know they used different year tang stamps. I have learned so much in this forum in the last few months. I guess I am going to be an "Old" newby for a long time

[knifeaholic]

So called "transition" knives only happen on a few patterns - the few that have the logo stamp on two blades. The only ones that I know of are the 4 blade congress patterns, the Fly Fisherman, and the Hawbaker muskrats.

Usually you will see only a years difference like 3 to 4 dot. I have seen some odd ones like 8 to 10 dot and 5 to 2 dot. Maybe they just found boxes of previously blanked blades, who knows....

I am not sure that transition knives should bring big $$, since blade swapping is so simple...for example if USA to 10 dot transition knives are valuable then a knife mechanic could start with one 10 dot and one USA and swap two blades and then have two "transition" knives.

[HickoryNut]

I have a few Case transitions, I have a super sweet 4 blade congress 1979-1980 one dot and ten dot. It has awsome appaloosa bone scales and has never been used.

That knife just looks like a regular Case XX transition to me, stamps look fine. You gotta remember, you are looking at a stamp magnified about 6-7 times. its gonna have some boogers in it that you would normaly never see, they all do.

[Blade Runner]

Logic can pretty well rule out this knife being fake in this instance for reasons already mentioned by others. One other possibility would be a replaced blade, which I don't believe either, because that would be to make two fake knives or replacing the blade on a user. Since the knife don't look used and since it wouldn't bring enough money to be worth a counterfeiter's time what would be the point? If on the other hand this knife was say a XX to USA transition, I would definitely not trust a fuzzy image to confirm authenticity. All logo transitions are suspect to begin with IMO because they are so lucrative to a counterfeiter. Too much can be missed in a picture, like multiple kick marks on a back spring down inside the knife, or a ragged bolster pin or a repaired handle(some of these handle repairs are so good they are hard to see with a loupe). I guess thats why I only buy from people I know on Ebay. Call me picky, but as you all know it is the minute details we are on the look out for miss one and the game is over.
Blade Runner

[CarlM]

This one is sure out of my leage.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Case-xx-5488-Second ... dZViewItem

So called "transition" knives only happen on a few patterns - the few that have the logo stamp on two blades. The only ones that I know of are the 4 blade congress patterns, the Fly Fisherman, and the Hawbaker muskrats.

Usually you will see only a years difference like 3 to 4 dot. I have seen some odd ones like 8 to 10 dot and 5 to 2 dot. Maybe they just found boxes of previously blanked blades, who knows....

I am not sure that transition knives should bring big $$, since blade swapping is so simple...for example if USA to 10 dot transition knives are valuable then a knife mechanic could start with one 10 dot and one USA and swap two blades and then have two "transition" knives.