Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

The W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company has a very rich history that began in 1889 when William Russell (“W.R.”), Jean, John, and Andrew Case began fashioning their knives and selling them along a wagon trail in upstate New York. The company has produced countless treasures and it continues to do so as one of the most collected brands in the world.
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whitman75
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Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:55 pm

Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by whitman75 »

Just my latest pickup the tang is stamped case XX over the Usa so I was able to figure out it was made from 1965-69. Does anyone know the model name? The back of the blade there was a number but tough to make out looks like it starts with a 31---. If you have any info please share..Thanks.
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robinetn
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Re: Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by robinetn »

It is a 31048 known as a slim trapper (among other names) .

Bob
gino
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Re: Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by gino »

I agree with Bob and I call it a slim trapper but I think back in the day Case used to call them farmers knives?
-( life is too short to carry a cheap knife )-
robinetn
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Re: Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by robinetn »

gino wrote:I agree with Bob and I call it a slim trapper but I think back in the day Case used to call them farmers knives?
You're right gino . They were also called a "dixie switch" as some users would work on the backspring to make it a "quick opener" .

Bob
knifeaholic
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Re: Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by knifeaholic »

gino wrote:I agree with Bob and I call it a slim trapper but I think back in the day Case used to call them farmers knives?
That was never an "official" name like Case uses today. Ther term "farmer's knife" for the 48 pattern originated in the 1967 catalog, where Case started to put collector and user nicknames for some of the knives. This was to indicate what nicknames collectors had put on the knives (like the elephant toe nail and canoe) or to indicate what the common uses for the pattern were (electrician's, stockman's, etc).

For the single blade 048 pattern there was the notation

Stockman's
Truck Farmer's
Sportsman's
Steve Pfeiffer, author of Collecting Case Knives: Identification and Price Guide published by Krause Publications.
Bill-in-Texas
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Re: Vintage Case XX folding single blade please help I.D.

Post by Bill-in-Texas »

robinetn wrote:
gino wrote:I agree with Bob and I call it a slim trapper but I think back in the day Case used to call them farmers knives?
You're right gino . They were also called a "dixie switch" as some users would work on the backspring to make it a "quick opener" .

Bob
I know this thread is not very recent. But, if I may ask, does anyone here "work on the backsprings" of folders to make them easier to open?

I have a four-blade Congress knife that is so tough on my fingernails to open, I don't even enjoy getting it out of my knife drawer. :( It's nothing special but, I would like to have the springs weakened, if it's not cost-prohibitive.

Thanks, Bill
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