I was going to stay out of this question but here is my take after reading all these posts. Case bone handled knives before WW11 were "green bone" with some exceptions and there after "red bone" with some exceptions! I think I'll just call them "jig bone" and let the buyer call it what he wants to. I have dyed a lot of bone and antler material in the past 20 years and it's hard to duplicate any color even if the same dye is used, bone takes dye differently, and you end up with a variety of colors. I assume Case used one lot of dye for pre ww11 handles (maybe a green tinted color) and a new and "improved version" after that, that had more of a red tint? I believe it was the collectors that put the name "green bone" and "red bone " on them. I have been wondering about this for a long time, thanks for the post. Terry
I'm glad I raised this bone question because this has been an excellent discussion and I feel like I'm a lot smarter now. Here are my take-aways. Please chime in if you think my conclusions are wrong.
1) Red bone and green bone are terms that strictly speaking apply only to pre-1965 Case knives (though the terms are widely used by folks to describe later Case knives as well as knives from other makers).
2) The terms were not used by Case. Rather they were developed by collectors to describe two rather distinct bone colors associated with these earlier knives. Who coined the terms and when is lost to history.
3) The Tested era (roughly 1915 - 1940) is most associated with green bone, though red bone knives were also made. The XX era (roughly 1940 - 1964) is most associated with red bone, though some green bone knives were made as well.
4) Red bone knives certainly have a red color, though the color can vary quite a bit (e.g., orangish). Green bone knives are not really green in color though some may have an olive tint. Instead they cover a broad range of tans to browns. Why they got the "green bone" name is not clear.
5) The whole matter of color name is subjective, particularly when it comes to red bone. Green bone knives also vary widely in color but they generally aren't confused with red bone because they are distinctly different and seldom have a reddish color.
6) The color variations no doubt arise from variations in the dyes used and variations in the bones themselves. Case never set out to deliberately create red handled knives or green/brown handled knives.
7) Modern knives are often described using the red bone / green bone terms but strictly speaking the terms really don't apply to those knives. Experts and serious collectors reserve these terms for vintage Case knives.
Dennis - I agree that you have pretty well summarized the red bone versus green bone situation. This has been a fun thread to read though I did not contribute because I do not have any expertise in the field.
SolWarrior wrote:Ken: The way it's been discussed in many threads and used in descriptions on eBay, I was under the impression that green and red bone were official terms used by Case. I'm actually glad this wasn't the case. Thanks for the explanation.
Case does have official bone colors now, bur NEVER did in the "old days".
Steve Pfeiffer, author of Collecting Case Knives: Identification and Price Guide published by Krause Publications.
philco wrote:I'm amazed that the term "Pretty Bone" hasn't come up in this discussion thus far..............
I always thought "pretty bone" was a term that came from Tony Foster to describe bone that was not red necessarily but pretty nonetheless. Doesn't really matter, just what I always thought.
I realize that I am repeating much of what has already been said but here is my two cents on green and red bone knives as related to Case.
As far as Case marketing is concerned there was never any effort or intent to sell the XX stamped knives as either Red or Green bone. This said there was a distinct transition in the dying of the bone during the XX stamped knives from the earlier green to the later, not green, more red and brown colors. As far as I know Case did dye and jig their own bone handles and every phase of the process has variables. Density of bone, concentration of dye solution, time left in the process of the boiling etc. Given this there is no wonder that we see a vast array of color and hues in the of the bone handles.
The terms red bone and green bone as applied to Case knives originated in large with the interest of knives being bought as collectibles. Back when books dealing with Case collectible knives, such as Ferguson's "Romance of Collecting Case Knives" was printed in 1978, price guides differentiated between Green and Red bone XX stamped knives and placed a premium on these knives over regular bone handles.
The reason for a premium on Green bone is that XX stamped green bone knives are earlier production than the other and later colors found. Green is not necessarily true green in color but is distinctly different and easily determined in that it is the same bone as found on many Tested era knives. An earlier made knife equals more desirable and thus a premium pricing in the guides.
The reason for a premium price placed on Red bone handled knives is that early on in the Case knife collecting game collectors would pay more for the XX knives that had the true red color in the handles. I believe the pricing and designation of "red bone" in price guides was intended to describe knives that were Crayola red in color. You know, the kind of red that every first grade child recognizes as red and can readily point out. Not brown, reddish brown, mottled red, dark red and the like but true red in color. It seems through wishful thinking that now, as evidenced on eBay, any knife that is made by Case despite color or material used is being described as "red bone". I do not believe that this is the intent of price guides but it is what it is.
Whereas XX green bone is more a classification of a time, red bone is a classification of color. I believe that red bone is an anomaly of the dying process that randomly occurred in the XX and USA stamped knives.
A general rule is that bone handled Tested era knives are base priced as being green bone. In Tested stamped knives premiums are paid for harder to find bone such as Rogers or Winterbottom.
I have seen many USA era knives that I would consider true red bone. Conversely given the timeline of the transition from green to the not green bone XX knives I would question any red bone Tested era knife as being original.
If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
That's interesting Wayne. I know when I first started collecting knives one of my searches was "case red bone knives". This is a sad thing to admit but when I was a new collector a large part of my knowledge came from eBay. The studying pictures of knives and taking what the seller said in the title or description as fact. I have found since being on AAPK much of my prior knowledge was incorrect. I sell a few knives on aapk to generate income to buy more Remington knives and I find myself very deliberate in not give false information in my description thanks to many here.
Keith
In the end, I believe I will stick to my usual way of deciding on colors, by using my sight and common sense and not rely on common phrases suddenly coined by whomever, like green bone, red bone and pretty bone. It just keeps one grounded rather than chasing the latest catch phrase that if it is not off from the start it will eventually be manipulated by those who seek to profit from it. Rogers bone, Winterbottom, peach seed jigging and so on, are a whole other matter.
Great summary, Dennis. This thread was very helpful.
I can contribute a few pictures to this thread. These are my grandfather's knives. He called the first 2 "redbone" although some collectors argued with him saying they were not true redbone because they were not red enough. The 3rd is greenbone.
I was going to stay out of this question but here is my take after reading all these posts. Case bone handled knives before WW11 were "green bone" with some exceptions and there after "red bone" with some exceptions! I think I'll just call them "jig bone" and let the buyer call it what he wants to. I have dyed a lot of bone and antler material in the past 20 years and it's hard to duplicate any color even if the same dye is used, bone takes dye differently, and you end up with a variety of colors. I assume Case used one lot of dye for pre ww11 handles (maybe a green tinted color) and a new and "improved version" after that, that had more of a red tint? I believe it was the collectors that put the name "green bone" and "red bone " on them. I have been wondering about this for a long time, thanks for the post. 
Terry
good job, Terry 
Thanks for the explanation. 
