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.
Tom, thank you for posting your Case Bros Little Valley 02245. Like all of your knives, it is a humdinger! Thank you, too, for helping me find some of my knives. My recollection is that you have the same knife that I am showing this post.
Here are pictures of a WR Case & Sons 6345 P with red Winterbottom bone handles. All of the blades are stamped including the pattern number. It has been cleaned, but is in pretty good condition for its age.
Greg, Joe, Larry, and Roger thank you for looking and commenting on the previous post. Greg, I agree the red winterbottom bone is a really pretty handle material!
Here are pictures of a Case Tested XX 6345 green bone with a master spear blade and secondary spey and pen blades. I believe it is from early in the Tested era because all of the blades are stamped. It has very little, if any, indication of pocket wear or being used.
Thanks Greg. These pictures are of a Case Tested XX 6345 1/2 green bone with a master clip blade and secondary spey and pen blades. So it is the 1/2 (clip blade) version of the previous knife (same secondary blades; same bomb shield). All of the blades are stamped on this example. I believe this is an early Tested knife and maybe a transition knife from the Bradford era because the pen blade has the stamping "Case XX Tested" inside of the oval line as seen on some Bradford era knives.
The early Tested XX versions of the 45 pattern are very well made knives with nickel silver components, smooth operation, and strong blade snap.
HAKD and JerryD, thanks for looking and commenting.
HAKD, as I recall you picked up a nice Tested 45 in your fabulous display case full of old, discontinued Case patterns so you are off to a great start if you decide to add a few. You should be able to find 45's to collect if you watch eBay and hit a big knife show occasionally. There are 2 other Case patterns that are very similar in appearance to the 45. The 30 which is smaller than 45 and the 94 which is larger than 45. The 45 is far more prevalent than the 30 and 94. All three patterns are discontinued by Case. The variety in the 45 cattle pattern diminished in the Case XX era with one 6345 1/2 variation and a few smooth black variations. Supposedly there is a Case XX USA 6345 1/2, but I have never seen a knife or even picture of one.
JerryD, I've been collecting this pattern for a few years. Charlie and I exchanged a few emails quite some time ago when I found AAPK and this thread. I suspect Charlie has a number of fine examples in this pattern that he has not posted. The examples that Charlie has posted are extremely nice.
I feel mildly embarrassed that I have monopolized the thread. I hope others that have pictures can post them. After I posted the first few pictures I got the idea that it would be useful to create a reference resource for collectors interested in the 45 cattle pattern as well as a reference for old Case handle materials, blade configurations, shields, and tang stamps. I've got a few more posts to make that will finish the pictures and Case catalog information that I want to document for the 45 cattle pattern.
These pictures are meant to show the Case Tested XX 6345 1/2 green bone variation with a SHeepfoot secondary blade instead of a SPey secondary blade. It has been a challenge for me to locate an unaltered Tested SH variation. The comparison picture shows 2 examples that have some blade loss issues. I included a war-time example with a spey blade to help highlight the blade issues. The 2 SH knives also show pocket wear on the shield and handles. There is a close-up picture of the pen blades that makes it easier to see the affects on the blade. The stamps are different sizes on the knives (not an issue) and there is a close-up picture to show the difference.
Except for some minor scratches on the clip blade, the war-time knife is in original condition. It may seem counter intuitive, but in my opinion the condition of the stained knife is superior to the other 2 knives.
These pictures show a Case Tested XX 6345 1/2 Sp Pu in green bone with a Clip main blade and secondary Spey, and Punch blades. I believe it was made early in the Tested era because all blades are stamped and it has a bomb shield. The blades are full, however the shield and handles show evidence of pocket wear.
I have been fortunate enough to find another Case 45 Cattle knife to add to my collection. Here are pictures of a WR Case & Sons 06245 in with red Winterbottom bone handles. The Winterbottom on the 06245 is not quite as red as the Winterbottom on the 6345 that was posted earlier.
Jerry, that Winterbottom bone is outstanding. Just don't see many of those Case winterbottoms, and in that condition especially. Looks like you've added another fine specimen to your "cattle herd".
Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.
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Thanks all for the nice comments! Its been fun and educational for me to deep dive into this pattern.
Being a transplanted Texan, the cattle knife collection is my way of trying to address the "all hat and no cattle" comments I hear when I am walking around my local small town in my boots and hat.
I have managed to add more examples to my Case 45 collection. The knife below was obtained from Steve Knifeaholic in his AAPK store.
Pictures are of a Case XX 2345 1/2 with a factory original bail. If not for the bail this would be a reasonably common knife to find. The factory bail makes it a rare example. There is no pattern number stamped on this knife which I believe indicates it was made in the early 1940's at the beginning of the Case XX era.
Thank you, too, for helping me find some of my knives. My recollection is that you have the same knife that I am showing this post.
WOW! Jerry that's my favorite one you have shown so far. Just absolutely gorgeous! 
