Case & Case related knives over 100 years old

[jlw257]

Welcome KeenCut61 to AAPK, interesting knife you have. Someone will come along with the correct pattern. What is the over all length?

[gsmith7158]

Welcome to AAPK kleen kut. A very nice knife you have there. I'm not familiar with that pattern. Generally a jackknife would be a two bladed knife and one like yours would be identified as a stockman. I would love to hear more about your research.

[KleenCut61]

Thanks guys, 4 1/4 Inches long. with 3 3/4 inch Master , spear ? . First thing i did was have it Authenticated By Case , Other than that they havent any record of this particular knife , (All though ) I purchased the knife on line bought 2 months ago from a Auction house out of Arizona , Probably why the slight Shrinkage on Stags? The knife blades had been scotchbrighted to attract Buyers ?pre Auction , Any hoot i Polished them out , and there still Full , so i may have saved this one from and untimely demise, Sargent 7th listing is all i have to go by , I would sure like a Picture to go in his next addition , his book Notes the Pattern as unknown case and sons / Bone scales .. 3 blade , And 5395LP,Case bradford stag, Same size Different blade Configuration ?My Model is in the Middle Being its Undocumented W.R.Case & Sons Bradford . P. A. ERA.....Knife is very original being that i Inspected every nook and cranny , And still has Original patina insde , just Awsome..

[KleenCut61]

I agree Greg , I would like to Call it as i see it , Slim cattleman whittler you like That ?

[olderdogs1]

Thanks for posting.
I am interested in how Case authenticated the knife. Who were you able to talk to and who gave the nod as to its authenticity?

Tom

[olderdogs1]

Thanks guys, 4 1/4 Inches long. with 3 3/4 inch Master , spear ? . First thing i did was have it Authenticated By Case , Other than that they havent any record of this particular knife , (All though ) I purchased the knife on line bought 2 months ago from a Auction house out of Arizona , Probably why the slight Shrinkage on Stags? The knife blades had been scotchbrighted to attract Buyers ?pre Auction , Any hoot i Polished them out , and there still Full , so i may have saved this one from and untimely demise, Sargent 7th listing is all i have to go by , I would sure like a Picture to go in his next addition , his book Notes the Pattern as unknown case and sons / Bone scales .. 3 blade , And 5395LP,Case bradford stag, Same size Different blade Configuration ?My Model is in the Middle Being its Undocumented W.R.Case & Sons Bradford . P. A. ERA.....Knife is very original being that i Inspected every nook and cranny , And still has Original patina insde , just Awsome..

Does anyone know if Case will authenticate a knife ?
Thanks,
Tom

[jlw257]

Tom, I sent pictures to TF, and it's what I thought it was, a put together knife. Hope the guy didn't pay much.

[zp4ja]

Thanks guys, 4 1/4 Inches long. with 3 3/4 inch Master , spear ? . First thing i did was have it Authenticated By Case , Other than that they havent any record of this particular knife , (All though ) I purchased the knife on line bought 2 months ago from a Auction house out of Arizona , Probably why the slight Shrinkage on Stags? The knife blades had been scotchbrighted to attract Buyers ?pre Auction , Any hoot i Polished them out , and there still Full , so i may have saved this one from and untimely demise, Sargent 7th listing is all i have to go by , I would sure like a Picture to go in his next addition , his book Notes the Pattern as unknown case and sons / Bone scales .. 3 blade , And 5395LP,Case bradford stag, Same size Different blade Configuration ?My Model is in the Middle Being its Undocumented W.R.Case & Sons Bradford . P. A. ERA.....Knife is very original being that i Inspected every nook and cranny , And still has Original patina insde , just Awsome..

Does anyone know if Case will authenticate a knife ?
Thanks,
Tom

Not sure Tom. I can you tell this, I contacted CASE with questions and they referred me to the Historian. One time was on the fabled 1976' Cheetah which is a total sham based on my research and opinion. Shirley Bose whom was very knowledgeable (think that was her name) retired awhile back and the new historian while very nice, is pretty "green" knowledge-wise based on my interaction/ observation. Mainly referred to records which we all know CASE was not the best at keeping in the old days. Nothing personal against the new Historian, just how my interaction went. I personally would not consider that an authority for authentication of a knife at this point in time. My 2 cents.

Jerry

[zp4ja]

Tom, I sent pictures to TF, and it's what I thought it was, a put together knife. Hope the guy didn't pay much.

No expert here but unfortunately, I have to agree with that. Made me uneasy at first glance of that knife.
Welcome to the forum Kleencut! We hope you stick around.

Jerry

[olderdogs1]

Tom, I sent pictures to TF, and it's what I thought it was, a put together knife. Hope the guy didn't pay much.

I didn't like the stamps from what I could make out of the pictures. Had never heard of Case actually authenticating a knife.
I don't believe Jim Sargent will be writing any more books.
Dealing in old Case knives can be perilous and tenuous at best as most of us have experienced 1st hand.
I too hope Kleencut hangs around and posts more as that is how we all learn.

Tom

[KleenCut61]

My First Post sure did stir up the Pot ...lol Apparently the Case ( Zippo) Records are a little sketchy Pre 1920 - Which there PR Man ,( anonymos )Relaid to Me in an Inquire.. He had not seen anything like it . Though he did date it pre- 1920 , Thats all i No ,, If its an original and a 1 off . It does Happen ,,, who's to say , I am a new bie here and this site is prettty big , May be posted in wroug place , I see colume and said must go here. when in fact i Rushed the photos and ended Here .. I here what your saying Sir's , But i was hopeing for some justification along with your remarks .. he said she said , doesnt cut it . Please ! . Thank you .. Joe

[jlw257]

My First Post sure did stir up the Pot ...lol Apparently the Case ( Zippo) Records are a little sketchy Pre 1920 - Which there PR Man ,( anonymos )Relaid to Me in an Inquire.. He had not seen anything like it . Though he did date it pre- 1920 , Thats all i No ,, If its an original and a 1 off . It does Happen ,,, who's to say , I am a new bie here and this site is prettty big , May be posted in wroug place , I see colume and said must go here. when in fact i Rushed the photos and ended Here .. I here what your saying Sir's , But i was hopeing for some justification along with your remarks .. he said she said , doesnt cut it . Please ! . Thank you .. Joe

KleenCut61, I would like to apologize to you for calling the knife as I saw it. I've researched the knife in all my books, and called a friend about it and he couldn't find anything on it. Please stay around and show us some more.
You have a nice Stag Knife

[olderdogs1]

My First Post sure did stir up the Pot ...lol Apparently the Case ( Zippo) Records are a little sketchy Pre 1920 - Which there PR Man ,( anonymos )Relaid to Me in an Inquire.. He had not seen anything like it . Though he did date it pre- 1920 , Thats all i No ,, If its an original and a 1 off . It does Happen ,,, who's to say , I am a new bie here and this site is prettty big , May be posted in wroug place , I see colume and said must go here. when in fact i Rushed the photos and ended Here .. I here what your saying Sir's , But i was hopeing for some justification along with your remarks .. he said she said , doesnt cut it . Please ! . Thank you .. Joe

Joe,
I agree with you completely. You do need some justification. We have all been there at some time. I will try to address your concerns and will ask for some help if anyone sees anything I missed.
Your knife is not a recognized pattern, not in itself a big problem but leads one to look for other things.
Your knife does look old which a 100 year old knife is supposed to.
Your knife has very clear stamps which can be good if all else is correct , however the stamps on your knife look like cold stamps which means they have recently been stamped on the blades. A Hot stamp, which is what we would expect to see on a knife Of this vintage, would have letters that are for a better explanation very blocky and have squared corners.
You really have to look at thousands of stamps to see the difference. Admittedly it is hard to get detail on the stamps from the pictures. It is just what causes concern among the Case Collectors on this forum. I would love go be proven wrong but when Tony Foster weighs in things are definitely not in your knife's favor.
Jim Sargent s books are very good references. Jim has told me for several years now that he is not writing another book. I am just glad that he can still go to the shows with the rest if us. We enjoy having him there.
I hope this helps some but I am sure you still have doubts as I have been in your spot before. At any rate you will learn from this experience as we all continue to do.
Please let me know if you have any further concerns and I or someone knowledgeable on this forum will be glad to address any questions you gave.

Tom

[gsmith7158]

KleenKut61 no one on this site is here to tear anyone down but if you post a picture of a knife you are going to get a truthful and honest critique of your knife. There are people here who have handled and inspected 10s of thousands of old Case knives. If you weren't aware of it then you should know that pre 1920 case knives are one of the counterfeiters favorite knives simply because there is not a lot of documentation on them. And yours appears to be a reproduction of the 95 which is rare to say the least. The tang appear to be brand new as well as the blades, unlikely for a 110 year old knife and the stag handles look like they may have come from another knife.I've never stag shrink like that. If your going to collect Old Case knives you need to handle and compare as many as you can before you ever buy one. Everyone of us here has been burned by a counterfeiter on numerous occasions so don't feel like the lone ranger. We hope you won't take this as an aftront but will hang around and use the knowledge that you can gain here.

[RalphAlsip]

Joe, I am a collector, not a Case historian or appraiser so please keep that in mind as you read my comments . During my time as a collector I have acquired knives that have provided me with an opportunity for learning (lol).

As you mentioned. I believe your knife is meant to be a 95 pattern. My opinion is that it deviates from a factory issued 95. Here are a couple of observations that influence my opinion.

1. I believe the main blade should have a long pull nail nick. Also it is unusual in my experience to see a swedged blade with a regular pull nail nick.
2. I don't like the easy open cut out in the front handle because I don't believe the 95 frame was made this way. Also, if this were legitimate I would expect the blade to sit low enough in the frame so the nail nick would sit in the cut out.

I would be grateful to see a picture of the front of the knife with the main blade open.

It looks like some other folks also responded while I was typing.

[KleenCut61]

Straight forward and to the point gentlemen , Why i started collecting pockets 2 years ago .After reading You guys for past Couple years off and on , All of which tom said . I held my breath about . especially the Thin Stag !! I Will Pick up the On the Comunication Edicate in The near future . I will however be looking forward to a Bright sunny day to get More Photos , live And Lean.. I Appreciate you kind demeaner gentleman , looking forward to Next Time .. thank You Joe

[KleenCut61]

Magnificent Jerry , The pattern is fantastic , And The Case Quaility is Outstanding , I look for the same Pattern in there Modern version , But iam not particular to Bone ( Anything ) stag is What you can carry With confidence , truly outstanding .

[KleenCut61]

Tom: You have the finest knives , I Ever Laid Eye's On .. I can dream @ night Now Thanks For posting

[Blade Runner]

Jim Sargent s books are very good references. Jim has told me for several years now that he is not writing another book. I am just glad that he can still go to the shows with the rest if us. We enjoy having him there.
Tom[/quote]

I agree with you Tom and thanks for your observation regarding Jim Sargent, I agree with you that Jim's books are a great reference, probably the best available. Jim has also told me he will do no more books, and this time I think he means it. To me, Jim Sargent was and is the most knowledgeable man alive when it comes to older pocketknives, whether it be Case or another brand. I have long admired the way Jim looks at a knife, inside and out. We do enjoy having him at knife shows, not only because he is a walking encyclopedia, but also because he's a straight shooter. He's forgotten more about knives than I'll ever know. Please forgive the shifting of gears. Just felt led to expand a little on your nice comments about Jim. When it comes to an old knife, he is truly the man.
Take Care
Gary

[stockman]

Jim Sargent s books are very good references. Jim has told me for several years now that he is not writing another book. I am just glad that he can still go to the shows with the rest if us. We enjoy having him there.
Tom

I agree with you Tom and thanks for your observation regarding Jim Sargent, I agree with you that Jim's books are a great reference, probably the best available. Jim has also told me he will do no more books, and this time I think he means it. To me, Jim Sargent was and is the most knowledgeable man alive when it comes to older pocketknives, whether it be Case or another brand. I have long admired the way Jim looks at a knife, inside and out. We do enjoy having him at knife shows, not only because he is a walking encyclopedia, but also because he's a straight shooter. He's forgotten more about knives than I'll ever know. Please forgive the shifting of gears. Just felt led to expand a little on your nice comments about Jim. When it comes to an old knife, he is truly the man.
Take Care
Gary[/quote]

Well said Gary. I've known Jim for a number of years now. He has been a friend to me and helped in anyway I asked.
I have bought and sold to him and always felt good about the deals. A real Gentleman.

Harold

[btrwtr]

Thanks guys, 4 1/4 Inches long. with 3 3/4 inch Master , spear ? . First thing i did was have it Authenticated By Case , Other than that they havent any record of this particular knife , (All though ) I purchased the knife on line bought 2 months ago from a Auction house out of Arizona , Probably why the slight Shrinkage on Stags? The knife blades had been scotchbrighted to attract Buyers ?pre Auction , Any hoot i Polished them out , and there still Full , so i may have saved this one from and untimely demise, Sargent 7th listing is all i have to go by , I would sure like a Picture to go in his next addition , his book Notes the Pattern as unknown case and sons / Bone scales .. 3 blade , And 5395LP,Case bradford stag, Same size Different blade Configuration ?My Model is in the Middle Being its Undocumented W.R.Case & Sons Bradford . P. A. ERA.....Knife is very original being that i Inspected every nook and cranny , And still has Original patina insde , just Awsome..

Does anyone know if Case will authenticate a knife ?
Thanks,
Tom

I don't know if Case will or not but I wouldn't put any money behind a knife they authenticated unless I knew who had authenticated it and what their credentials for authenticating a knife are. Also what is the process of such an authentication? A phone call to someone with 4 years background in manufacturing new knives? I have seen a number of knives claimed to have been authenticated by Case that I would call poor quality fakes.

[olderdogs1]

Thanks guys, 4 1/4 Inches long. with 3 3/4 inch Master , spear ? . First thing i did was have it Authenticated By Case , Other than that they havent any record of this particular knife , (All though ) I purchased the knife on line bought 2 months ago from a Auction house out of Arizona , Probably why the slight Shrinkage on Stags? The knife blades had been scotchbrighted to attract Buyers ?pre Auction , Any hoot i Polished them out , and there still Full , so i may have saved this one from and untimely demise, Sargent 7th listing is all i have to go by , I would sure like a Picture to go in his next addition , his book Notes the Pattern as unknown case and sons / Bone scales .. 3 blade , And 5395LP,Case bradford stag, Same size Different blade Configuration ?My Model is in the Middle Being its Undocumented W.R.Case & Sons Bradford . P. A. ERA.....Knife is very original being that i Inspected every nook and cranny , And still has Original patina insde , just Awsome..

Does anyone know if Case will authenticate a knife ?
Thanks,
Tom

I don't know if Case will or not but I wouldn't put any money behind a knife they authenticated unless I knew who had authenticated it and what their credentials for authenticating a knife are. Also what is the process of such an authentication? A phone call to someone with 4 years background in manufacturing new knives? I have seen a number of knives claimed to have been authenticated by Case that I would call poor quality fakes.

I doubt that Case has anyone that has the knowledge to authenticate a knife. Plus it would be hard to do working on pictures even if they did. Best way would be to take it to a Case expert at a knife show or send it to them to examine. Even then it is not foolproof in my opinion, no substitute for handling thousands of knives so you know what the real thing looks like.JMO

Tom

[peanut740]

Tom,you are so right.

[Mumbleypeg]

Case's in-house historical experience and knowledge (folks like Shirley Boser, Bob Farquharson, Shine Jessup, Whitey Peterson, and others) have retired. Some are now deceased. We have some of their writings to go on as far as company history is concerned, but the hands-on knife knowledge just isn't there, nor can we expect it to be since the folks working for Case now just weren't around during the Tested, XX, or even XX USA eras.

We're left with knowledge of a few dealers and collectors, and thankful to have that. If you can get a Tony Foster or Jim Sargent opinion, take it to the bank. I'm reminded of the old C&W song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes".

Ken

[jlw257]

Ken, you are right. It is great having Jim and Tony to answer questions on old Case knives