Need some help on dates!

[Case XX 6383]

Someone who is more educated than myself help me out. I have always been a 83 whittler collector from the time I was 5 and dad carried a 9 dot 6383. Anyway i have a friend who likes 83s and asked me a question I cannot answer. What stag 83s are available in the early 90s. He got a xx 5383, then usa, then 1970. He wanted
80
90
2000
2010
2020.

But I told him I didn't think you could buy a 1980 5383, or a 1990. He noticed the 1990-93 had one tang stamp then 94 went back to dots. So someone explain this to me please, what happened and why to make the dates different. Also, what 5383 options then exist. Thanks in advance

[Mumbleypeg]

In 1990 Case discontinued the “dots” date code stamp scheme, and instead began stamping the actual year of manufacture on the tangs. I cannot tell you why they did that as I don’t know. Then, supposedly due to complaints from collectors who did not like the change, they reverted back to the previous dots scheme. I think the change back was in 1993, IIRC in mid-year.

That’s how I understand it anyway. Someone like knifeaholic or others may know more, or know better.

As for what patterns Case made in which years the best resource I know of is knifedb.com.

Ken

[rea1eye]

If you are asking what are some of the dates the 5383 was made, see below:
65
70
83
85
99
2000
2001
2004
2005
2006
2008
2009
2010

Bob

p.s. I have the 2004. Great knife.

[knifeaholic]

Case discontinued the 83 pattern as a standard catalog knife in 1979.

It was brought back with new tooling in 1999.

In the 80's a very few were made as part of limited SFO runs like the stag whittler set.