Great Grandfather's Hand-Me-Down, NEED ID

[dj1103]

Help!

I received a knife that used to be my great grandfathers everyday carry knife, so it is worn and has seen plenty of wear. After cleaning it up a bit, I have discovered it has a Case knife stamping/logo with Little Valley NY rather than the Bradford PA stamping. I know this knife is old - he was a WWII vet and lived through WWI - so I can imagine the stories this knife could tell. However, I know NOTHING about these besides the high reputation Case knives carry. Can anybody help me with ID, manufacturing date ballpark, any info including what it is worth? No intent to sell, but need to know if this is a knife that can ve sharpened up ans sit out and be used now and then, or one that should go into the gun safe and be locked safely for generations to come. Please help!

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK. Case Brothers Little Valley N.Y. was in operation from 1896 - 1912. Following a fire which destroyed the Little Valley factory, they ultimately entered bankruptcy and ceased operations altogether in 1915. FWIW the Case company you referenced in Bradford PA was started in 1902 by the nephew of the owners of Case Brothers, and is still in operation in Bradford to this day. They were separate companies, and competitors while both were in operation.

The two-blade jack knife like yours was one of Case Brothers more popular patterns. Yours has what is called a “gimp” shield, and “match striker” pull. There were several similar patterns so to determine which is your pattern we need to know the closed length of the knife. Even then it may not be possible since very few catalogs or other documentation exist. Measure the knife and let us know its length. I’ll see if I can find it in my reference material, someone else here may know also.

Case Brothers knives are highly collectable. Value is difficult to determine because so few are sold from which to find comparable sales. Your best source of value is an advanced search of eBay sold listings of the same, or similar, items. As stated it will be difficult to find comparable sales of the exact same knife but Case Brothers knives do sell on eBay so you may be able to find a similar item from which to estimate value.

Thanks for showing the knife. It’s a wonderful heirloom and you’re fortunate to have it. There is a ton of info about Case Brothers and their knives in the archived pages here on AAPK. If you’re inclined to do a little research here, use the keyword search function found under Quicklinks on the upper left of your original post. A search for Case Brothers will find posts about them. Here’s one example. https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... =4&t=77308

Ken

[QTCut5]

...any info including what it is worth? No intent to sell, but need to know if this is a knife that can ve sharpened up ans sit out and be used now and then, or one that should go into the gun safe and be locked safely for generations to come. Please help!

Firstly, to AAPK and thanks for posting photos of your very cool old Case Bros. knife.

As you might expect, the value of a knife like that is highly subjective and pretty much everyone who looks at it will have their own opinion of what it's worth depending on a myriad of different criteria. For example, the fact that it's a family heirloom likely makes the value to you much higher than to the average vintage knife collector I would imagine, and it's impossible to put a dollar value on that. Additionally, the condition will obviously affect the "collector value", i.e., the fact that it has been used and sharpened as well as what appears to be a crack in the bone handle on the mark side near the pivot bolster.

Personally, if it were mine and I had gotten it passed down from my great grandfather, I would probably either store it in my safe or display it in a glass case to be looked at and admired (and rarely handled by anyone but me). But, that's just me and my collector mentality. I have no doubt others will suggest you use it as it was intended to be used. It really boils down to your own gut feeling. Either way, it's a beautiful piece that should be cherished along with the history and memories it carries.

Thanks again for showing it; that's what makes this site so enjoyable: sharing.

PS--Some folks also call that a "hot dog" shield

[herbva]

Congratulations dh1103. You have a beautiful and rare Case knife and a wonderful family heirloom. I can't add anything to what Ken and Q have already said. Whatever you do, don't do ANYTHING to that knife and keep it stored in a clean, safe, warm and dry environment!

[1967redrider]

Awesome HOK (honest old knife) and to AAPK!

[dj1103]

Welcome to AAPK. Case Brothers Little Valley N.Y. was in operation from 1896 - 1912. Following a fire which destroyed the Little Valley factory, they ultimately entered bankruptcy and ceased operations altogether in 1915. FWIW the Case company you referenced in Bradford PA was started in 1902 by the nephew of the owners of Case Brothers, and is still in operation in Bradford to this day. They were separate companies, and competitors while both were in operation.

The two-blade jack knife like yours was one of Case Brothers more popular patterns. Yours has what is called a “gimp” shield, and “match striker” pull. There were several similar patterns so to determine which is your pattern we need to know the closed length of the knife. Even then it may not be possible since very few catalogs or other documentation exist. Measure the knife and let us know its length. I’ll see if I can find it in my reference material, someone else here may know also.

Case Brothers knives are highly collectable. Value is difficult to determine because so few are sold from which to find comparable sales. Your best source of value is an advanced search of eBay sold listings of the same, or similar, items. As stated it will be difficult to find comparable sales of the exact same knife but Case Brothers knives do sell on eBay so you may be able to find a similar item from which to estimate value.

Thanks for showing the knife. It’s a wonderful heirloom and you’re fortunate to have it. There is a ton of info about Case Brothers and their knives in the archived pages here on AAPK. If you’re inclined to do a little research here, use the keyword search function found under Quicklinks on the upper left of your original post. A search for Case Brothers will find posts about them. Here’s one example. https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... =4&t=77308

Ken

Thank you all for the kind welcome, and for all of the initial info! Looks like the knife measures 4 1/2 inches closed. Longest blade measures 3 1/4 in, smaller blade is 2 1/2 in - if that helps at all. Incredible to know this knife is from the earliest parts of the 1900s. I've done a bunch of looking/researching the past few days to try and find even a photo of one with the same stamping/shield and other identifying features, but have had no luck. No real ballpark idea on value either, which is why I came here - I thought my one F150 forum was helpful, but man ypu guys really know your stuff here glancing through the pages and topics!

I think I am going to plan to just give it a good wipe down with an oily rag, clean up what I can with q-tips, give a light sharpening and call it a day. I think my great grandfather would be smiling knowing I have his knife and intend to still keep it around - even if it'll just be used to open junk mail

[Mumbleypeg]

With that added info I think I’ve found the knife in Sargent’s Premium Guide to Knives and Razors, 7th edition. He lists the pattern as “unknown”, meaning it wasn’t found in a catalog or other documentation available at the time.

Note that the estimated value given there is for a knife in mint condition. The generally accepted rule of thumb is simply sharpening or lightly carrying a knife reduces it by 50% from mint value. Yours is far from mint but due to rarity would still be valued by collectors.

IMHO your plan of simply maintaining its condition and putting it away for safe keeping is a good idea. You’ll of course want to show it off occasionally, so displaying it, especially to family members who will treasure it appropriately is recommended.

Thanks again for showing it to us!

Ken

[dj1103]

With that added info I think I’ve found the knife in Sargent’s Premium Guide to Knives and Razors, 7th edition. He lists the pattern as “unknown”, meaning it wasn’t found in a catalog or other documentation available at the time.
IMG_5630.jpeg

That sure looks exactly like it. How cool. Can't wait to share the history and info on this thing with family. Definitely a conversation piece for years to come, and a nice one at that. Man, if knives could talk...

Thanks again for your help and wealth of knowledge!