Is this W.R Case & Sons knife legit?

[dhillbilly]

I am new to Case knives. I am mainly interested in pre-1920 items. This knife is probably in rougher shape than most collectors would be interested in, but I'm trying to learn before I commit to anything expensive. Hopefully with a few beat up examples, I can make a good choice on the nicer stuff. After reading thru this forum, it seems this hobby can be a bit risky.
I would appreciate your experienced opinions on this knife.
Thanks,
Darryl

[TripleF]

Welcome to AAPK!

I don't have that kinda knife knowledge, but she sure looks mighty fine!

[dhillbilly]

Thanks for the welcome.

[robinetn]

Your knife is authentic . A good find in any condition !

Bob

[dhillbilly]

Thanks Bob.

[dhillbilly]

Just bought the book by Steve Pfeiffer aka knifeaholic. Great book. Had to buy it for the Nook. Print copies seem to be scarce. There were pictures that look real similar to my knife. Time to get more educated.

[AREMINGTONSEDGE]

dhillbilly! You've come across a great knife forum with exceptional members. Great looking ol' knife sir! Rocky

[dhillbilly]

Thanks Rocky. Yeah you're right, this is a great forum. I've spent several hours over the past few days going thru old posts. Very educational. It has helped me spot obvious fakes on Ebay, but has also made me a little gun-shy on the nicer examples. I collect other vintage stuff like tools and random stuff, but I have always stayed away from things that were commonly faked or repro'd. I collect what I like and unfortunately i've taken a liking to the most faked brand on the planet

Thanks again guys for looking at my knife
Darryl

[Dragunski]

This is why I tend to avoid the Case brand. There are not only many fakes, there are legitimate reproductions which are doctored and sold as vintage. I have a few, of course, like any knife collector, but I've never bought a high-value vintage Case. I have bought a few Remingtons, although you need to be careful there, as well.

I also prefer the patterns of other makers, and I like very high quality well-made knives. When I was a kid, I thought Schrade was high quality, until I saw my first real New York Knife Hammer Brand. That was an eye-opener for me.

I also like Cattaraugus, which I think are less faked than Case, and probably better made. Old Empires are nice, too. The big ones, that you hardly ever see.

There are lots of fine old brands which are becoming quite rare. Case may be the best known to collectors today, but there are much better brands that are less common, and can be bought cheaper because less people know about them.

[dhillbilly]

Dragunski,
I definitely can see the wisdom in that. It is amazing the lengths they will go to to fake them. The skills they have could be put to better use. I also don't get the super "cleaning" thing. Every other area of collecting that is a major value killer. It automatically puts it at the lowest rated condition, if not ruined.
I may cross over into other brands as I learn more. My collecting is usually a balance of items being common enough to find information on them but obscure enough to be interesting. One of the things I collect is Plomb tools. Most people have never heard of the brand, but there is dedicated group of collectors out there. They were top of the line in the early years and well documented with catalogs and date codes. More than one Ebay seller has been pleasantly surprised when his box of rusty yard sale sockets started a bidding war.