Found another way to tell the datae

[TinyDee]

Okay, it all started withe I bought a very nice Trepper and claimed to be a USA but you could not see the entire bottom of he blade at the stamp. But it was a nice knife and I took it. I discovered something I did not know. At some point I think in the seventies Case moved the pattern number from the main blade to the secondary blade. If you look at a bottom X, you will see the pattern on the same blade as the stamp and also all the way to a 10 dot. Which would includes the USA knives. I think this is accurate but do not know just when the change took place. Anyone else see this?

[knifeaholic]

Okay, it all started withe I bought a very nice Trepper and claimed to be a USA but you could not see the entire bottom of he blade at the stamp. But it was a nice knife and I took it. I discovered something I did not know. At some point I think in the seventies Case moved the pattern number from the main blade to the secondary blade. If you look at a bottom X, you will see the pattern on the same blade as the stamp and also all the way to a 10 dot. Which would includes the USA knives. I think this is accurate but do not know just when the change took place. Anyone else see this?

Stainless steel trappers had the pattern number on the spay blade starting in the USA era (though not all of them did).

On the regular CV knives, I think that change was made in 1978 give or take a bit maybe some time in 1977. Case made some changes in their blade blanking and marking processes at that time.