Old Aluminum handle knife ID

[Another Knife Collector]

This knife has a tang stamp and pattern numbers, but both are mostly illegible. I know Remington made knives with aluminum handles like this, but this has a clearly different marking. The handles fit well and do not show any signs of being replacements. The stamp looks something like REDBIFFA? (the Fs may be Es and etc...), the second line looks like ??? CO. There seems to be a space between the D and B. The pattern looks like ?1048. Pretty hard to determine but maybe someone can fit the pieces together and find what it is. Thank you.

[muskrat man]

well 1048 was a case's apttern number for a single bladed slimline trapper, but that don't look like any case marking I've seen on the front tang. I'd say if the handles were replaced they were done quite well, maybe someone else can help some more.

[Another Knife Collector]

Muskratman, thats an interesting thing, i never bothered to check Case pattern numbers, thanks for your help. Heres a picture of the pattern numbers, like I said the first digit can't be made out, but the rest is definately 1048. I'm not certain if the handles are original now, the front stamp is still a mystery, and now a possible Case connection, still lots to figure out.

[BIGHEAD]

Could it be an M ? the first letter that is. Case used an M in front for their metal handles.

[gringo]

i have a two blade slimline trapper...62048...while the shape of the case is similar to this knife, the blade is not even close after inspection...the nail pull on the case knife is short, this knife is long, ending just about where case began the pull...the metal scales have two pins not seen on the case knife...
also, the runup on the blade is larger on the case...

[muskrat man]

ah, but tested and pre 1920 knives had a long pull

[gringo]

lol..i knew i should have kept quiet.

[Another Knife Collector]

Well I got part of the puzzle solved on this one and thought I ought to post what I found. The front tang is marked "Fred Biffar Chicago" probably a retail according to Goins from c1917-1922. Still doesn't solve the pattern number's meaning or who made it for sure (I think I'd be assuming too much from a hard to read pattern number to say it's a Case, without having one to compare it to), but it's a start. Thanks for everyone's help so far.

[knife-nut]

I don't recall ever seeing an aluminum handle with nickle silver bolsters. Usually aluminum handles are shadow pattern. I think the handles are replacements. IMO.

[knifeaholic]

Fred Biffard was a novelty comapny in Chicago. I have seen their knives with fancy celluloid handles. This one probably had celluloid which deteriorated and was replaced by someone with aluminum...actually a lot of knife tinkerers in the past used aluminum to replace missing handle scales.

The examples that I have seen were most likely made by UTICA not Case (Case did very little contract work, a little bit but almost none as compared to companies like ULSTER, UTICA, and CAMILLUS).

I have several celluloid handle slim trappers similar to that one that are marked HARRIS BROTHERS CHICAGO.

[redferd]

When I was a young kid my father replaced a broken jigged scale with an aluminum scale he made from scrap aluminum. I did not like that knife so he used it for awhile before finding his long lost Barlow pocket knife. I had thrown the knife to someone to catch and they didn't catch it and it broke the scale on the Pal stockman. It worked fine but looked ugly to me so I would not carry it. LOL. I was a particular dude back then. This one pictured reminded me of that old stockman.