A Real CaseXX Price Guide

[comfixr]

Is there a real Case XX price guide that exists? Im talking about that has prices for knives that were made 30 years ago or more. When I search Amazon I came up with one book & it was a joke as far as having prices. This site, trying to look up a knife is a joke. Im looking for an actual book or guide that I can put in my hand & look up the value of a Case knife.

[treefarmer]

Need a point of clarification there, Mr. comfixr, are you saying this site, AAPK is a joke?
Treefarmer

[1967redrider]

to AAPK! As far as what a knife is worth, the best price guide is doing an eBay completed listing search-

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=Ca ... 1&_ipg=200

After all, where are seller's most likely to sell their knives? Hope this helps!

[Mumbleypeg]

If you’re looking for a published price guide, they’re all out of date before they come off the printing press. The more time that goes by after that the more out of date they become. They are good however for relative values of one knife pattern and date versus another. In other words if the guide says 6383 Whittlers are worth 3X the value of a 6333, twenty years later it’s still probably worth 3X more. But whatever “X” is has undoubtedly changed multiple times over that 20 years.

Values fluctuate with the economy, with changes in popularity of various patterns with collectors, and in some cases from region to region.. Expecting to find a guide that has “current” values is unrealistic. Sold listings on eBay are the best guide you’ll find. I “watch” a lot of auctions on eBay, especially of knives in which I’m interested and have in my collection, just to keep up with changing values. Stuff just doesn’t usually sell for “book” values even though many eBay sellers like to reference the value from some “book” in their descriptions.

There is a price guide here on AAPK (see the top right corner of this page, “Price Guides”). I never use it because it, like all others, is out of date. Not sure if that’s what you’re referring to as a “joke”. If so I’d agree with you but it’s not more of a joke than any other guide. The most recent price guide to Case knives I’m aware of is Collecting Case Knives by Steve Pfeiffer. I’m not aware of many guides having values for 30 year old (1990) knives. Most stop at 1970’s.

Sorry that’s not the easy answer you probably want, but that’s my view from 50+ years of collecting Case and other brands.

Ken

[espn77]

Can also try to get Toni Foster to send you his price guide.

[comfixr]

Need a point of clarification there, Mr. comfixr, are you saying this site, AAPK is a joke?
Treefarmer

No not the site itself is a joke but the sites price guide is definitely a laugh out loud. Example, I was curious about this 91 Large Congress I have. The only thing this price guide would pull up is a 6488 from 19 whatever til 1982 i think. That I believe 8 out 10 times was a little overkill for the wrong years. Then the last 2 times it pulled up 1991 Antique Green Bone with bombshell shield valued at 575 or something like that.... Lol by this time I was to frustrated to remember. Oh & since thats the only Large Congress in shows for 1991 Does this mean thats the only type of large congress they made that year & that my knife is the exotic rarety?

[comfixr]

If you’re looking for a published price guide, they’re all out of date before they come off the printing press. The more time that goes by after that the more out of date they become. They are good however for relative values of one knife pattern and date versus another. In other words if the guide says 6383 Whittlers are worth 3X the value of a 6333, twenty years later it’s still probably worth 3X more. But whatever “X” is has undoubtedly changed multiple times over that 20 years.

Values fluctuate with the economy, with changes in popularity of various patterns with collectors, and in some cases from region to region.. Expecting to find a guide that has “current” values is unrealistic. Sold listings on eBay are the best guide you’ll find. I “watch” a lot of auctions on eBay, especially of knives in which I’m interested and have in my collection, just to keep up with changing values. Stuff just doesn’t usually sell for “book” values even though many eBay sellers like to reference the value from some “book” in their descriptions.

There is a price guide here on AAPK (see the top right corner of this page, “Price Guides”). I never use it because it, like all others, is out of date. Not sure if that’s what you’re referring to as a “joke”. If so I’d agree with you but it’s not more of a joke than any other guide. The most recent price guide to Case knives I’m aware of is Collecting Case Knives by Steve Pfeiffer. I’m not aware of many guides having values for 30 year old (1990) knives. Most stop at 1970’s.

Sorry that’s not the easy answer you probably want, but that’s my view from 50+ years of collecting Case and other brands.

Ken

Why do you think they stopped at the 70s with prices? The knife business is as big if not bigger now than its ever been? 90s is antique now.

[treefarmer]

The "Case book" by Mr. Pfeiffer states the 88 pattern was discontinued in 1978. The last comment in this 1st addition of the book says concerning "newer variations: The 6488 "congress" pattern was reintroduced by Case in recent years. It has been made in a wide variety of bone-handle variations and with stainless steel blades. There might be additional in formation in his 2nd addition of "Collecting Case Knives". The 88 pattern is mentioned fairly often on the forum. Go to the search under quick links for results.
Glad your not disgruntled with AAPK!
Treefarmer

[Mumbleypeg]

Why do you think they stopped at the 70s with prices? The knife business is as big if not bigger now than its ever been? 90s is antique now.

I don’t know for sure why, but I’ll speculate there are several reasons. After that time period is when Case started producing myriad handle varieties and colors. You can get most patterns from the 90’s and on to present day in green, red, brown, yellow, blue, and even purple, to name just a few. And in multiple different bone jigging styles, various handle cover materials, commemoratives, limited edition serialized runs, SFOs, and so on. Instead of any one pattern being produced in just one to maybe four or five different handle materials, as was typically the case prior to the late 1970’s. Just trying to produce a listing of all that would seem to me an impossible task. Let alone trying to research and set values for each.

The advent of internet online auction sites provides a relatively easy and quick “price guide”. With a smart phone you have that price guide with you all the time pretty much regardless where you are. It’s hard to sell a price guide book when most of those knives, or ones similar to them, can be found using a “sold listings” search of an online site. What better guide than seeing results of actual sales?

Lastly, in my experience most of the knives from the post-1970’s have not appreciated much if any in value, when adjusted for inflation. What the newly made versions sell for today is about the same (or maybe more) as a 30 year old version of the same pattern. There are exceptions of course. Whether one considers the 90’s antique depends on your age and perspective.

Just my observations. Others may have different opinions.

Ken

[msteele6]

I can't recall ever hearing of a Case '91 pattern congress. There is a Camillus 91 congress pattern.

[comfixr]

I can't recall ever hearing of a Case '91 pattern congress. There is a Camillus 91 congress pattern.

This is where my problem lies. Everything I've read about this particular year there shouldn't be many at all, but like all else I cant get confirmation. This is a 91 not sure if its a Antique Greenbone, or what but if you look closely at the right bolster its serial # 038 which tells me theres more than 22 made lol. Just not sure of anything else about it.

[comfixr]

I thought you guys would get a kick out this clunker.

[treefarmer]

These 88s are something I understand to be a popular pattern to counterfeit. What I see are different years on the two blades. I don’t know enough to say the word “cobbled” or factory error.
Treefarmer

[Mumbleypeg]

TF, that’s called a “transition” knife. A few Case patterns have two master blades. On those patterns when the year stamp changes, a few knives typically get made having one master blade from one year and one from the next. Case uses up the blades from last year but they don’t often come out even, so on some the other master is from the next year. It’s not as uncommon now that Case changes the date stamps annually as every year there are a few made like that. These anomalies are sought after by some collectors.

The more rare ones are those that have a XX blade and a U.S.A. blade (1964/1965 transition) or a U.S.A. blade and a dotted blade (1969/1970 transition). I’ve even seen a Hawbaker Specials having a long sheepfoot (Hawbaker) blade that was two or three years older than the Turkish clip. Apparently they ran off enough Hawbaker blades to last several years but the clip blades are the same as the standard Muskrat so they use them faster.

Ken

[comfixr]

These 88s are something I understand to be a popular pattern to counterfeit. What I see are different years on the two blades. I don’t know enough to say the word “cobbled” or factory error.
Treefarmer

I've never once heard of these particular models being counterfeit. Weird.

[treefarmer]

comfixr, when you have time, peruse the Counterfeit Watch thread and there are several Case 88 patterned knives discussed.
Treefarmer

[Treejakal]

I am no expert, but I believe that the green bone one with the bombshell shield is a Case Classic. Not the same as Case XX

[98src]

There are indeed counterfeit 6488 knives out there.

[rugmar]

I am no expert, but I believe that the green bone one with the bombshell shield is a Case Classic. Not the same as Case XX

I too, believe this.

[stockman]

There are fake 88's out, but the ones this man posted are fine knives. Some are newer Case Classic, I think that is what they call em, the others are 70's dot knives. Values? I sold several they did well.

Harold

[comfixr]

I am no expert, but I believe that the green bone one with the bombshell shield is a Case Classic. Not the same as Case XX

I too, believe this.

So there must be a way to find out exactly what this knife is correct? https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/pr ... assic/488/ Is the only thing related to this knife I can find on this site or really any other site at that.

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/pr ... e-classic/ same knife as other link but nothing else.

[Mumbleypeg]

I am no expert, but I believe that the green bone one with the bombshell shield is a Case Classic. Not the same as Case XX

I too, believe this.

So there must be a way to find out exactly what this knife is correct? https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/pr ... assic/488/ Is the only thing related to this knife I can find on this site or really any other site at that.

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/pr ... e-classic/ same knife as other link but nothing else.

Try sending your request for information to [email protected]. Send pictures of the knife with your email. Case won’t tell you what it’s worth but they may be able to verify its authenticity if that’s what is concerning you.

Ken

[Lansky1]

With the exception of truly vintage high $$ collector knives, I think if you search "completed items" on eBay, you'll get a fairly representative idea of what the current market bears and what to expect for a given knife, due to the absolutely massive number of knife collectors that frequent eBay. That approach has always worked for me ... never needed a price guide, as all my Case knives are post 1970.

[Mikexxwhittler]

I can't recall ever hearing of a Case '91 pattern congress. There is a Camillus 91 congress pattern.

This is where my problem lies. Everything I've read about this particular year there shouldn't be many at all, but like all else I cant get confirmation. This is a 91 not sure if its a Antique Greenbone, or what but if you look closely at the right bolster its serial # 038 which tells me theres more than 22 made lol. Just not sure of anything else about it.

That is from the Case Classics of the early 90s. Yours was made in 1991.

[kennedy knives]

I can't recall ever hearing of a Case '91 pattern congress. There is a Camillus 91 congress pattern.

This is where my problem lies. Everything I've read about this particular year there shouldn't be many at all, but like all else I cant get confirmation. This is a 91 not sure if its a Antique Greenbone, or what but if you look closely at the right bolster its serial # 038 which tells me theres more than 22 made lol. Just not sure of anything else about it.

This may answer your question 500 made