Ode To The 07

[QTCut5]

Here's the only 2 - 6207's I have from the 70's ... if anybody likes hard snap - this is a good place to start. These are a couple of my fave's, Case got it right with these 70's 07's ---->

Nice ones, John, thanks for posting. I noticed that the dots on your 1978 07 are close together and the dots on my 1978 07 are further apart...yet another inexplicable Case mystery.

[TPK]

Beautiful knives Q & John!

[jerryd6818]

My latest. And then there were three.

[QTCut5]

Niiiice one, jerryd. You know I love the 1st Issue 207WHSS and that honey bone sure is nice. (What are there three of? )

Going to take a quick jump back to 1940-64 on the timeline so I can post my latest acquisition: an XX era 6207 with Green Bone handle.

[QTCut5]

MINI TRAPPER TIMELINE

1980's

We finished the 1970s decade with a stag handle commemorative Mini Trapper and in order to have a smooth and seamless transition into the 1980s decade, here's another stag handle commemorative Mini Trapper...this one has engraved bolsters and serial #854 stamped on the master blade mark side tang grind line. The blade etch commemorates Case's 75th anniversary in Bradford, PA. Since this is still the Dot era, some changes were made to the date tang stamp in order to distinguish between the 1970s and 1980s decades. Specifically, the letter "S" became what is known as a "lightening S" ((presumably because it looks like a bolt of lightening) and the dots were moved from the bottom line of the tang stamp to the center line bisected by "SS"

[QTCut5]

A couple more 10-dot 6207s from 1980.

[jerryd6818]

Here ya go ~Q~. These are the three I was talking about.

This is the first one you gave to me.

This is the second one I picked up.

And the one came recently.

[QTCut5]

Here ya go ~Q~. These are the three I was talking about.

I know you claim to be a mere accumulator, jerryd, but those three 1st Issue 207s look suspiciously like the beginning of a genuine "collection." Keep that up and one day, without warning, you'll suddenly realize you've shed your "amateur accumulator" status and become a full-fledged collector!

[QTCut5]

MTTP: 1981

[jerryd6818]

Here ya go ~Q~. These are the three I was talking about.

I know you claim to be a mere accumulator, jerryd, but those three 1st Issue 207s look suspiciously like the beginning of a genuine "collection." Keep that up and one day, without warning, you'll suddenly realize you've shed your "amateur accumulator" status and become a full-fledged collector!

Runs screaming into the night with his hair on fire, screaming "NOOOOOOO!!!!!! I will not give up my "amateur accumulator" status"!!!!!

[Papa Bones]

My 1990 07MT & 1984 07MT

[jerryd6818]

Smitty, that '90 07 is a real beaut.

[Ripster]

My 1990 07MT & 1984 07MT
Case1980 6207c.png
07 MT 1984.JPG

Will second what Jerry d said , Smitty that’s a dandy , I think you guys all got some damn fine cutlery being shown thru out all these pages
Q, thanks for taking the time to put this all out here , it’s been great
Take care Guys , catch up later ,stay safe,keep posting ,great stuff

[Papa Bones]

Smitty, that '90 07 is a real beaut.

Will second what Jerry d said , Smitty that’s a dandy , I think you guys all got some damn fine cutlery being shown thru out all these pages
Q, thanks for taking the time to put this all out here , it’s been great
Take care Guys , catch up later ,stay safe,keep posting ,great stuff

Appreciate it guys.

[QTCut5]

My 1990 07MT & 1984 07MT

Very nice, Smitty, and very punctual and apropos to the Mini Trapper Timeline as well since we're currently looking at the 1980s decade with the 1990s coming up next.

I like Mini Trappers from all different years but I must admit, doing this timeline project has revived my fondness for the vintage 07s. Nothing wrong with the modern Mini-Ts (1980 - 2020), but the older 07s have a totally different "feel and vibe" (which is different from the fit and finish) that's hard to define but just feels so right.

[jerryd6818]

Since we're still in the 80's I should probably post my one and only.

[QTCut5]

MTTP: New Grind Era 1982 - 1984

In the early half of the 1980s decade, Case tweaked its blade design again and created what is known as the "New Grind." This is a smooth, graceful curve of the grind where the blade meets the tang. Ostensibly, the new grind improved the structural integrity of the blade and made it less susceptible to breaking than the regular 90° perpendicular grind line. Whether blades breaking at the grind line was a frequent occurrence or a major concern is unclear and not well-documented; but, the new grind certainly gave the blade a nice aesthetic visual appeal and if it made the blade stronger as well, so much the better. Unfortunately, producing the new grind blades was more costly and, as always, the increased production cost was passed along to the consumers. Apparently, knife buyers were not happy paying the higher retail prices (despite the fact that they were getting a better product) and the new grind blades never really caught on. Case produced a limited number of knives with new grind blades for only a few years; consequently, knives with new grind blades are somewhat less common and harder to find. Although Case released several different patterns with the new grind blade(s), to the best of my admittedly limited knowledge, 1983 is the only year the Mini Trapper 07 pattern was outfitted with the new grind blade.

Here are my only two 07s with New Grind blades, both from 1983. (I used to have another one--a 6207 from the Limited Edition Trapper Set--but I foolishly sold it). Notice the smooth white bone 6107 has no pattern stamp and has been marked with an "X" over the tang stamp, denoting it as a factory second.

The faux black pearl _107 also lacks a pattern tang stamp but in its place is what looks like the letter "C" inside a larger "C" (or perhaps an unclosed circle ?)--a rare marking on Case knives that may have something to do with special factory orders (SFO).

[Papa Bones]

MTTP: New Grind Era 1982 - 1984

In the early half of the 1980s decade, Case tweaked its blade design again and created what is known as the "New Grind."


The faux black pearl 6107 also lacks a pattern tang stamp but in its place is what looks like a small letter "c" inside a larger "C" (or perhaps an unclosed circle ?)--a rare marking on Case knives that may have something to do with special factory orders (SFO).
PB060021.JPGPB060024.JPGPB060025.JPGPB060034.JPGPB060023.JPG

Nice additions to the thread showing the New Grind blades. I too was one of those who was never really enthused by the change to the New Grind blades. On smaller blades such as those on the 07 it's not as bad, but on some of the larger knives such as the 49L to me it looked odd. I had never really heard that it gave better structural strength and integrity but I could see that.

As for the SMKW SFO knife with the small "C" in the center of the larger "C", I was told by a collector / member of The Alabam Knife Collectors Association many years ago that it denoted it was a Collectors Club knife, but I've also not seen any documentation as proof of this. Personally though, the only knives I have seen that mark on were from the SMKW Collectors Club.

[jerryd6818]

This isn't an 07 (really?? ) but it's the only new grind I have. I really have no opinion on the new grind, one way or another.

[QTCut5]

This isn't an 07 (really?? ) but it's the only new grind I have.

Well then, there ya go...if jerryd has only one (1) New Grind Case knife, then that proves it: the New Grind knives are as scarce as hen's teeth (although, I might add, much better looking!).

Truth be told...for me, it all started with a Mini Copperhead (62109W). That was when I first discovered the New Grind and it was love at first sight. Naturally OCD Monkey went nuts over bananas for it and that became his obsession and all I was interested in collecting for at least a couple of months. I still absolutely LOVE the New Grind blade--it's like a sculpted piece of fine/functional art--and I wish Case would reinstate the design; although, I realize that's never going to happen. The good news is that for me, as a collector, the relative scarcity of New Grind 07s makes the hunt for them all that much more compelling. A New Grind 07 is one of the very few knives that The Monkey has issued a standing and non-expiring order to acquire anytime, anywhere at any cost. I may even have to start looking at other patterns besides the 07 to satisfy my New Grind lust.

[QTCut5]

MTTP: Jim Parker Era - 1980s

The early 1980’s saw a large push to lower the cost in the production of Case pocket knives. With that, we got “New Grind” and noticeable decreases in quality. Knives from this era are not junk, but you will see looser fitting blades, open backsprings, lower end slabs, etc. For example, this is the point in time that second cut stag was used extensively.

The late 1980’s brought in the Parker era, wherein Jim Parker leveraged his assets and bought W.R. Case Cutlery Company. Jim went to work trying to solve the financial problems by flooding the market with variations and collector sets. The Case Centennial Set was a 100 knife set in a folder that featured red bone, stag, and goldstone composite. There were also a lot of overruns in most patterns that showed up without the etchings or just outside the set itself. For the most part these knives were nice and Jim used some tooling (if not externally made altogether) to add some patterns to the catalog. The goldstone would go on to curl badly on many of the examples. But the new (Parker Cutlery) patterns were only found during the short time Jim owned Case. He went into bankruptcy after owning them a short time.

At the Case factory, the 1980s was a decade of change and innovation. In addition to the New Grind experiment, during this decade Case expanded the Mini Trapper's wardrobe like a Kardashian on a shopping spree. Up until the late 1970s the 07 handle was made almost exclusively of jigged bone dyed in just a few colors (mostly red). Under Parker, Case began to incorporate a wider variety of handle materials, colors and jigging styles as well as special shields, serial numbers and blade etches on limited-edition collector sets. The reclaimed Foster Brook factory floorboard wood on jerryd's 1989 FB207 is one example. Here are a couple other Mini Trappers from the same year to close out the 1980s decade on the timeline.

1989 6207 Jigged Red Bone Case Centennial Commemorative. Notice the unique lettering on the (poorly inset) shield, the special date tang stamp and the use of a prefix ("R" for Red) in the pattern number tang stamp.

[QTCut5]

1989 Sambar Stag 5207 D - the "D" in the pattern number denotes Damascus blade steel. This particular type of Damascus steel is called "Random Damascus" because it has no distinct pattern like some of the more modern exotic Damascus steel has. (Notice the shoddy shield job: not only is it poorly inset and tilted at an angle like a sinking ship, you can actually see a bit of glue that seeped out on the upper left side...Thanks a lot, Jim! )

[QTCut5]

Sidebar: For a look at some very cool Damascus steel made by Devin Thomas, check this out

http://www.devinthomas.com/

[QTCut5]

MINI TRAPPER TIMELINE

1990s

Jim Parker may be somewhat of a controversial figure in the knife world but, personally, I respect him. While it's true that not everything he did during the years he owned Case (or after) was a resounding success, there can be no doubt that he was a "knife man" heart and soul. One of the best designs he produced while at Case (IMHO) was the 1st Issue 207WHSS. This knife used the 07 frame but instead of a pen secondary like was used from 1920-1979 or the spay secondary that has since become the standard, Jim Parker had the brilliant idea to put a Wharncliffe as the secondary blade. And then he took it one step further and made two versions: one with a plain edge Wharncliffe and one with a serrated Wharncliffe...PURE GENIUS!!

The result was a limited production run (I believe it was 500 of each) of five different color jigged bone handles (red, yellow, blue, honey, green) each made in both a plain edge and a serrated Wharncliffe version.

And here they are:

It should be noted that every 1st Issue 207WHSS shows 1990 on the tang stamp except for the Blue Plain Edge model which has a 1989 date stamp. My best guess is that this is because the Blue Plain Edge model was the first one made and the Case factory probably had some 07 master clip blade stock leftover from 1989 which was used on the first 207WHSS released. (Parker was all about trying to cut costs and save money, so it stands to reason that he would want to use any leftover stock available before retooling for a new batch.)

One of Parker's less successful ideas also happened at the beginning of the 1990s decade: the Dot Dating System that had begun in 1970 was replaced with stamping the actual numeric year on the tang. Apparently this change was not at all popular with the Case collector crowd who had come to see the dots as a kind of code that could be deciphered only by those in-the-know, i.e., the "True Collectors." Ironic, because one of Parker's methods for saving and expanding the Case customer base was to create special limited-edition sets targeted particularly for (and hopefully to increase the number of) Case knife collectors. But, apparently he failed to realize that the dot tang stamp dating system was itself a highly cherished component to the collector contingent.

1990 Case 6207 Jigged Chestnut Bone

[QTCut5]

1992 Case Collectors Club Jr. GY6107 Jigged Gray Bone

So, which one shows correct grammar, the blade etch or the shield? (collectors or collector's)