All About Pocket Knives

I’ve noticed over recent years that having the original box with your knife has steadily increased in importance when attempting to garner higher values.

I’m not sure how many are aware of the history of the box… I know I'm way far from being an expert on this topic. I’m hoping someone more knowledgeable can correct and or add to what I have heard/read on the subject of Case knife boxes….

From what I understand, most knife manufacturers started packaging and selling their knives to dealers in boxes of ½ dozen (less for larger patterns I think) wrapped in papers that had care instructions printed on them. None were packaged individually until around the mid 80s. The last boxes to house multiple knives were the pumpkin seed boxes (those orange and white ones). I have no idea when they started using these, but I believe they discontinued them around the mid 80s when they switched to the single knife packaging system.

If you spend much time on eBay or other knife venues, you will see older Case knives from the 70s and sometimes earlier made knives offered for sale in individual white boxes with black, red, and gold accents. These single boxes were offered as accessory items to the dealers to buy if they wanted them. I read somewhere that this practice started in the mid 70s and was discontinued in the mid 80s along with the pumpkin seed boxes.

I would like to share more exact dates, because I’ve seen ten dot knives and some pre dot knives offered for sale in these individual boxes, and people need to be aware that they were not even in existence during this time. Also, understand that many of these white/black/gold/red boxes are in ample supply to buy seperate from the knife. If you see a knife from the early 80s or before in one of these boxes, it's often the result of the seller buying them seperate and putting the two together. In most Cases, it’s not usually how the knife was originally purchased and stored in my opinion. I'll try to add some pictures if I can find some.

Bryan

Good morning Bryan ,

I cannot go into much detail about this now and if I cannot add anything later, but you are correct in my view. Dental appointment

Although, I look for old boxes, etc only to collect. Here is a couple I have on my machine, I believe the old Case is for a 1/2 dozen DogLeg or Serpentine pattern .

Later,
9ball

I'm also an avid collector of the old 1/2 dozen knife boxes. I have boxes from several dozen different knife makers. I've even got an authentic Case Bros box. I'll also try to get some pictures to share. Heres one for time being.

Bryan;

You are correct; I may be able to fine tune the dates. Case used the old style blue boxes in the tested era, I believe that they also used them post WWII maybe until the early 50's...then switched to the "pumpkin" boxes. I have never seen documentation of the time of this change, but I did once see a large group of Case XX red bone knives mint in the original wrappers and they were packed in the blue boxes.

The older indiviudal boxes that you mentioned...the black and white and gold ones....as you say they were sold as extras...the first catalog that they were listed in was the 1974 catalog.....however they MIGHT have been available earlier than that....I think that for the first stag sets released in late 1973, the knives might have been individually packed in those boxes but I am not sure.

Case went from the 6-to-a-box in the pumpkin boxes to individual boxes in either late 1985 or early 1986. I believe that all knives shipped in 1986 had the individual boxes, these were the first style with a foldover flap and a foam insert. One wholesale dealer told me that this style did not last long because the boxes could not be stacked.....the foldover flap with the knife under it caused a lump or convexed area.

So since then they have used the current box design, with at least three changes to the graphics since then.

Thanks for the clarification Knifeaholic.

I figured you would have an exact answer as usual.

Bryan

9ball... Remington collector... Nice boxes.

I would like to see some more.

Anyone else got boxes? Calling all box collectors

PS... 9ball, I hope the dentist apointment went well

Bryan

Bryan wrote:Nice boxes.

I would like to see some more.

Anyone else got boxes? Calling all box collectors


Bryan

Good morning everyone I only have a few older boxes. One is from Bruckmann which I believe went out of business in the early 1950s. It looks older than that but I don't reall know. It looks like it would hold 6 knives. The Boker is mid 1970s. There is an advertising leaflet for the soon to be released bicentenial series 1976. s-k

Good thread Bryan.

Thanks for showing some history folks. Very interesting.

Bill

I guess these are the only "old" boxes I have. The W.R. Case & Sons are 1905-1920. They are display boxes that held 2 knives each...
Don't know how to date the Ulster box. My Grandad Price was a watchmaker and kept it on his bench, full of parts... Hey, you Ulster Guys? What pattern is A-400?
...CCBill...

Cattaraugus.

Primble.

New York Knife Co.

New York Knife Co.

American Knife Co.

A.W. Wadsworth

Boker.

Union Cutlery Co.

Challenge Cutlery Co.

Cattaraugus

Case

wow!

I had no idea we were in for such a treat

Nice asssortment of boxes shown so far

Bryan

Here's some rather obscure brands.

Goins lists Armstrong Cutlery, USA c 1901; Brantford Cutlery was related to Butler Bros. and used the same "Warranted Never Dull" trademark c 1896-1940; John Pritzlaff Hardware "Everkeen" was in Milwaukee c 1850-1957.

The Cattaraugus box is tiny, just 3" X 2" X 1/2". Penciled on side is, "6 20803. Using the product code from Voyles' book it seems the box contained two blade, no bolster, genuine mother-of-pearl, factory number 80 knives.

Those are some nice box collections.

My knives aren't very old yet but they are all in the original containers except for a few junkers.