All About Pocket Knives

Up for your review and comments please...

J.D. CASE CO. KANE PA 8363 Lobster knife. 3-1/4" closed. All blades have following stamp...

J.D. CASE
-- CO. -- (dashes are solid line, no breaks)
KANE, PA

Stamp is lengthwise on the 2 secondary blades. Interesting notch in the kick the is consistent with Sarge's book on secondary blades. looks like smoked pearl in the pics but I would consider it somewaht smokey!

Thanks for the input, Jerry

Jerry,

I couldn't say for sure but I do like it. PA Knives could be a good resource for this one. The stamping on the smaller blades does not seem out of the ordinary due to the tang height. Here is another ,not the same, but Case knife from the same period with a sideways stamping. http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... ng#p147876

BH

Hey BoneHead,

Thanks for the input and the link. What ever happened with the knife you posted. Still up in the air?

Interesting that you mentioned your knife has file work on the liners. Although my knife's liners are not brass, maybe nickel silver (not sure what liner material used in this era or knife), they also have file work all around the liners.

Do you have a good way to contact PA knives so I cna get their input?

Thanks again. Regards, Jerry

Gentlemen,

I just had a lengthy article published in Knife World Magazine on the cutlery companies of Kane PA. Thanks for posting this knife, it is a beauty. It is my speculation that J D Case had knives made in several places other than Kane when he marketed these knives. What many people forget is that companies hired others to make knives for them then stamped thier name on it. I beleive this knife wasn't actually made in Kane, but was made for JDC. The pattern and styling isn't typical for Kane Knives. Most are bone handled and various jack or stockman patterns, This would be a tougher knife to make and the pearl was done by those that are skilled in that materail. So in conclusion, I think it is a JDC knife, just not made in Kane. One of those things we will never know. But that's half the fun. Congrats on a Beauty.

zp4ja wrote:Hey BoneHead,

Thanks for the input and the link. What ever happened with the knife you posted. Still up in the air?

Interesting that you mentioned your knife has file work on the liners. Although my knife's liners are not brass, maybe nickel silver (not sure what liner material used in this era or knife), they also have file work all around the liners.

Do you have a good way to contact PA knives so I cna get their input?

Thanks again. Regards, Jerry

Jerry,

That knife just recently found a new home. Interesting enough I believe the knife to be Real deal. Very similiar to the one you have posted but without the nice pearl. handles. Like David mentioned possibly made by another company.....

Right or wrong here is why I have come to this conclusion:
1) Thorough inspection tells me the knife has not been apart.
2) The pins, handles show consistent evidence that they have not been altered
3) The knife is not a High dollar knife in which counterfieting would would not be worth the trouble.
4) The master blade has no snap and was sold this way, purchased from a elderly man.
5) The loss of the snap on Master blade can explain condition of the blades, Not a lot of use.
6) Very typical for lobster patterns to loose snap on one or both blades
7) The milled work on the liners was work of craftsman and appears to have been manually done
8 The tang stamping or specifically the stamp to create the tang stamping would be expensive to create not very benificial for this knife.
9) I've never seen a stamping like this on any other knife which would be consistent with the time frame the co. was in existence and number of knives produced.
10) Examination of the stamp of the sharp corners leads me to believe a lot of work went into the tool itself.
11) I do know that a stamping like this was used by the company.

Well that's all I have. Like I said I could be wrong, it will not be the first time. I hope the new owner likes it, if not I guess I'll have to take it back. Bonhead