Hey Mickey. Welcome to the forum and please stick around. Plenty to learn here!
Matbe just me but for 36 bucks, I personally would keep the knife as a reminder of the learning experience moving forward and to keep it off the market. Returning it will result it being relisted and someone les knowledgeable getting burned. I certainly would leave negative feedback but I only have 5 transactions on ebay and am not planning more, since I only have targeted knives there that I could not find elsewhere.
knifeaholic wrote:Fake - the whole stamp is just wrong, too new, deeper stamped than the real ones were.
Totally agree with Steve for sure. The old stamps were more crude and not perfect sometimes with a letter partially cut off on the tang ends, hit with a chipped stamp dye, not clear and perfect, contrary to some other collectors opinions. CASE was very frugile and almost nothing was thrown away that could be used, especially in the old days. Although they made quality knives, an imperfect stamp was more the norm than the exception in the pre 20s', even post 1920'. You need to be wary of CASE knives in those eras that have real good stamps. Here is a link to a post where imperfect tang stamps and related authenticity is discussed.
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... +imperfect
Lots of other things about the knife raise red flags for me also.
1. Handle material. none like I have ever seen, no expert here but does not look right. I would expect abit more handle shrinkage on a knife that age with that handle material, if in fact it was used by CASE.
2. Bolster pins are not flush and one looks as if it is maybe brass instead of nickel silver or possibly iron in that era. Knife looks to have been taken apart.
3. The clarity/crispness as stated of the stamps.
4. Blade condition too good for a 100 plus year old knife. Possibly nail nick not appropriate for the era (did not research that much on this knife).
5. Price!!! An authentic knife of that era/condition would be 10 to 30 times or more what you paid for it. Unless the entire planet's internet connection dropped except yours for the length of the auction.
Please stick around as there is alot to learn from all the great folks here. Don't be discouraged either. It happens. I only buy certain knives and only maybe 10 or so in the last year and a half so I have avoided any fakes thus far. That being said, I personally don't buy until I know for sure what the knife is (not an ebay auction from a seller I don't know).
My Dad got burned on a couple, in fact, one was my first post, so don't be discouraged as I said.
A couple of pics. The Christmas Tree Little Valley knife I mentioned is a fake. One big clue among alot of other red flags on this knife, pretty sure in Little Valley era, Christmas Tree was not used
An example of a goldstone handled stamped "CASE'S BRADFORD, PA" that has an authentic, fairly uncommon but imperfect stamp.
See how the stamp is more crude and not centerd with part of the "B" in BRADFORD cut off.
The TESTED and prior era CASE knives seem to be the most counterfeited. Some in XX also. All depends on the knife and book value at times if they choose to hack up a nice original and make an earlier era for more buck or just piece together a knife to look era.
Regards, Jerry
