All About Pocket Knives

There's a knife on eBay, item number 280141381705. It's listed as Case XX Family Classic Stag Trapper Knife 1997. I've bought knives from this seller, and actually have gotten some pretty nice knives. I see that this knife does not have Case anywhere on it, and has Standard Knife Co. USA, on the tang. Was this in fact a knife made by Case?

The Standard Knife Co brand was indeed used by Case in the earlier parts of the 20th century, starting around 1901 and continuing until after WW2. This knife is most likely part of the Family Tree series from the 1990s, when Jim Parker was reviving some of the old stamps used by the Case family over the years. If so, it wasn't actually made by Case. Bluegrass Cutlery made most of the Case Classics, and Queen made some also.

arathol wrote: "Bluegrass Cutlery made most of the Case Classics, and Queen made some also."

it's been my understanding case made four of the patterns and queen made the others. does bluegrass even make knives?

books list the family tree set as a 1989 series.

Thanks for the info. I didn't know what to make of the listing. Not all that familiar with those made by Standard Knife Co. Nice looking knife though.

Bluegrass was contracted to produce all of the Classics. Case was subcontracted by Bluegrass to produce four patterns as they had the tooling for those patterns. These were the 488 pattern congress, the 2100 saddlehorn, the 394 Gunboat and the 54 trapper pattern. The rest were subcontracted out to Queen from what I hear. The original contracts ran until 1995 but were extended in order to produce more patterns and a second run of some of the first series.
The knife in the auction doesn't really look like a Case 54 pattern. The spey blade is shaped wrong, (looks like the spey blade on a Queen trapper) and the long swedge on the clip blade is something I haven't seen on a Case 54.

queen contract is the word just as the later ones were from smkw to queen.

i read on Cases website that back in the day The Standard Knife guarantee was that if you were found dead with one in your pocket they would pay for the cost of the funeral.... http://www.wrcase.com/tales_&_tradition ... /index.php
thats a good looking knife

i think that standard knife in question was produced in germany by parker's under his liscense.

i think that standard knife in question was produced in germany by parker's under his liscense.

If that were the case it would be marked Made in Germany as required by US law. Parker had his German-made knives produced by Olbertz of Solingen. This is not an Olbertz pattern, and I don't remember any of the Case Family knives in the old Parker catalogs being made in Germany.

Howdy arathol, Jim & Johnnie ----> Does the name Trivca (I think that's how you spell it?) ring a bell???



"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050

Most of the family tree series were obvious Queen products. Very nice trappers, congress, canoes, doctors, whittlers, etc.

thanks roger
took a few minutes but i figured it out. is memory the first to go?


http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... ght=trivca

You guys are going to have to fill me in on Trivca. I don't have a clue.

Forensic Jim wrote:You guys are going to have to fill me in on Trivca. I don't have a clue.

Yes please, do fill us in. I don't know anything about them either.
Also, as regards Bluegrass; Do they actually make any knives or do they have them subcontracted?
I have a Primble Hawbaker Muskrat, made by Bluegrass. Now I am wondering who actually made it? I love the pattern, but I am not very impressed with the construction. #1 it is stainless steel & #2, after about a week as EDC (with light use) the blade began to develop some side play. It tightened OK, I just didn't think it should have happened so quickly with such light use.

Thanks,
Dale

Jim,

I have a write up some where in my hobby notes about the cutlery name Trivca but am just too tired to dig it out right now because I work the grave yard shift so I will go on memory only (OH NO ) & so here goes ----> In the late 90's (1999) under Jim Parker's direction, Trivca Cutlery CO. was born & all early Family Brands Classics were made by them, I believe MR. Charlie Dorton was at the wheel at that time, they covered Platts, Crandell, Standard & Kinfolks, I do not know for a fact but through casual conversations with some of the old timers that were close to Jim have mentioned that there were Queen workers employed that worked on these early knives but I do not know this to be fact because it was word of mouth & over ten years ago. That's all I have folks, hope I got all of this right?



"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050

in the earlier post i left a link to the old post about trivca. i went through all my parker's lists and found the one i referenced. in this cat. buzz states that jim parker owned the names of a lot of case related brands and had them made in solingin germany. the standard brand was used by kinfolks, thus the family connection. that is the basis for my statement that it was made in germany.

Dale,

To my knowledge, Blue Grass Cutlery doesn't make or manufacture any knives now, in the past (the 90's) they claim to have made the Case Classic line, Winchester line (Black box & White box knives) & John Primble (in the Primble line, only the Sunfish/Elephant Toes) ....There is a lot of gray area around what they really made back then & none of these guys are talking about it & do not want to talk about it but I think its safe to say they did a lot of subcontracting, some out to Queen & I have heard of others but I can't say too much more on this matter without getting into trouble!



"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050

Thanks for the link Johnnie, I just gave a more in depth answer right off the top of my hat, I may have not had the years right but I'M a very tired knifer right now! ....Any serious knife collector that has these 90's knives must know MR. Charlie Dorton was Jim's right hand man back in that day & when ever Jim had his knife dreams, Charlie made them happen I'M sure! ....Thanks again for the help Johnnie! ....I'M going to bed friends, keep em sharp!



"Texas collector", Roger - 50/2050