fitzroe wrote:Why do 1970 case knives value higher than most other years?
Well, that kind of depends on exactly what you mean. Do you mean "1970", or do you mean "1970's"?
Let's break this down a bit shall we? These three (basic) era's are arguably the most collected:
1. XX Era: 1940-64.
2. USA Era: 1965-69.
2. Original Dot: 1970-79.
If you're referring to 70's Case, starting in the year of 1970, Case placed 10 "Dots" on the tang stamp of their folding knives. Each new year until 1979, Case subtracted/deleted one dot. So a 1970 Case would have 10 dots, 1971 has 9 dots, 1972 has 8 dots, etc.
Like any other collected item, people want the "first edition", "premier issue", or basically "No.1". So as far as original dot era Case, and condition being equal,
in most cases (no pun intended), a 10-dot will usually carry a higher price tag. Unlike XX & USA Case,
a 10-dot gave you the exact year the knife was made. On a USA era knife for example, it could have been made in 1966 or 1968. Who knows?
Look at it this way. I like NASCAR in a BIG way (well I used to when it was "Winston Cup" (1971-2003). Therefore I sometimes collect certified autographed cards of my favorite driver. In 2002, there were several of the same identical autographed cards on eBay. They are all numbered from the factory to 50. I wanted #1 of those 50 cards and I paid for it even though all the other 49 cards were identical. Card #1 sold for about $30 more than card # 37. Why? Because it's #1. No other reason.
The same thing applies to knives or just about any other collected item, like cars, guns, motorcycles, anything that might carry a number from the factory. People will take a 6-dot if that's the only thing they can afford, but I guarantee you they would take a 10-dot if they could, and the knife met all other requirements.
Hope this helps-Mike