All About Pocket Knives

This is my old Case 6269 5 dot that a friend gave me years ago. I'm confused about the style/type this is called: Congress, 1/2 Congress? Or something else?

Thanks in advance for your help and input.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

I’d call it a two-blade medium congress. I don’t care for the term “half-whatever” when it comes to describing knives.JMO. You can call it a half-congress if you want - most people will know what you’re talking about.

Ken

Steve Pfeiffer's book has one of the 6269's listed with the words "Small Congress", it is a Case XX rough black. The 88 is referred to as a "large Congress, most of them appear to have 4 blades.
Treefarmer

You’re right Philip, the 69 is the “small” congress. I was thinking of the 052.

Ken

Nice little congress, Leon.

I think Ken said it best.

I think the term "half congress" was heard in the isles of a knife show and it became popular from there.
Someone prove me wrong.

My preference for naming collectable stuff and their parts is to use the names the manufacturers used in literature and catalogs at the time the stuff was manufactured. If a hansom young Case employee assembled two blades in a 69 handle to fill orders placed from a catalog that described them as "small two blade Congresses" then that's what I call that knife. If, near retirement, he assembled two blades stamped out with the same dies into handle parts also stamped out with the same old dies to fill an order placed from a catalog that described them as "Half Congresses" then that's what I call the newer knife. The goal is to be understood by your audience. Using the names from the vintage literature collectors of old stuff study is clearer for them and shows them respect. However, telling collectors of new stuff that the manufacturer does not know what they're manufacturing makes no sense.

Similarly I usually use the manufacturer's names. Readers here know that if no other adjective precedes the name a Folding Hunter is a 65 pattern but Buck named their similar 317 Trail Blazer and their very dissimilar 110 Folding Hunter and Camillus named their #72 stockman Whittler. It's best to either use the manufacturer's choice of names or omit their name if it looks too wrong for me to be comfortable using it.

I think half Congress might have gotten it's name from the half Whittler. Just my 2¢.

Half whittler is just another name for a pen knife and I believe it is also an inane modern term. I have never seen the term "half whittler" in any old cutlery catalogs, just as there were no "half congress" knives in the old catalogs. Congress is a handle pattern and comes in many configurations. There are 2,4, and 6 blade congress patterns and then there are congress whittlers with three blades and congress jacks with two blades at the same end. How somebody came up with half whittler I don't understand since obviously one cannot halve three blades and whittlers come in a wide variety of handle patterns.

Gunsil wrote: ↑Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:48 pm Half whittler is just another name for a pen knife and I believe it is also an inane modern term. I have never seen the term "half whittler" in any old cutlery catalogs, just as there were no "half congress" knives in the old catalogs. Congress is a handle pattern and comes in many configurations. There are 2,4, and 6 blade congress patterns and then there are congress whittlers with three blades and congress jacks with two blades at the same end. How somebody came up with half whittler I don't understand since obviously one cannot halve three blades and whittlers come in a wide variety of handle patterns.

Gunsil wrote: ↑Thu Feb 11, 2021 3:48 pm Half whittler is just another name for a pen knife and I believe it is also an inane modern term. I have never seen the term "half whittler" in any old cutlery catalogs, just as there were no "half congress" knives in the old catalogs. Congress is a handle pattern and comes in many configurations. There are 2,4, and 6 blade congress patterns and then there are congress whittlers with three blades and congress jacks with two blades at the same end. How somebody came up with half whittler I don't understand since obviously one cannot halve three blades and whittlers come in a wide variety of handle patterns.

Ask Case!

Case's use of those inane terms is modern thing, they never used those terms back in the day when they made their reputation. Modern Case just came up with half whittler as a marketing gimmick. I believe they only call one handle pattern a half whittler which is totally ridiculous when there are many many whittler patterns and only one pattern they call half whittler. Case is only alive by producing a myriad of funky handle colors knowing fanatic collectors will have to have one of each, they need marketing gimmicks to stay in business. I mean, bubble gum bone?? Really? I don't care what folks collect, it is their thing and I wish them the best, but "new" names for old patterns will never float with collectors of antique knives. A small two blade knife with a blade at each end and one back spring will always be a pen knife no matter what the pattern is. Wanna call a small two blade congress a half congress, fine by me, but most older collectors just laugh at such terms.

Gunsil wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:58 am Case's use of those inane terms is modern thing, they never used those terms back in the day when they made their reputation. Modern Case just came up with half whittler as a marketing gimmick. I believe they only call one handle pattern a half whittler which is totally ridiculous when there are many many whittler patterns and only one pattern they call half whittler. Case is only alive by producing a myriad of funky handle colors knowing fanatic collectors will have to have one of each, they need marketing gimmicks to stay in business. I mean, bubble gum bone?? Really? I don't care what folks collect, it is their thing and I wish them the best, but "new" names for old patterns will never float with collectors of antique knives. A small two blade knife with a blade at each end and one back spring will always be a pen knife no matter what the pattern is. Wanna call a small two blade congress a half congress, fine by me, but most older collectors just laugh at such terms.

Agreed

Case Half-Whittler..
John

jmh58 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:45 pm DSC04722.JPG

Case Half-Whittler..
John

John what flavor of bone is that ?

philco wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 2:26 pm

jmh58 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 12, 2021 1:45 pm DSC04722.JPG

Case Half-Whittler..
John

John what flavor of bone is that ?

LaOrange Delerino.. Very exotic..
John

Thanks ya'll, for the information. I shall call it a Small Congress from now on.

I'm glad at 77 years old I am not to old to learn something about an old knife.

Have a blessed day,

Leon