All About Pocket Knives

I just got this knife today via e-bay, was looking for it through my price guides to no avail.

Case XX (s is the lightning bolt S)
5 Dot
USA (S is lightning Bolt)

Bolster numbered 176

Pattern Number 6254

So based on what I know and read Lightning S with Dots was in 80-90 era.

And the pattern number tells me Second cut stag
(Not familiar with 2nd cut stag term, need educated)
so 5 dots puts it at 1985.
Limited edition 1 of 1000...
Now the pattern number appears here but not for the year 1985.
I am happy with my new addition to my collection though!

I think if you will check again the 6 in 6254 stands for bone. Which is what your knife handles appear to be.

Second cut stag is an interior cut of the antler that will be jigged in the same manner as regular bone. It's what is left after the knobby exterior part has been cut away.

Jeff

Ok I have conflicting info then, my 1984 Price guide says 6 is bone stag, which is the 6th edition book, my 13th edition says 2nd cut stag...

I'm not sure what they printer but normally a pre 2002 bone stag trapper would be just 6254 and post 2002 - 6.5254. True stag or second cut stag would be 5254

This link might help

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/wr_ ... terial.php

Edited to correct date

Okay...take notes:

6 is and always has been the number for "jigged bone" and also delrin and pakkawood that are jigged to simulate jigged bone.

One exception.....during the CASE XX USA tang stamp era (1965-1969), there were a very few "second cut stag" knives manufactured where the second cut stag slabs were dyed with the same dye as was used for bone and then these handles were put on knives that were sold as "6" knives or jigged bone handle knives....very very rare and only done as far as I know on the 6375, 6254 and 6488. So that is the only time a "6" number would have been used on a second cut stag handled knife.

Most second cut stag handle knives made during the USA era had the handles dyed yellow (or maybe it was just the natural color, I dont know) and then used on "5" or stag handled knives......5254, 5375, 5488. These are also very rare.

Your 1985 trapper is by all appearances a regular production Case 6254 jigged bone handled trapper, embellished numbered and boxed outside of the factory....maybe the factory did it, I really don't know. But in any case it is a jigged bone handle 6254.

Do not confuse second cut stag with the modern "stag bone" that Case makes today and is designated by the 6.5 number....6.5383 for example. This is a new material introduced in the absence of real stag and only used for the past 3? years or so. Definitely introduced after 2001.

Hello knifeaholic,

Great explination. I had no idea about the second cut stag handled knives from 1965-1969 being dyed same as their bone. I've learned yet another interresting fact today. Thanks!

Now I'm dying to find and see one of these. Are they hard to tell apart from bone?

Bryan

Ok so I will pick your brain some more then!
Here are 2 more Case knives I have that are very old and have been in my collection for awhile.
The top one is Pattern Number (appears anyways hard to read) 6214
And this has the yellow bone I think you may be speaking of, but I could be wrong. It is stamped Case XX (Case being over the XX)
This knife has seen its day, and it is worn out, but was given to me by an old friend who is now passed.
Now my research says Pattern 6214 such as this one could be one of 2 knives: One made from 1940-1955 or 1940-1965.
One would be Green Bone, which this is not I dont think unless it discolored over the years, or just plain bone.

Now the 2nd is my mytery knife, it has no patern numbers. As you can see it was a well used knife as well, and has chips in the blade, shrunk handle, and is well worn. The foot blade is stamped CASE Tested xx, and it closely resembles the stamping used from 1932-1940... but it is hard to tell as it is pretty well worn.

Any other info you can provide would be appreciated!

Okay..the 6214 has well worn green bone handles....and YES those are geen bone.....the XX stamp was used from just after WWII until the end of 1964 (and yes I disagree witth all of the books on this one...the XX stamp was NOT started in 1940, IMHO).....green bone handled knives were made early in the XX era, probably from 1945-46 until the ealry 50's.

The other knife is a 2345-1/2 Sh Pen equal end or "cattle" pattern....not a particularly rare pattern to find at least not in slick black handles.

And Bryan.....yes, usually you will find that you can tell the "second cut" bone from regular bone...it will still have more yellow accents to it and IIRC a different jig pattern.....but they are SUPER rare...and high $$$$.

And I heard once from a knowledgable source that "second cut" stag was not really the second layer....but the real explanation was that Case used to get a lot of stag and there was always some percentage that was smooth surfaced with no "character" so they would save this up and then process it like bone...slab, jig and dye....some processed to gon on stag knives with a 5 and some to go on bone knives with a 6.

Just to add a bit of info to knifeaholic's 100% correct observations on second cut stag. I have both the second cut stag with the "6" and the "5' in my trapper collection. Both are in the U.S.A. stamping, and both are extremely rare. The one with the "5" is a yellow/orange color and the one with a "6" is a Burgundy/Wine color. Even though the burgundy/wine color second cut stag usually carries a "6' on the first digit of the pattern number, I have seen one or two of these with a "5". Also on rare ocassions the 6165, and 6265 folding hunters can be found with second cut stag both in the tested and XX eras. The tested 54 trapper, and the tested frame XX trapper is also sometimes found with red second cut stag, these are also very rare.

I just read these posts, and I must admit knifaholic and bladerunner have obviously studied these handles to a very interesting degree. Thanks for sharing. I'm curious knifaholic, do you think the smooth handled bone that you referenced from a "knowledgeable source" is simply a YOUNG stag and not the mature stag? For example, a Mature Whitetail buck will have many course, veined, JIGGED if you will, parts to his antlers as opposed to a young buck and his rack being "smooth". I was running this through My mind while I read about you explaining the 5 and 6 numbers on the blades as well as the description about stag and bone and being dyed. How very interesting a topic you have elaborated on.

Special thanks to Blade Runner for this one ...

He sent this picture for me to post on here for us to see. They are second cut stag handled knives that were dyed ...as explained above by knifeaholic and bladerunner.

I was affraid I was going to have to search and search before I'd ever see one.

WOW! Those are a couple of very nice knives. Thanks for sharing them, and the knowledge Blade Runner.

Very nice looking handles, and great looking knives, now for the original question, any idea of the value of the Custer Last Stand set?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!