All About Pocket Knives

Can anyone recommend a good resource to help determine the difference between Case bone handles that are "reddish" bone and true red bone? Or perhaps you can clue me in. I noticed that Buzz Parker has a knife for sale on Ebay right now (item #150217705718) that he doesn't make the call on the difference, and with this particular knife the value between the 2 is significant. Also, I'm trying to organize my collection a little better and really don't know with some whether or not they are true redbone, but they certainly are reddish bone. So how do you know the difference. Any help or reference you can recommend will be appreciated. Thanks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... R40QQfviZ1
The one your looking at is Bone not Red Bone from what I have seen in the past, the Red Bone is a True "Deep" Red (not splotchy in color) check out my link .. Unless I could stand corrected.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... Y.m238.lVI

The two knives that lenny referenced, are not red bone IMO. We have discuss this before I think it could be found on the forum.

Stockman

Stand corrected, the first post was a reference to the the above ebay # the second was what I used to think red bone was. Dug deep into the AAPK archives for these borrowed some pictures from our fine members also. The pictures say it all and search "CASE Red Bone"

I'll take the large coke bottle.


Luckypaul777

Luckypaul777 wrote:I'll take the large coke bottle.


Luckypaul777

Ya me too wish it was mine.. Red Bone really is nice, I learned alot looking this up

While at Parkers show in Tenn, Jim Sargent showed me the difference between "bone" and " red bone". All the red bone handled knives were almost a bright strawberry red color. The bone handled knives had a hint of red, but a significant amount of brown to them or were darker in color. I had thought all along that if there was any red at all in the handles that they were red bone. After looking at the knives that Jim showed me, I realized I had been mistaken as to what red bone was.

ok, from what i understand, pretty bone is not redbone. redbone is redbone. help!

You're right Johnnie, I shouldn't have used that term even though I've seen it described for knives as being "pretty red bone". That's confusing in itself as "pretty bone" is also used as a description for bone handles. I've always had difficulty taking pictures of red bone handled knives and getting the true color, they tend to look darker than they really are.

jonet143 wrote:ok, from what i understand, pretty bone is not redbone. redbone is redbone. help!

To me this is something that alot of collectors are wrong about. A true red bone should be a a nice even cherry/blood/stawberry. The red should be across the entire handle. The front and back should match.
Gary

I think that a lot of older Case knives are called (red-bone); when they are not. I have been to shows where; old timers called brown bone red, because of a reddish tint. These are supposed to be red-bone; a Buck and Case tested red-bone?

Luckypaul777

Bladerunner, do you consider any of these redbone? The rear handles do match quite well. If they are not, what are they called?

Charlie, I am no where near as knowledgeable as Gary on these matters, but I would call every piece you have there Redbone. And Damned fine examples to boot! Some of the ones that I have and consider to be red bone are darker than other examples, but there is still ample amounts of red in them even if it is a darker red. I await BR's opinion with anticipation. Smoke

that 3rd one down looks like greenbone
very nice RED bones
great looking knives

Good eye, miked32!! I could never decide about that one, although it looks redder than most greenbones!! Dilemma bone !

P.S. thanks for the complements guys! I go without drinkin' and smokin' to afford them !

Now there's a great motivation to collect! Now if we could just do without gas we could have one hell-of-a collection! LOL

dilemma bone.....

Wow those are beautiful knives upnorth. Here a my personal thoughts regarding red bone. I am aware that there are different schools of thought here. I am from the school that says just because the handle has red in it don't make it true red bone. If it has red around the edges, but the jigging is black or brown then the knife is not true red bone IMO. True red bone should be a deep red and cover at least 90% of the handle front should match back. I am not going to start critiqing anyone's knives, y'all can see the knives as well as me.
Take
Care
Gary

These 2 scans came from an old book I have on Case. This is the color I think of when I hear 'red bone'

Thanks for your opinion, Gary. I do have one more question; do you mind one more opinion? I promise not to sue you !
Do you think the third knife down in my pic is greenbone? The colors show up quite true to life on my computer, so I think it's a fair representation.

It is interesting that TM's scans say the old redbone was discontinued in 1955!! What book is that TM??

upnorth - The book is about Case and is titled 'The First 100 Years'. Text by James S. Giles. Compiled and edited by Smoky Mountain Knife Works 1989.

TM wrote:upnorth - The book is about Case and is titled 'The First 100 Years'. Text by James S. Giles. Compiled and edited by Smoky Mountain Knife Works 1989.

Thanks, TM!

upnorth wrote:Thanks for your opinion, Gary. I do have one more question; do you mind one more opinion? I promise not to sue you !
Do you think the third knife down in my pic is greenbone? The colors show up quite true to life on my computer, so I think it's a fair representation.

It is interesting that TM's scans say the old redbone was discontinued in 1955!! What book is that TM??

The third knife down looks more like green bone to me, though there is a hint of red to it. I have seen several knives in books listed as red that I thought was green. It is interesting that the book says red bone was dicontinued in 1955. Both Houston Price and Parker/Voyles have written that red bone in it's true form was found only on Tested XX or XX knives, but went on to say that some Usa and 1970s knives had pretty red handles that would be red bone if they were on XX knives
Take Care
Gary

Thanks again Gary! I get the feeling that Redbone means different things to different people. If you were collecting knives when XXs were still being retailed, you would have a different concept of Redbone, and everything after would look like a poor substitute. The repro Redbone series from the "100 years" book is a "case" in point (pun intended) !
Just to compare, here are some Greenbone knives (or are they?) !