All About Pocket Knives

I have a yellow composition Case EZ 49 1993-1999. There are no dots, so is this an early 1993 before dots?

The dot(s) are under the USA, hidden by the bolster. Probably just 1 or 2 dots but that's about the closest you can get.

Ken

That was my first thought too, and that may very well be the case. However, the Case Tang Stamps guide for this pocket knife shows a total of eight (8) dots (not ten). I would expect one dot to be 1999 and two dots to be 1998 and both should be visible. The seller shipped this in the wrong box so that is of no help. Does anyone else out there have a 1993-1999 Case to compare too? I apologize for my math, but I was taught the "new math" in school. One dot should be 1999?

Tang stamps for 1990 thru early 1993 don't look like that. You likely have a 1999 there with one dot that is impossible to see. Copperheads are notorius for hiding dots under that oversized bolster.

Fun Fact--tang stamps from early 1993 showed the actual numeric year (like the stamp Greg showed); however, apparently due to collector dissatisfaction with the change from the very popular "dot" dating system, Case (i.e., Jim Parker) went back to using the dots at some point during that year--which is why you can find some knives from 1993 with numbers and some with seven dots. This photos shows an example of each style from 1993;

I knew 1993 was the last year without dots but didn't know it was split. Thanks for the illustrative examples and info, Q.

Here is a Copperhead from 1979 and the one dot under the USA is not visible at any point in the opening process.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:46 am Fun Fact--tang stamps from early 1993 showed the actual numeric year (like the stamp Greg showed); however, apparently due to collector dissatisfaction with the change from the very popular "dot" dating system, Case (i.e., Jim Parker) went back to using the dots at some point during that year--which is why you can find some knives from 1993 with numbers and some with seven dots. This photos shows an example of each style from 1993;

A agree with everything Q says, with one exception. Parker was gone from Case when the decision was made to switch back to using dots. BTW the 1990-93 system of stamping the year on the tang is well documented in the AAPK “Research” section. https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... tification

Ken