Tips for newbie shopping Case knives

[cuttindux]

Good evening. I’m new to the forum as well as new to “knife collecting.” I have a couple dozen knives but nothing too special; Gerber folders, a few Buck’s & KOA’s for deer hunting, etc. About a month ago I found a couple of older traditional knives in my toolbox drawer and realized they had belonged to my late uncle. I got a hair to clean them up and sharpen them to the best of my novice ability, mostly to honor my uncle. I enjoyed that so much and in doing that, I did some searching on the history and year models of those knives. That led me to looking into Case knives and their history. I realized that none of my knives have much value per se and I thought that one day when I’m gone, I’d like my son to have my knives and at least some of them to have some kind of value, or more so, quality and meaning. I love the date stamp on Case knives. I love their look and rich history of the company. I love their collectibility. I’ve done a ton of reading and research over the last several weeks and spent countless hours looking at Case knives on eBay. That backstory leads me to my position that I could use some help on.

I’d like to look for a couple of meaningful knives in which one was made in my birth year (1975) and one in my son’s birth year (2013). I want the knives to be in a condition where they’re not so nice that we’re scared to use them (nor am I interested in paying an arm and a leg). I feel confident that I can find a 2013 for my son with no issues but I’m a little nervous about buying a 1975 Case knife off of eBay knowing there are fakes I need to be aware of. I spent about two hours tonight on that section of this forum and my head is spinning! Are there certain sellers that I should look for that might have authentic knives in that era? Sellers to avoid? Is it acceptable to come to the forums to ask for assistance before pulling the trigger on a purchase? Other better avenues for locating? I just realize even with all the research I’ve been doing, there’s no way I can fully learn what to look for and look out for in a 70’s era Case.

Thank you for letting me ramble. I’m grateful for any advice y’all are willing to share.

[Steve Warden]

Welcome aboard!
I, too, am a fan of Case. I am an accumulator, not a collector. That is, I use what I get; there are no "safe queens".

Go to the top of the page and you'll see a box to shop by brand. That takes you to the AAPK store. Simply type is Case!

And remember, the hunt is half the fun

[cuttindux]

Welcome aboard!
I, too, am a fan of Case. I am an accumulator, not a collector. That is, I use what I get; there are no "safe queens".

Go to the top of the page and you'll see a box to shop by brand. That takes you to the AAPK store. Simply type is Case!

And remember, the hunt is half the fun

Thank you Steve. I will do some looking there. I appreciate the feedback. And I like your term “accumulator.” I haven’t heard that one before, appropriate!

[treefarmer]

cuttinindux,
to AAPK!
I did something similar some years ago, bought a Case knife for each of the children's birthdays having the birth year match the tang stamp year. All ours were in the '70s, so fairly easy to find back then. Sad thing, I don't have a clue if they still have the knives or not?
I would hope knives given like this would become more or less "safe queens". And again, I suppose it would depend on how much a knife is used in a person's life style and how they value the special knife.
I like the term "accumulator" that Steve Warden mentioned. I started trying to collect Case and ended up finding out there were way too many brands for me to focus on only one. When I was a little feller, the old men had Case, Queen or Treebrands. (I had no idea about Boker.) I've learned different parts of our country had different knives than what we grew up with in Central Florida pre Disney.
We like pictures, share your knives with us and enjoy the interesting world of pocketknives.
Treefarmer

[QTCut5]

to AAPK, cuttindux!

Firstly my disclaimer: Although I have been a knife collector for many years and bought, owned and sold many knives, I am by no means an expert; however, you've come to the right place as there are numerous members here on the forum that are experts who can offer solid advice.

That said, I have learned a thing or two over the years when it come to 1970 vintage Case knives although my experience is primarily limited to Mini Trappers, pattern 07. If you're interested in that specific pattern, you can see some of the 1970's era 07 Mini Ts I collected in this thread:
viewtopic.php?t=52911&start=1175 (this is where my 1970s era 07s begins)

In my experience, you generally don't have to worry too much about knives from the "Dot Era" being counterfeited; most the fakes are the "Tested" (1920-1940) and "XX" (1940-1964) era knives. What you do have to watch out for is older knives that have been rehandled or newer knives that have had the blade(s) replaced with a blade from an older knife, which isn't particularly common for the 1970s era knives but I have seen it done on a few 07s. It's commendable that you've done your research but there's no better teacher than experience IMHO. I would recommend AAPK member and vintage Case knife expert "knifeaholic" if you're looking to buy a 1970s vintage Case knife from a trusted source with a large inventory--he's always had exactly what I was looking for at fair market value. Other sellers I've had good success with are Kennedy Knives and Sanders Knives (both have an AAPK store). I did a quick search for "1975 Case" in the AAPK stores and this is what came up: https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... mit=Search. Even if the available knives are not the pattern you are looking for, it's a good source to learn about the range of selling prices, and you can always try inserting other search terms to get a wider range of results...you might be surprised where the knife you're looking for is hiding!

Good luck in your hunt, and I hope you'll post some pics of your collection (or accumulation).

[XX Case XX]

Find this book at a price you can afford. Buy it. Read it. Study it. Author's name is Gerald Witcher.

As far as Case Knives go, there is one guy that is universally trusted: Steve Pfeiffer. He's a member here and goes by the name "Knifeaholic" as was already stated by QTCut5. Anything he tells you is pretty much Gospel.

Steve has books as well but they're out of print and crazy expensive. Maybe you can find one. Here's a picture of Steve's book.

Members here that own stores are trustworthy as well.



_________
Mike

[Mumbleypeg]

I think your concerns about counterfeits from the 1970s and more recent are nothing to worry about. The only fake I’ve seen from that time period was a 1970s dotted knife to which some shyster tried to add enough extra dots to make it appear to be a ten dot (1970) knife. Those 1970 knives are the first year Case implemented the “dots” date code system, therefore they have some increased collector value over another 1970s knife of the same pattern. It’s highly unlikely anyone would counterfeit a 1975 knife. The difference in value between a 1975, and a 1972 or 1979 for example, is typically insignificant - not worth the counterfeiter’s time and effort. The same goes for 2013. The counterfeited Case knives are largely confined to the XX, TESTED XX and earlier eras because those knives have relatively high collector value, thus the counterfeiters try to make money by creating fake versions of them and passing them off to unwary naive and uneducated collectors.

Having said that, there are folks who will modify knives from those 1970s and newer dates. Typically the modifications entail changing the handle covers, for example from yellow synthetic to bone or stag or from one bone color to another, etc. Not to make an ill-gotten profit, but just because they like another cover better. Or in some cases because they can, and they enjoy working on knives. Others don’t like the original knife’s blade shape so they re-profile it, from maybe a spey to a wharncliffe shape. Occasionally one of these modified knives finds its way onto the secondary market. Odds are low that you’ll encounter one of the modified knives for sale, but if you don’t want one of them becoming familiar with Case’s pattern numbering system, which specifies the handle material and usually the blade configuration in the pattern numbers, will help you avoid them. You can find info regarding that in the “Research” section here on AAPK (accessed by clicking on it in the header at the top of this page. Scroll down to Case knives).

Last but not least since you’re seeking knives to carry and use, whether or not a knife has its original covers or blade shapes is if lesser importance. The collector value of a mint condition knife is typically reduced by half the first time it is carried or re-sharpened. It goes down from there (but the curve is not as steep). So you can possibly save some money by looking for and buying an already-used knife. Sorta like buying a new car - there is significant value depreciation when you just drive it off the lot.

Bottom line is, IMHO your concerns are unwarranted. But if in doubt you can post the knife you’re interested in buying here and ask about it.

Ken

[cuttindux]

I appreciate each one of you taking time to reply to my post. Everyone had great points and makes me feel more at ease about shopping for “usable keepsakes.” It makes a lot of sense regarding the effort and profitability of counterfeiting certain years.

You all mentioned Steve Pfeiffer and I also received a private message suggesting I check with him, thank you all, I will reach out to him. I did find his eBay site and did some browsing and noticed his eBay user picture and it clicked. I just checked out his book from our local library last week and am partway through reading it! What a resource!

I admit I’m a neat freak and pretty OCD. I admire almost every Case knife I’m seeing so I’m having to mentally tell myself I’m shopping for the “used cars” and get something we’ll use to clean ducks, geese, dove and turkeys with, then clean them up a little. My dad didn’t hunt or fish so making those memories with my kids (I’ve got a daughter that hunts and fishes too) and processing animals for our freezer is pretty important to me, then them having these knives that put food on the table will solidify those memories. I hope a little of my OCD will rub off on them and they’ll keep up with the knives over time.

I have had a chance to briefly check a couple of the links sent in the thread which I greatly appreciate. I’ll spend some time on the site store as well. Very impressive. And as mentioned, it’s a great guide for price expectations and how to shop.

I thank each of you for your help and time today! Exactly the info I was looking for! I’ll continue to hang around on the site and research and as was also mentioned, hunting for knives is half the fun!

[Reverand]

Welcome to AAPK!

[woodwalker]

Welcome!!!

[cuttindux]

Welcome to AAPK!

Thank you Reverand. By the way, I’m an old PK. My dad is a retired pastor and hospice chaplain.

[cuttindux]

Welcome!!!

Thank you!

[Modern Slip Joints]

Your question's been answered in depth so I can't add much more than welcome to AAPK.

[cuttindux]

Your question's been answered in depth so I can't add much more than welcome to AAPK.

Thank you! Happy to have discovered this site. Yes, incredibly helpful advice, more than I expected.