All About Pocket Knives

Can anyone tell me about this knife? I thought it strange, being a Case, that there were no pattern marks on the tang. I'm guessing there may have been some etching on the blade that is obliterated. A little help for the new guy would be appreciated.

Doug

The knife looks like a model 3Finn. Not uncommon for older (pre-1965) fixed blade knives to have no pattern number marked on the knife. I can’t recall seeing any older Case fixed blades, prior to the Kodiak Hunter (1962 introduction), with a blade etch. Prior to 1965 the stamps on Case fixed blades do not match those on pocket knives. After 1965 the stamps on fixed blade ricasso’s are the same as used on pocket knife tangs.

Since the stamp is CASE XX USA, your knife was made 1965-1969. Per info in Sargent’s Guide Case started stamping pattern numbers on fixed blades some time during the CASE XX USA era, so a knife having no pattern number but stamped with USA would be from early part of the USA era.

Ken

Being the knife has a flat ground blade I think it is a 315 pattern hunter. A regular production knife discontinued in the mid 1950s so it is at least 70 years old. Not at all an unusual Case knife for this time period.