Can anybody date this Case trapper? Can't find the tang stamp.

[screened porch]

I don't see the fat C with round esses in the usual chart.

 

[paulhilborn]

I noticed that before as well Jer, the chart shows the S but in the lightning S. I just used the date as it was assuming the S was overlooked discerning the difference between the two?

That said, if it has USA under Case (can't quite see it), I'd say 93-99 depending on dots, according to chart?

 

[screened porch]

That could be; the old round s for carbon and runic for stainless, maybe.
Which would make it 1993-99, I believe, except I don't see that this stamp ever had room for dots. The "USA" doesn't quite clear the bolster.

 

[paulhilborn]

That could be; the old round s for carbon and runic for stainless, maybe.
Which would make it 1993-99, I believe, except I don't see that this stamp ever had room for dots. The "USA" doesn't quite clear the bolster.

Is the S in USA rounded or lightning?

 

[screened porch]

Is the S in USA rounded or lightning?

Rounded.

 

[paulhilborn]

I agree with your thoughts on Carbon vs Stainless then in regards to the shape of the S. They should note that or show the difference of the two tang stamps then.

 

[screened porch]

I think someone here told me about the round for carbon and angular for stainless.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Is it not on the case site or AAPK that the lightning bolt S is for stainless steel ?
I definitely read it somewhere that's for sure.
Every stainless case I've handled had them, and my current only CV case has a regular S.

 

[screened porch]

I've read that about the stainless "s" somewhere too. Trouble is, the nearest I see to this tang stamp had dots under "USA" and there's no room for dots on this one.

 

[Railsplitter]

Regarding the stainless/cv concept. The different uses of the "S" used to be explained on the Case website under the Case College but it disappeared with the website upgrade. I can't find it anymore. Maybe someone else can.

Here are two knives from the same decade. 2000-2009. Note that the carbon steel Pocket Hunter has the regular S and the stainless steel Mini Trapper has the lightning S. What I find odd is that they are both stamped CV and SS elsewhere on the knives which kind of defeats the purpose of the different S's.