Case XX Marlin Spike

S

SOUTHERN WOODS

Joined
Nov 17, 2011
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174
How rare are the Marlin Spike knives made by Case?

Anyone happen to know what year they were discontinued?

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My collector's guide doesn't indicate any of the 6246 pattern ('Rigger's Knife') being made past the 1980s (in jigged Delrin handles, for that vintage, which appears to be what you've got in the pic). All other versions in bone or yellow synthetic were 1970s and earlier.

BUT (here's the weird part), that tang stamp shown on yours in the pic appears to be post-2000 (both 'Xs and dots' in the date stamp above/below the 'CASE XX' with long-tail 'C'). I'm wondering if that's an 'old' knife with a re-blade (repaired with a later-vintage blade). How many X's and dots are shown on that tang (if you have the knife to look at)?


David
 
David, I'd have to agree with you in regards to the tang stamp and also the shield is circa 70's?

Paul
 
paulhilborn said:
David, I'd have to agree with you in regards to the tang stamp and also the shield is circa 70's?

Paul
Click to expand...

The shield might be '80s, maybe '70s carried into early '80s at latest. I have at least one Case folder (6265 Folding Hunter, 1981) with a shield like that.


David
 
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I agree looks like one I found on that auction site once. It probably had a broken/ worn out blade and of course that delrin and the spike will last virtually forever
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
My collector's guide doesn't indicate any of the 6246 pattern ('Rigger's Knife') being made past the 1980s (in jigged Delrin handles, for that vintage, which appears to be what you've got in the pic). All other versions in bone or yellow synthetic were 1970s and earlier.

BUT (here's the weird part), that tang stamp shown on yours in the pic appears to be post-2000 (both 'Xs and dots' in the date stamp above/below the 'CASE XX' with long-tail 'C'). I'm wondering if that's an 'old' knife with a re-blade (repaired with a later-vintage blade). How many X's and dots are shown on that tang (if you have the knife to look at)?


David
Click to expand...

According to the tang stamp it is a 2002. It was purchased in a hardware store and was the last model in stock in display case. Judging it upclose it appears to be new.

There was a camper model there also (master blade, punch, bottle opener, can opener, and pliers) with the same shield as this one. Same handle material as well (jigged Brown Derlin handles)

Just checked the 'Bay' and there appears to be one on there as well, same year. Same photo as well but I found the photo I posted above on Amazon and evidently the seller did as well. Appears to be a right sporty price. Maybe there was a limited special run? I don't see much everyday use for the knife personally but I found it at a deal. Might go back and pickup the camper model if these are somewhat rare.
 
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The spike (fid) is great for lining up holes, poking holes, stabbing food out of cans ... and of course opening up knots in ropes and smaller lines. I found this CASE in 2002 ... NIB. This is about the time they went out of production.

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Southern Woods - buy that "camper". Better to "have and not need" than "want and not be able to find". KnifeNut logic. :thumbup:
 
Well cool, there you go, back to the store all you needed was an excuse and now you got it;). Maybe the one I had was new too. I gave mine to a guy from Mississippi who worked on a tug boat he called Moonlite for a ride ( we pick up people at the airport and river port all the time) he was splicing a rope with a plastic ink pen when I pulled up and I just happened to have the rigger in my pocket that day. I don't know who he told but we pick up a lot more barge guys ever since.
 
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werent these actually produced by camillus for case? I believe Camillus made the Marlin spikes for Case and Buck
love the looks of this pattern, its on my list
regards
gene
 
It looks like the Camillus marlinspikes I had. I had a Camillus that looked just like that, except for the Case logo ;).
 
Well, there it is. Does look like Case re-released it. The pattern number (62146) differs from the earlier versions (6246), so that may be a hint at an updated model. No mention of that new pattern# in my collecting guide. The finish on the stainless blade does look same/similar to that on Camillus' stainless offerings (including Cami-made knives for Buck). Not polished, but a 'satin' finish. But still different from Case's 'as ground' finish with the very crisp edges on the spine, ricasso, etc. The edges of the spine/ricasso on this blade appear more smoothed/radiused, which looks much more like blades from Camillus. If it is Camillus, I also wonder if it was done in their default stainless (440A) as opposed to Case's 'Tru-Sharp' 420HC. I'm speculating a lot here, but it does raise some interesting questions.


David
 
The older style 6246 R SS as asemery posted was made by Case in house beginning in the Tested era (pre WWII), discontinued in the 1940's, made again from 1964 until it was discontinued in 1978. A yellow handle version was also made, from Tested all the way though XX era and discontinued in 1966. The older pre-WWII examples of both were not stainless but CV.

Then in 1979 Camillus started to make the version with the locking spike as in the OP. Case stopped selling that version in 1982, but then as others have noted it was reintroduced after 2000, again made on contract by Camillus. Discontinued for the final time when Camillus ceased operations. I think a yellow handled, bolsterless version was also made during a short period in this time frame.
 
SOUTHERN WOODS said:
According to the tang stamp it is a 2002. It was purchased in a hardware store and was the last model in stock in display case. Judging it upclose it appears to be new.

There was a camper model there also (master blade, punch, bottle opener, can opener, and pliers) with the same shield as this one. Same handle material as well (jigged Brown Derlin handles)

Just checked the 'Bay' and there appears to be one on there as well, same year. Same photo as well but I found the photo I posted above on Amazon and evidently the seller did as well. Appears to be a right sporty price. Maybe there was a limited special run? I don't see much everyday use for the knife personally but I found it at a deal. Might go back and pickup the camper model if these are somewhat rare.
Click to expand...

That camper with pliers is quite rare. Again made by Camillus. Camillus made a lot of the standard Camper 640045 R for Case, but the pliers model is very scarce, only produced for maybe one run. Camillus also made a yellow camper in that time frame, 340045R SS, shot run and quite rare.
 
My first post on this forum. Saw the question about how you'd require blade replacement. Rigging knives are intended to be abused. Fixed blade ones, in particular, are designed to have you place the blade on a piece of line on a cutting board, and strike with a mallet. Of course, if carried every day in a salt water environment, corrosion can also be an issue. Also, I don't know who actually did the manufacture, but it sure looks like the folding rigging knives like the one on the top (with the bail releasing the open spike) were the same, whether branded Case, Camillus, Buck, and probably others.
 
In the early to mid-eighties I knew lots of Boatswains Mates who carried that model knife. At one point they were in the Navy supply system as the old deck division chief used to get one for every deck seaman that made Boatswains Mate Third Class. I think those were made by Camillus.
 
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