Do the Schrade collectors also collect Case?

W

waliguy

Joined
Mar 7, 2006
Messages
97
Just wondering...

I have a very meager collection of Schrade knives (concentrating now on OTs) and two Case knives. I chose to focus on Schrade because I enjoy the knives, and quite frankly, they are less expensive to collect, compared to Case.

Is Case a bad word on this forum? Why isn't there a Case forum within BladeForum? Or did I just not see it? Do you collect both Schrade and Case?
 
By definition, a Schrade Collector is someone who collects Schrades and a Case Collector is someone who collects Case. But, there is nothing to prevent a person from being a Schrade Collector AND a Case Collector.
 
Case is perfectly fine with me, no problems with them at all. Just not my bag. I have two case toothpicks, both I received from members of this forum, and for that reason, I value them. But I've never gone out of my way to buy one.

If you are going to collect old Case knives, well, do your homework. There is reason that up to one half of some knife collecting books are devoted to Case.. long history, plenty of offshoot companies, many, many patterns and models, ect. Case is probably the most 'messed' with collectible knife there is. Fakes and counterfeits. You have to really know your stuff to build a

Collecting new Case knives is easy.. just wait for the next limited edition of 3000 of five or six different patterns and buy one of each. You get so-so blade steel, sloppy fit and finish and a very pretty handle. Just my opinion.

As you may be able to tell by my screen name here, I am a 'pattern' collector; that is I collect examples of the five inch texas toothpick, those made by everbody and his brother. Exposes me to lots of different manufacturers.

Phil
QueenToothpicks.jpg
 
I collect knives, now some of them happen to be Schrade, and some happen to be Case while still others are Queen and Camillus.

So I guess you could say yes.:)
 
I started collecting Case, Buck etc... but simply fell in love with Schrade knives. I then sold all my other knives and used that money to buy more Schrades with. There is nothing wrong with Case but if I spend money on them or any other knife for that matter, it takes money away from my Schrade addiction. If collecting other brands of knives makes you happy, then I say go for it, otherwise I would stick to Schrade. Jamie.
 
I have two Case knives. One is a tiny lightweight I received as a Christmas gift with a Case black nylon wallet some years back. The other is one I found while wade fishing Indian Creek for panfish. I thought I had found someone's special engraved knife until I deciphered the engraved signature. Eisenhower. I seriously doubt Dwight fished there. Both are decent knives, but as others have said, I have my plate quite full with finding and sorting the Schrades. Case is very prolific and caters to collectors by making a wide variety of knives. I have no idea of the current quality, but many former Schrade dealers have picked up the Case line after loosing Schrade.

Codger
 
Yes, I collect both brands. Both companies made, and Case still makes, great knives. I love my Old Timers dearly, they represent real value in a working tool, kinda like a Win. 94, Red Wing boots, or a worn Carhartt jacket. Something a man will spend his hard earned $ for and not worry that he's going to have to go buy a replacement next week because it didn't hold up. In a way, a OT knife is a reflection of my personality to a degree.

I also love my Case knives, when you hold a well made Case in your hand, you are holding one of the best you can get for any price. Case still makes a good carbon steel pocketknife, sometime you have to look a bit harder in all the limited editions and special runs for the good stuff, but they do make a real working knife(with both bone and derlin scales) for a fair price. Check out the Amberbone CV series or the new Redbone CV series for some nice knives. The large stockman pattern in CV is a awesome knife, mine is very well fit and finished. I also think its important to support traditional knifemakers still in operation in the USA, its part of our heritage, and we have lost enough of that lately. How many of us here took Schrade for granted while we pusued the latest fads in knifemaking? I know I did and regret it. I'll try not to let the same be said for Case.

Schrade.....Case..... room for both in my collection and pocket. Anyone that likes good knives should have room for both.
 
I have always liked knives, but never really intended to collect them. As I started buying knives that interested me, they just started piling up to the point where I now have a bunch of them. I only have a couple of regular Case pocket knives that I picked up when buying some Schrades that a lumberyard was closing out.

Whether it's true or not, I always felt that most modern Case knives were made to be bought by collectors, and as such, they didn't appeal to me. I have also bought very few of the Schrade "collectibles" for the same reason, even though I have picked up a few oddball knives.

If I were to start all over, knowing what I know today, this is what I would buy and concentrate on, Schatt & Morgan by Queen:






 
I guess I've been carrying a pocket knife for at least 60 years.
For the first 30 odd years,it was always a Case.Then Case became enamored with stainless blades and carbon steel models were hard to find in my area.
So,I bought a 34ot and forgot about Case.In fact,a month after I bought the first one,I went back and got 5 more.Later,I bought 4 more.Between losing a few and giving some away for Christmas gifts,I was down to one last year so I went to get some more and couldn't find any.
When I found out Schrade was out of business,I managed to get a few off eBay and Auction Arms.Now,I have 8 34ot's and hope that lasts my remaining years.
Then,I stumbled onto this forum about 4 months ago.Now,I've got about 25 more Schrades,besides the 34ot's.
Don't hang around here,these guys will get you hooked!I never saw a forum whose "regulars" were so willing to converse and provide reliable information to new people.
As far as Case,I still have a mint 62087 XX SS,a mint 6254 Case "tested XX Razor edge" etch on the blade,a 6233 that is worn out,and a couple Jean case and Kinfolks fixed blades.
Others in the cabinet are some Bucks,Kershaws,Kutmasters,etc.
One of the problems I have with Case,other than their almost 100% abandonment of high carbon steel,is that they "churn" their models and tend to issue a slew of commemoratives every year.
That kind of crap has about killed the "collectibles market".I'll give you Dept. 56 and Boyd's Bears as an example.When they first came out,people bought what they liked and started collecting them. Every year,the companies issued new models and people added to their collections.At first,the early models appreciated,then they went the other way because the Companies had flooded the market and they were still issuing more.
My sister-in-law collected Boyd's bears from the start,paying more than retail even,to make sure she got them all. Two years ago,she had over 800 and due to a impending divorce,decided to get rid of some. She got a big disappointment when she found out that they were worth less than 40% of the original price.:mad:
Beanie Babies,Cabbage patch dolls - do those ring a bell?
You might want to switch to collecting U.S.A Schrades,because unlike Case,they ain't making any more - ever!:thumbup:
Incidentally,the Case factory at Bradford is about 100 miles from me and I've been there a few times.
Whatever you do,welcome to the forum !!
But be careful or you'll wind up a Schradaholic!:D
Ron
 
I have two Case knives. I bought two when Lowe's were dumping them at about 75% off. I gave the Makio to a son-in-law for Christmas and he loves it. Of course I did have to put an edge on it first.
I still have the trapper with a blue bone handle. A week or two ago I found a Case with 3 blades, one of which is an awl. It has been well used, but has plenty of life in the blades yet. I like the worn feel of the bone handles and it is very nice carbon steel. Also I got it at a pawn shop for $5........Good carbon steel for $5..........it hit me in my weak point. :D I like it and it takes a great edge, but I can't find a new one with carbon steel.

I agree that they seem to churn out tons of commemorates every year to the point that they just seem to be stock items.....nothing special about them. Parker did that also in the 80's (IMHO), but I think the Case knives were better then than the Parker's. Now they just seem to be a commemorative factory where every knife is a commemorative.

Just my $.02
Dale
 
I've got 20 or so Case knives, but I collect only the Full size Trapper and a few Russ Lock and beyond that I buy only the handles that interest me. Within the Trapper addiction I also now have quite a few Schrade and one CSC, so I guess my collection of 50 or so Trappers is fairly well represented by both Case and Schrade. I even have a Jaguar that I got from LT

Paul
 
I have a couple of Case knives. I don't specifically collect them though. Ditto with Buck, AG Russell, Spyderco, etc. I have a few, but don't aggressively buy them. Ditto with Schrade until they went out of business. I've always had a few, then last year began to seriously collect OldTimers and a few others.

-Bob
 
waliguy said:
Do the Schrade collectors also collect Case?
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T. Erdelyi said:
I collect knives, now some of them happen to be Schrade, and some happen to be Case while still others are Queen and Camillus.

So I guess you could say yes.:)
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As T.Erdelyi says, I collect knives. Some "brands" I only have one of, a particular version that struck my fancy at the time, others I have several of but by no means a full line nor intentions of trying to acquire such. One's "reason(s)" for collecting is/are as many and as varied as there are individuals. Personally, I do try to avoid "made in China". Not always successful but I don't break out into hives if it happens.. I collect (defining "collect" as more than two) Case, Buck, Browning, Kabar, Sears/Craftsman. Parker-Edwards and a few others. OH!! And of course Schrade and schrade related, but always, within what I can afford and most importantly, what I find pleasing to the eye.

So, I also would have to say "Yes" to your question, at least as it relates to me.

regards,

dannyb :)

OBTW, Would one every consider their "collection" complete?? Depends upon the quest I imagine and that ever present "individuality" factor..
 
Codger_64 said:
Más burros, pocas mazorcas de maíz!!

Codger :D
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He he, Hay que apurarse, antes de que nos ganen los tragones.

We must hurry, before the gluttons beat us.

Luis
 
¡Sí jefe, estoy traspalando tan rápidamente como puedo!

Codger:D

Yas Boss, I'm shoveling as fast as I can!
 
One of the things that makes this forum just plain fun to read is that the collectors are diverse in just about every respect (everyone likes Schrade, but often that is the only point of agreement). Where else can you get detailed model historys, occasional rants, grovels and recommendations in a cool bi-lingual format? Ya gotta like it. I buy Case and Buck as well as Schrade (BTW-my last Case purchase came about after getting recommendations on this forum on the closest knife to the 897UH).
 
I dont think its possible to only collect 1 brand of knife. I have a few Buck, Western, Camillus and Frosts (candy cane) and Colonials, Laguiole, Theirs, and and and...Oh ya a Case or two too.

TTYL
Larry
 
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