Is this Case knife authentic?

K

k9barker

Joined
Jul 16, 2011
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127
Hi all,

I'm pretty brand new to traditional knives, but am in love with this particular Case model. The only issue is that I have very little knowledge on how to spot fakes, or a bad deal in general.

I was hoping you guys could help me out with this. This is the knife.

$(KGrHqJ,!pQFD8ZIi84zBRBcu9dwWQ~~60_3.jpg$(KGrHqN,!jEFDsM1GGE(BRBcvIF9Jw~~60_3.jpg$(KGrHqJ,!iQFDnlS61CLBRBcv!KKQQ~~60_3.jpg$(KGrHqV,!qUFCzc9cBhzBRBcvKWLz!~~60_3.jpg

The info on the knife is that it is from 1920-1940, and has been professionally cleaned. I don't want a rework, and I'm sure you guys frown upon the cleaning.

Thanks for any advice and help,
Kyle
 
It would be very difficult to judge your knife's authenticity from your pictures. Even then judging from pictures is difficult. What is the number on the other side of the tang that says Case Tested XX? Cleaning is very hard on collector value.
 
I think it is original, but worn down quite a bit, on the order of 30%, especially the main blade.
Then it was polished to look shiny.
It is easier to tell if you photograph the knife from square on or 90 degrees.
That is why scans tell a truer story.
 
Only thing I can add is, even Case's own tang stamp reference (at the site linked above) is sometimes incomplete. Same is true for other published and usually-reliable sources (AAPK, etc.). Stamps on individual knives often look different, but will still be genuine; especially on smaller blades, where the stamping tools used would have to be smaller than used on larger blades. Over the 100+ years of Case's history, there's bound to be a lot of variation, especially on very old knives.

This would be an excellent candidate for Bernard Levine's forum, if you haven't already posted it there:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/f...-Levine-s-Knife-Collecting-amp-Identification

Edit: Case didn't start pattern-stamping (by number) until after 1949*, during the 'XX Era' stamping period (1940 - 1964 or so). If the knife is actually older (and it would ordinarily be, assuming the 'Case Tested XX' stamp is real), I would not expect to see a pattern number stamped on the back of the tang.

( * = According to the Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, Fourteenth Edition (2004), by C. Houston Price. )


David
 
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I agree the knife looks legit. Professionally cleaned = professionally devalued. Even though cleaning it was a mistake from a collector's point of view, you still have a nice old knife. You should carry and use it.
 
These are the pictures provided by the seller, I haven't bought it yet and probably won't. I wish I could upload some better pictures to be positive. I believe the number on the other side is 079, but I can't be certain. Either way it sounds like a bad buy. Thanks guys, I might ask for some advice in the near future when another catches my eye.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Edit: Case didn't start pattern-stamping (by number) until about 1949*, first during the 'XX Era' stamping period (1940 - 1964 or so). If the knife is actually older (and it is, assuming the 'Case Tested XX' stamp is real), I wouldn't expect to see a pattern number stamped on the back of the tang.

( * = According to the Official Price Guide to Collector Knives, Fourteenth Edition (2004), by C. Houston Price. )


David
Click to expand...



If the tang stamp is legit, which from the picture actually does look very much like a correct Tested era stamp, and what the OP says about the #079 on the reverse, then we have one of two situations:

1. The knife is a fake

2. Some Tested era knives have pattern numbers stamped. I know this to be true as I have one.

#079 is in all likely hood the correct pattern number.
 
ptradeco said:
If the tang stamp is legit, which from the picture actually does look very much like a correct Tested era stamp, and what the OP says about the #079 on the reverse, then we have one of two situations:

1. The knife is a fake

2. Some Tested era knives have pattern numbers stamped. I know this to be true as I have one.

#079 is in all likely hood the correct pattern number.
Click to expand...


The '079' might be a partial reference to the pattern also. It might be that the distinction of before/after 1949 applies to the full pattern number. A full pattern number usually has at least 4 digits, and includes indicators for handle material and # of blades, which the '079' obviously doesn't include. The '079' looks like the reference to the 'Sleeveboard Pen' pattern 62079 (bone), 82079 (pearl), 92079 (imitation pearl) from Case (as listed in the guide I referenced earlier).

Again, this might be a good one for BRL to look at.


David
 
From AAPK


"Pattern # 79

Case has manufactured a two and a three-blade 79 pattern.

Case manufactured some three blade 79 pattern knives prior to 1940. Most have a spear or clip master blade along with a pen and file blade.

The two blade version is a 3 1/8" pen knife that is most often referred to as a senator pen or equal end pen. They usually have a spear master blade (sometimes a clip master) along with a pen blade that opens on opposite sides. Some do not have left side bolsters, and a few have bails on the left side. Case introduced these knives were sometime prior to 1915. "


That being said I agree this would be a good one for BRL. We can debate until the cows come home over. :D
 
I contacted the seller and there is no 079 on the reverse side of the main blade, sorry for the confusion guys. I have an identical pattern to this one from 1965-1969 that does have the 079, this one however, does not.
 
Not debating the point at all. This is all good info.

My guide appears to distinguish the '79' pattern as the Senator version. Also appears that the Senator pattern (79) is equal-ended, and the sleeveboard (079) is slightly narrower at one end (pen blade end), as appears to be the case with the OP's pictured knife. That seems to be consistent with other sleeveboard patterns, which all seem to be tapered at one end.


David

ptradeco said:
From AAPK


"Pattern # 79

Case has manufactured a two and a three-blade 79 pattern.

Case manufactured some three blade 79 pattern knives prior to 1940. Most have a spear or clip master blade along with a pen and file blade.

The two blade version is a 3 1/8" pen knife that is most often referred to as a senator pen or equal end pen. They usually have a spear master blade (sometimes a clip master) along with a pen blade that opens on opposite sides. Some do not have left side bolsters, and a few have bails on the left side. Case introduced these knives were sometime prior to 1915. "


That being said I agree this would be a good one for BRL. We can debate until the cows come home over. :D
Click to expand...
 
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