Pattern numbers

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

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How and why are certain pattern numbers used? This is not in reference to the numbers denoting a 2, 3, 4 or even 5 blade knife. This is in regards to the 74 saddle trapper pattern, as opposed to the 73 trapper pattern. Why is the 23 pattern given to the larger version of the 73? Why is the Case peanut given the 6220/5220/3220 pattern number? Take out the bone/stag/yellow delrin, why is the pattern number 20 used as such?

I am guessing that many of the Great Eastern patterns come from the Remington catalog, at least in regards to seeing older Remington trappers that the 73 must be an "interpretation" of. Guessing that many of the pattern numbers started out as variations of a template hung on a shop wall, long before CNC machines, and patterns grew from there.

Does anyone have any idea how these patterns came about? I kind of had a grasp on how Benchmade gave numbers to their knives, with different numbers for balisongs, fixed blades and custom collaborations.

I know I am putting way too much thought into this, but I am interested in learning more about these pattern numbers. This is not related to just GEC and Case. All major companies. Do some companies use basic pattern numbers across the board, or just company specific?
 
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No idea, but I'm curious to see if anyone has the answer to this question.
If there is a "rule" for it, it's something that I can't see, or referred to something I know nothing of.
If it's just casualty, it's good to know :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
Wouldn't surprise me, if many of the original pattern numbers from Case, and others, just started out being a reference for company insiders to keep track of them. Maybe somewhat arbitrary, to catalogue, track inventory & differentiate between them. I'd be willing to bet, in the early days, company designers probably went through multiple 'prototype' designs for each pattern, and maybe the pattern numbers are based on whichever in a serialized sequence of drawings they 'chose' as THE ONE to represent that pattern. I've never seen or heard any 'logical' reasons to assign pattern numbers based on first/earliest production, or size or whatever. Case was very smart in using at least part of their pattern numbers to differentiate between handle materials and to delineate number of blades, but I have no idea how that aspect originated so very long ago.


David
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
Case was very smart in using at least part of their pattern numbers to differentiate between handle materials and to delineate number of blades, but I have no idea how that aspect originated so very long ago.


David
Click to expand...
Robeson did that too- a digit for handle material, then number of blades, then liner/bolster material(s), then 2 or 3 digits for pattern no.
No clue how they chose a pattern no., but I like your theory.
 
quattromori said:
No idea, but I'm curious to see if anyone has the answer to this question.
If there is a "rule" for it, it's something that I can't see, or referred to something I know nothing of.
If it's just casualty, it's good to know :)

Fausto
:cool:
Click to expand...

I can agree with this! I´ve asked this myself almost for some times, but never found an answer for me. It would be nice (just) to know it, where those pattern numbers come from.
 
In searching the web, I am seeing some scant references (on AAPK's site, and in a Google Books search link to Steve Pfeiffer's book) regarding the last two digits of Case's pattern numbers, as being the 'handle die code' for each pattern. Sort of jives with the assumption that it may have started with the particular template (literally) for each pattern. But, again, no idea as to how each handle die ended up with a particular number.

(from -->: http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/wr_case/about_case_knives/case_knife_numbering_system.php )

"The number on a Case knife represents various features associated with the knife. On a typical item, the number will consist of four digits. The first number represents the type of handle material used to make the knife, the next digit indicates the number of blades it has, and the last two digits signify the factory pattern number of the knife (assigned to the handle die). (...)
Click to expand...

Case didn't start stamping pattern numbers on their blades until after 1949 (according to the "Official Price Guide to Collector Knives", by C. Houston Price). So, there's still the additional ambiguity of when pattern numbers were assigned in the first place, assuming they were catalogued as such prior to that, and kept internal to the company.


David
 
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In some cases I suspect the pattern numbers were more or less in sequence, as patterns developed.
The first successful pattern may have had a low number, the last one, much higher. But then, they also re-used numbers from obsolete patterns (just to confuse collectors I am sure), so they went out of sequence in cases like that.
We may never know all the reasons for pattern numbers.
A lot of GECs inherited their numbers from famous antiques!
 
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