Provenance of Case XX knives?

[jbib]

Let me stipulate I am not knowledgeable of value of Case knives. However, I see great differences in price of identical knives, like lockback or canoe for example. My question is simply how are the differences evaluated to determine the reasonable asking price?

 

[Rookie82]

Case knives tend to hold a higher collector value over other brands due to the documented history, tang variations which help date them accurately, and the massive collector following. People in Appalachia have been collecting and trading Case knives with each other since the 1950's (or longer). Case has been making knives for over 120 years, and the the older knives are sought after by die-hard collectors. As a general rule, the older knives are worth more than the newer ones. Certain handle types are more attractive to collectors. Certain patterns are always more popular than others. There are trends that ebb and flow over the years, but certain knives like a Tested era redbone congress will always be very valuable, if in mint condition.

 

[mph57]

I’m a small-time case collector. My guidelines are by no means 100% hard and fast but here are some of my price generalizations in no particular order:
1. Condition: Mint > Near Mint > Excellent etc.
2. Blades: 4 blades > 3 blades > 2 blades > 1 blade
3. Age: 1920-1940 > 1940-1964 > 1965-1969 > 1970 > 1979 etc.
4. Handle Material: Stag > Bone > Delrin > Composition etc.
5. Collectability: e.g. It seems like everyone loves a good Case Trapper, Congress, Stockman, Eisenhower or Peanut!
6. Rarity: Some of the older factory pattern numbers have long been discontinued and are pretty hard to find in mint/near mint condition.

So in your question about two Canoe knives….they could be identical, but of different age eras and different condition thus driving two different prices.

Just my .02 cents.

 

[Will Power]

Some very good collector knowledge from others there. I'd just like to add that here's nothing like Old School CASE Redbone, especially with NS liners.

 

[GPO MAN]

Some very good collector knowledge from others there. I'd just like to add that here's nothing like Old School CASE Redbone, especially with NS liners.

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I’ve been following some Case knife shows on FB. Prices on classic jigged red bone are getting up there. Would love to find one in my birth year.

 

[5K Qs]

I’ve been following some Case knife shows on FB. Prices on classic jigged red bone are getting up there. Would love to find one in my birth year.

Hope you find one soon.
You're lucky you can hunt for a Case from your birth year. I'm too old for that; all I can hope for is to find one from my "birth era" that covers a 25-year range (1940-1964) containing my birth year.

- GT

 

[JM2]

I'm not a collector, but rather a user. I go after the patterns I like. Right now I have 5 Case knives. I want to add 3-5 more. There is certainly a mystic that goes with them around here. When I was growing up, a Case XX was the thing every boy dreamed of and a Schrade OldTimer was as close as myself and many others got. A good solid user. Schrades began having a following too, sort of an anti-Case crowd, but I got the love for both.

 

[Old Hunter]

I'm too old for that; all I can hope for is to find one from my "birth era" that covers a 25-year range (1940-1964) containing my birth year.

But what splendid Case Knives to choose from, some of their best patterns. And you don't have to be a stickler for the year - one knife from the era can cover all the war babies and all the baby boomers! This is my "birth era" Case Knife - and like many from our birth years, it is built hell-for-stout. OH

 

[Tejas_Burny]

Some very good collector knowledge from others there. I'd just like to add that here's nothing like Old School CASE Redbone, especially with NS liners.

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Please tell me more about this knife, does the etch in the spey blade refer to the blade’s intended use? Is this a 18 pattern?

 

[Will Power]

T Tejas_Burny OK it's from the 1940-64 era and is their large 47 pattern in carbon with NS liners. The etch does appear on other Stockman too, I suppose it does refer to the gelding aspect of the Spey Maybe I'm squeamish but I don't usual use multi blades on foods, much prefer a single blade knife for this, avoids any nasty contamination....

I'm very keen on this knife and I obtained it through a trade with an outstanding contributor to this Forum last year. It's no easy task locating CASE Redbone here in the EU either.

Thanks, Will

 

[Tejas_Burny]

T Tejas_Burny OK it's from the 1940-64 era and is their large 47 pattern in carbon with NS liners. The etch does appear on other Stockman too, I suppose it does refer to the gelding aspect of the Spey Maybe I'm squeamish but I don't usual use multi blades on foods, much prefer a single blade knife for this, avoids any nasty contamination....

I'm very keen on this knife and I obtained it through a trade with an outstanding contributor to this Forum last year. It's no easy task locating CASE Redbone here in the EU either.

Thanks, Will

Thank you sir, it truly is a stunning knife. I just got my first 47 pattern for christmas and it instantly became my favorite case pattern.