W.R. Case and son little valley wreck

P

Pipeman

Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Messages
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Here's an early Case Cattleman <?. They seem to have been made for only a couple of years and were made by Case, Platt or possibly Napanoch. Is there any way of telling by the mark who made it?
I'm posting this on Bernards forum as well although he is very rarely there lately.
Added a pic of the mark on the broken blade, there is no wear on the tang so the mark is nice and sharp.

Best regards

Robin
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What a treasure, Robin!! I have an old wreck with the same stamp, but its so badly worn away, so it's hard to tell exactly. I will wait to see what the masters say concerning your question.


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Looks like it might have been a reddish bone at one time, Robin.
If it is around 3 5/8" long, it is probably a 6345. You may have already seen this Tang chart:

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In this pic, the bottom knife is from the same era, I believe. It has early rogers bone, and a shield, but the blades might tell you a bit.

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Gevonovich said:
What a treasure, Robin!! I have an old wreck with the same stamp, but its so badly worn away, so it's hard to tell exactly. I will wait to see what the masters say concerning your question.
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Hi Bro
I was reading on another forum that some of the steel from other makers was inferior. The blade that snapped off is a very old break and for sure it was being twisted when it broke, the tang is even twisted.There seems to be so few around that I wonder if there are enough for mark comparison. It's sure seen a life of hard work..

Very best

Robin
 
Thanks Charlie It is 3 5/8ths and sure looks like the 6345. The broken stub looks like a pen blade to me but could have been a narrow sheepsfoot as well. I have not found a Case chart with the W.R. Case and Son(singular) mark from Little Valley NY. So far it seems that they opened in 1901 and by 1905 they were in Bradford. Thanks again for the pattern.

Best regards

Robin
 
Pipeman said:
Hi Bro
I was reading on another forum that some of the steel from other makers was inferior. The blade that snapped off is a very old break and for sure it was being twisted when it broke, the tang is even twisted.There seems to be so few around that I wonder if there are enough for mark comparison. It's sure seen a life of hard work..

Very best

Robin
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The more I look at mind its probably a Bradford. I hope we see more tang stamps like yours in this thread for comparison. I just love these old knives and yours is something special, my friend!!
 
Hi Bro
If it's marked Sons then it's Bradford, I Think. So look to see if there's an s. I'm getting confused reading bits and pieces in a lot of places. Apparantly the W.R. Case and son knives are from little valley. W.R. Case and sons are from Bradford. I think the two marks are different wings of the family. BUT don't quote me. :D Missed your pics until now. That's a great slimline. It kind of looks like Bradford to me.

Best regards

Robin
 
Just looked at it under the dissecting microscope and there is definitely the bottom portion of the "S" in SONS. Its almost certainly Bradford as well. The history is so interesting with the Case Brothers.
 
Gevonovich said:
Just looked at it under the dissecting microscope and there is definitely the bottom portion of the "S" in SONS. Its almost certainly Bradford as well. The history is so interesting with the Case Brothers.
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The more I read about the early years, the less I know :D

R
 
This description is found on page 156 of the 'Official Price Guide to Collector Knives', Fourteenth Edition (2004) by C. Houston Price:
"(...) Through the support and financial assistance from his father, "Russ" Case founded a knife brokerage firm in Little Valley, New York, in 1902. In an effort to have customers perceive his new business as being well-established, he not only used his grandfather's (Job R. Case) picture in the company's advertising, but he also used his father's name in naming the company W. R. Case & Son.

Russ Case purchased knives for his brokerage business on contract from Platts Brothers Cutlery Co., Cattaraugus Cutlery Co. and others. Consequently, there were many pattern variations during this 1902-1905 period preceding his own factory."
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This appears to imply that Russ Case's company wasn't actually making these 'Little Valley' knives, as he had no factory prior to moving to Bradford, PA., but instead had them made under contract. On that same page in the guide, there are various tang stamps shown, one of which appears to match the stamp shown in your pics.

Don't know if this adds any to what you've already discovered, but I hope it's helpful. Great find, on that knife, BTW. :thumbup:


David

Pipeman said:
Here's an early Case Cattleman <?. They seem to have been made for only a couple of years and were made by Case, Platt or possibly Napanoch. Is there any way of telling by the mark who made it?
I'm posting this on Bernards forum as well although he is very rarely there lately.
Added a pic of the mark on the broken blade, there is no wear on the tang so the mark is nice and sharp.

Best regards

Robin
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11252104824_c72d62a717.jpg
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SaintlyBrees said:
Oh, my. What a beautiful little knife. Sleek, classy, and gorgeous. I love it!

I don't have anything to add, but thank you for sharing that picture. :)
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Thank you and it's my pleasure!! It has no haft on the other side or I would at least carry it. Thanks to Robin for a reason to get it out again.
 
I have a w r case and son little valley ny pocket knife with full blades bone
handles one stress Crack it a bare headed jack knife 3 7/8s
 
trappernate said:
Can I email you a picture can't figure out how to post a picture
Click to expand...

Paid members can upload pictures from their computers, but anyone can open a photo hosting account.

1. I use www.photobucket.com .

Download your pictures.
Go to your Photobucket album.
Click on the picture you want.
Go to the right and see Links to share this photo
Left click on IMG. It will flash Copied. Paste into your post.

2. Another way: go to http://www.imgur.com and upload your image.
After uploading, select the BBCode option - it starts with .
Copy & Paste to your thread.

3. You should also [URL="http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/353471-READ-THIS-FIRST!-How-to-ask-questions-that-get-answered"]READ THIS FIRST![/URL] How to ask questions that get answered which includes photo posting instructions.

4. For a detailed TUTORIAL: Displaying your photographs on BladeForums
[url]http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/742638-TUTORIAL-Displaying-your-photographs-on-BladeForums[/url]
 
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