I'm considering Case pocket knives for collecting and using. It seems that Case knives are available in lots of places. Does more knives in more places mean anything negative toward Case? Or should I just be happy they are easy to find?

Comment by Joe Burgess 

I'm considering Case pocket knives for collecting and using. It seems that Case knives are available in lots of places. Does more knives in more places mean anything negative toward Case? Or should I just be happy they are easy to find?

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There are many Case knives out there because Case made a lot of knives over a Hell of a lot of years (100+)…Take fifty basic knife styles and offer them in twenty different knife handle materials or colours and you do the math—one thousand different knives…Now toss in commemoratives and anniversary issues of just their own let alone all the states and companies—John Deere, Remington etc. and you see the numbers continue to escalate and then you add different blade materials like Damascus and the numbers skyrocket..

This means for a budding collector lots of excellent choices to start with and for little money—A friend just bought a dozen Trapper Knives in twelve different handle materials/colours and paid $150 for the lot ($12.50 a knife)…The seller had a set of Muskrat and Stockman and Canoe in basically the same set ups for around the same amount of money—I believe it totalled fifty knives for $500 and most were in their original boxes…I have one friend who only collects Case knives in the tin cans, preferably Cars or trucks, but he’s not that particular as long as it tin.

I only have a few Case knives—In them I only collect Sambar Stag and prefer Stockman, Congress, Muskrat, Trapper and Canoe models in all sizes otherwise I’d have to devote too much time, effort and money for a knife company that I can do without as I’m interested in fixed blades far more then folders B U T every collector has to have some in their collection.

The drawback to having thousands of different models out there is that counterfeiting is rampant so you had better know your stuff before ordering anything on-line…I’d say stay with knife shows or gun shows for the first little while until you develop an understanding of the different knives…Also join the various Case Knife Collectors groups out there and buy your first knives from them…I have never been to a show, outdoors, gun or knife where there wasn’t at least one Case collection on display and IIRC there were five at one show I attended in Arizona.

There are a number of books on Case Knives, get them and use them as reference material for what you want to collect within the Case line up…You can’t collect them all—some are astronomically priced and there are just far too, too many of them—I heard 4,500 models over the years but have no way—nor does Case for that matter—of verifying if that’s correct or not…I really think it’s low, by quite a bit.

About Knife Collecting – An excellent article – MUST READ

All About Pocket Knives - Identifying the Age of a Case Knife

Case Classics Club

W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. -- Case Collectors Club

Dealers:

Knifeworks --- Case Collectors

Shepherd Hills  -- Collecting Case XX Knives

Collector Knives.Net

One thing I've wondered about is stag handles and the variety of stag being used in past & present? For example, Case XX stag handles from the 60's & '70's vary greatly in appearance from what I see being marketed today. They have a rich honey color and often deep dark indentations. No doubt a different variety is being used today?

What is Sambar stag or the India stag used on some Canal Street and other knives? Can anyone shed some light on the varieties of stag or what to look for from a collector's perspective.

Kent,

Sambar Stag (if real) is the antler of a Sambar deer that comes from India and only from that Region of the world...Although there are wild game parks all over the world that offer them as a hunting option and are legitimate in calling them Sambar stag horns even if they came from Texas.

I have (genuine) Sambar that goes from pure white to almost black...I also have stag that started off whitish and ended up very dark due to lots of use--dirt, sweat, blood.

Colour variances are due to several factors--the size of the antler to begin with, where on the stalk the slab was cut from, the region that the animal lived in (climatic variables), what they had been feeding on and of course genetic (DNA) mutations within and between the herd(s).

Most of the stag comes from farms that raise the animals in pens and collect the drops, the shed antlers, and dry them out for a couple of years before offering them for sale.

Lots of companies take bones--cattle and swine, score them with routers, colour them (usually with a blow torch) and you have jigged bone that is supposed to look (and does) like Sambar stag...Reputable companies will tell you so.

I asked Steve Koontz of SMKW and he answered this in the Knives Live show.  He confirmed thatr Case has been using the same type of stag probably from the beginning. 

I know laws have changed on how it can be harvested but beyond that Stag (or Antler comes from either Sambar (Rusa unicolor) and or the India Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)  These deer  are used because they produce a heck of a lot antler material  Sambar Deer are raised in Florida.  There has always been debate on the quality of farmed raised stag vs. wild stag.  In reality, the quality of the stag may vary from one year to the next based more on the diet and health of the deer as opposed to the farm raised or wild.

Steve mentioned that unused stag will mellow over the years but not actually darken.   That siad, I assume that if the stag is used and handled a lot, the oil from your hands and other elements may affect its color.

Finally, the dyes used to color stag have also changed over the years due to economics and legislation.  For instance the dye used to make black was recently changed due to legislation and making  red dye has also changed many times due to cost and legislation.

As for second cut stag, this is stag cut from the interior area of the antler and then jigged to resemble the outside.  It is normally considered inferior to first cut stag.

As mentioned, originally cattle bone was jigged and burned to resemble stag when the price went sky-high or stag was short. 

While Stag bone is still sometimes produced, bone has come into its own and is often left smooth or jigged in countless patterns.  While less expensive than stag, there are some collectors who prefer bone.

Generally if cattle bone is used, scored and burned it will be called burnt stag.  As Shlomo mentioned a reputable company will use that term or another variable of it to disclose that it is not a "genuine" stag item.   

Is there a Case dealer near you?  You can find the nearest dealer here...http://www.wrcase.com/dealer/locator.php

Stag, antler will overtime darken (yellow) just like ivory does just from the pollutants in the air.

I have walrus, Narwhal and elephant handled knifes that after fifty, sixty years of being safe queens (due to CITES restriction) are now a lovely deep, golden yellow...They were seldom handled except for the yearly oiling and polish.

nice job blazing what kind of steel is used in the damascus you use..

this is a knife that a good friend donnie carter made for me.it is made with 440c steel and buffalo handle it fits the hand great and looks great to....

Thank you my Friend stephen ,

1082 or 1095 Steel for Damascus I use to make my blades for durability of the blade..

Some great ideas for what to look for in your quest for what to collect (or not)

Hello fellow collectors I have been collecting for 18 years and when I was new at collecting I started with knives that i like and it has been a great decision and I love my collection.The thing is if you dont like the knives in your collection collecting will not be as fullfiling a hoby as it could be just collect what you like and your collection will bring you alots of joy (at least it does with me) aslong you have it.Good luck new collectors.Here is some of my collection

I have a couple of knives from China and Pakistan the only marking is Stainless and country of origin. Would it be safe to assume they are 440A steel or is there another steel more often used on the less expensive end?

Bobby is the knife says stainless and the type of steel is not specified I would assume it is some grade of 420, most often 420J2 or some equivlent grade of steel such as 3CR13.

These are a tougher steel that will dull quickly.  A quick check is to see a magnet will stick to the blade.  If a magnet won't stick then the steel is very likely in the 300 series of stainless steels and is extremely poor quality. 

  Frost, Schrade, and several other companies use a 420 or nondescript 400 series of steel in their knives.  Same with many of the low priced house brand knives use find in the big box stores like Walmart, Cabelas, and Bass Pro Shops.

Despite the horror stories you hear, depending on the intended use of the knife 420 stainless will do just fine. If you like the knife and it is working for you, then enjoy it and resign yourself to the fact you may never know what steel is used in the blade.

It's all a matter of standards. Personally I won't mess around with a 420 blade. he only exception is Buck's 420HC but only because they have the heat treatment down right.

On any other manufacturer 440A or 8Cr13Mov is the lowest I'll go.

Just because there's no excuse for a crappy knife.

Knives in lower steels will work in a pinch or an emergency situation.....but anyone can do better than 420J. (Seriously that stuff dulls as soon as you look at it)

As a beginner collector with a low budged i have a few 8Cr13Mov blades now and like them a lot. Yes you need to learn how to sharpen them a bit more often but for me i like the value for the money. I also have a Leatherman Crater C33 with a 420HC blade and like that a lot too. Its very good value for money and they seem to have the heath treatment down also. The quality is as you expect from a Leatherman.

Leathermans are decent tools indeed. For a user you could do a lot worse.

I just found out about a new knife company called Bubba Blade (http://www.bubbablade.com/index.php) that uses 8Cr13Mov and has gotten some rave reviews in various knife and salt water fishing magazines.

It's comparable to AUS 8.

They go for around $80!   That's a serious price for a filet knife

Not really if it tolerates salt water.  We have been known to go through a 20.00 filet knife in a full season just due to salt water.  Bear in mind though, we were cleaning 40 fish a week.  So it could be high, but in some places it could be a savings 

good point, Jan.  It really does depend on how heavily you're going to use it and where you are going to use it.

just joined iKC & the beginning collectors  group.  Looking for help & guidance to identify my grandfathers Imperial jack knife. Any help or direction would be appreciated.  thanks!

Welcome Paul.   Do you have some measurements on that knife?

Thanks Tobias.  it looks to be 3-1/4" folded & the main blade currently sits at just over 2".  Looking at the 1959 catalog (which is a bit older), mike looks closest to the "Jumbo-Jack Knife".  Mine has the 3 brass pins but more rounded caps. Any thoughts?

Here is a link to Paul's photo elsewhere here in IKC- which provides a lot of  additional information-

http://iknifecollector.com/photo/j-clark-nicholson-imperial-jack-kn...

John,

THANK YOU!  Always good to see the info here