1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

The W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company has a very rich history that began in 1889 when William Russell (“W.R.”), Jean, John, and Andrew Case began fashioning their knives and selling them along a wagon trail in upstate New York. The company has produced countless treasures and it continues to do so as one of the most collected brands in the world.
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WillyCamaro
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by WillyCamaro »

1967redrider wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:06 pm
WillyCamaro wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:54 am
1967redrider wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 2:36 am And here I was beginning to think the Case Classics market was dead. ::undecided::
Oh no mate, every CC I've seen up for sale/sold, since I got into knives 5 years ago, have brought big $$$.

It tis a low key, but very passionate sub-set of Case collectors that go for 'em, and I know why. Once you hold a few, you can see why they are so desired by collectors.
IMHO, they are some of the best production knives ever made; on par with, and in many cases, better then GEC. My dad has only 2 in his collection (long frame whittler, gunboat canoe), and they are my most favoritist knives Mr. Frodo.
:D

I have a few, Willy, but they just don't do it for me in the way a Case XX era or older knife does. I like the Bluegrass Winchesters better than the Case Classics, just my preference I guess. ::shrug::
Yup mate, it's personal preference. Like any collecting, different stokes for different folks.
And there is absolutely nothing like wrong with it! It's awesome for us collectors, having variety is the spice of life.
::tu::

It's kinda funny, I absolutely do love Bluegrass knives! But the biggest issue I have with them, is no variety of handle materials/colors. That's what I love about Case, they produce so many different handle materials, is suh-weeet!
::woot::
"Never, never, never give up."
Winston Churchill

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34
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WillyCamaro
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by WillyCamaro »

XX Case XX wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:02 pm
1967redrider wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 12:06 pm they just don't do it for me in the way a Case XX era or older knife does.
Yes. I think we're on the same track here. I just don't go quite as far back. Anything "Case" made prior to 1979 gets a good look from me. I have a few XX but not many. Those really older ones seem to get more scarce as the years go by.

____________
Mike
Fair points Mike. ::tu::
I cannot disagree in the least mate, 64-69 are my all-time favorite vintage Cases.
::woot::

Yet, I don't have a single example in my whole collection... :?
I guess I need to change that, pronto!
"Never, never, never give up."
Winston Churchill

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34
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rea1eye
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by rea1eye »

Colonel26 wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:53 am They’re well made knives for sure. But that’s about the ugliest stag I’ve ever seen. I hate fat stag, but fat stag that’s been butchered like that is even worse. Just my 2¢.

I agree. Extra fat stag like that is distracting. It brings nothing to the esthetics or
handling of the knife. IMHO

Bob
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Colonel26
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by Colonel26 »

rea1eye wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:08 pm
Colonel26 wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 3:53 am They’re well made knives for sure. But that’s about the ugliest stag I’ve ever seen. I hate fat stag, but fat stag that’s been butchered like that is even worse. Just my 2¢.

I agree. Extra fat stag like that is distracting. It brings nothing to the esthetics or
handling of the knife. IMHO

Bob
To me it just looks cheap and I hate the way it feels. But I’m weird I guess. I don’t like a lot of white in my stag or popcorn either.
“There are things in the old Book which I may not be able to explain, but I fully accept it as the infallible word of God, and receive its teachings as inspired by the Holy Spirit.”
Robert E. Lee
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Sharpnshinyknives
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

When I first started collecting I thought fat stag was interesting and considered collecting fat stag knives. But then I saw older Henckels, Hen and Roosters, Weidmannsheils and others that have taken all the excess stag from the back and left most of the bark on the front and that changed my mind quickly. I much prefer as much of the bark on the front as possible. Not to put down this knife, but it strikes me that the cutler didn’t take the time to trim the excess from the back of the stag slab and just cut and hafted it away off the front side. That just isn’t high quality to me.
SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
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FRJ
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by FRJ »

Sharpnshinyknives wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:35 am and others that have taken all the excess stag from the back and left most of the bark on the front and that changed my mind quickly.
I agree, I don't like thick handles on knives and I'll never understand, If the stag is so highly thought of, why in the world would you sand 60% of it off of your new knife just to get to the bolters. To remove material from the underside is the sensible thing to do in my view. Of course if it's a fad then it has dollar signs all over it.
Joe
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RalphAlsip
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by RalphAlsip »

There is no right or wrong answer to the thin stag vs. chunky stag - to each their own. However I'm in the thin stag camp.
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ea42
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by ea42 »

FRJ wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 2:59 am
Sharpnshinyknives wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:35 am and others that have taken all the excess stag from the back and left most of the bark on the front and that changed my mind quickly.
I agree, I don't like thick handles on knives and I'll never understand, If the stag is so highly thought of, why in the world would you sand 60% of it off of your new knife just to get to the bolters. To remove material from the underside is the sensible thing to do in my view. Of course if it's a fad then it has dollar signs all over it.
In the case of that knife they didn't stop with the bolsters, they shaved whatever was left of the bark off the middle of the knife in one flat grind. Whether it was to get the shield to lay flat or to just thin the knife it's ridiculous IMHO. Why even use (or waste) the stag? They might as well have just torched some bone and been done with it.

I've got nothing against fat stag handles but when you have a piece of stag that's so ridiculously bowed (which I'm thinking was the case) that you have to do THAT to a knife in order to get it to look "presentable", you're just ripping customers off.

You don't see that as often now as you did in the eighties and nineties.

Eric

PS - The above knife (RalphAlsip's post) is more like it! ::tu:: I've also seen some very well done fat stag.
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Sharpnshinyknives
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Re: 1000 dollar dueling elephants sunfish

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

Ralph that Case knife is beautiful. That stag is done to perfection.
SSk Mark “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan
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