what is the rarest case knife you have??

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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Mumbleypeg
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Mumbleypeg »

wornoutwrench wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:12 am What do you see that differentiates Winterbottom from stag like this?
Winterbottom usually has some jigging marks in the bottom and/or along the sides of the grooves, where the jigging machinery cut the grooves. The grooves are typically not smooth like stag (unless it’s second cut stag which also has grooves cut in it). You can search here on AAPK for Winterbottom and see examples for comparison. ::tu::

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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by jlw257 »

Winterbottom 6488 I use to own
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by olderdogs1 »

jlw257 wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:44 pm Winterbottom 6488 I use to own
Nice knife Larry, wish you still owned it. Actually I believe the other one looks Winterbottom to me. A lot of time Winterbottom sometimes gets worn through the years and loses most of the worm groove. Be easier to tell for sure if it was in hand of course.

Tom
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by XxTestedxX »

olderdogs1 wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 3:02 pm
jlw257 wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:44 pm Winterbottom 6488 I use to own
Nice knife Larry, wish you still owned it. Actually I believe the other one looks Winterbottom to me. A lot of time Winterbottom sometimes gets worn through the years and loses most of the worm groove. Be easier to tell for sure if it was in hand of course.

Tom
I agree.. the knife in question looks like worn winterbottom to me
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by wornoutwrench »

Thank you all for your opinions. :)
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Steamboat Willie »

I’m not what you would call a serious collector. Most of the knives in my Case pile I bought new because I use them. I saw this clasp knife on eBay one day though and couldn’t help myself. I don’t know how rare these actually are, but it’s the rarest one I personally own!
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by jmh58 »

👍😎👍
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Stone2678 »

Has anyone ever seen another like this ? Had for a while but never have been able to find a similar one. Would like to know how rare it actually is.
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by espn77 »

A Remington totem pole. Possibly my rarest in this condition.
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Stone2678 wrote: Tue Dec 28, 2021 11:29 pm Has anyone ever seen another like this ? Had for a while but never have been able to find a similar one. Would like to know how rare it actually is.
Welcome to AAPK. It’s a beautiful knife but I couldn’t begin to tell you how “rare” it is. During the past 30 years or so Case has become a mass producer of “collectables”. 1 of 500, 1 of 250, 1 of 100, etc, sometimes even 1 of 1. There are so many different variations of them that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to keep up with them. Which ironically makes them not so rare at all. ::dang:: JMO

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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by espn77 »

espn77 wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 4:43 pm A Remington totem pole. Possibly my rarest in this condition.
Sorry, didn't realize this was in the case forum ::facepalm::
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by dlr110 »

Honestly, I wouldn't know if a knife was rare or not unless it was documented somewhere or one of you guys told me.... ::shrug::
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Mumbleypeg »

dlr110 wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 7:26 pm Honestly, I wouldn't know if a knife was rare or not unless it was documented somewhere or one of you guys told me.... ::shrug::
This is kind of an interesting thread in that the question posed in the thread title is subjective. In one sense, if you only have one Case knife, it could be said that it’s the “rarest Case knife you have”, even though it might be a very common and popular pattern! :lol: I doubt that was the intent of the OP though.

“Rare” can be interpreted many ways, in different contexts. I typically think of it as an old survivor knife, probably from the Tested XX era or even older, and probably one that wasn’t a big seller at the time it was made. In other words there were probably not a lot of them made to begin with, and not many survived in a time when pocket knives were purchased to be used, not collected, and disposed of when no longer deemed useful. Therefore there are not many survivors still around today.

But to some collectors “rare” could mean a knife that was made last week - there were only a limited number like it made. It might be a very common pattern like a 54 pattern Trapper, but it has some unique handle material, unique scroll work on the bolsters, unique blade etch, or a combination of those or other embellishments. Made with the purpose of it being “rare” and collectable to someone.

So “rare” is in the mind of the collector, and examples of both types can be found in the posts in this thread. JMO!

Ken
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by knifeaddict1965 »

-
This may be my rarest.

I bought a collection of old Case knives several years ago and always thought this red stag 75 was not authentic due to the short long pull I had never seen before. I posted it on the site several months ago to see if there was any chance it was legitimate and got some positive feedback from some of the experts saying that it may very well be authentic as the stamp looks good and Case did have this modified long pull on some of their Tested era knives.

As of today, this is only the second 75 pattern I have seen with the shorter long pull and hopefully I can get it to a knife show one day soon and get a definite verification of it's authenticity.

If it is authentic, I would think it is pretty rare. If anyone has this version with the shorter long pull, I would love to see pictures of it.

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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by dlr110 »

Mumbleypeg wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 8:17 pm
dlr110 wrote: Wed Dec 29, 2021 7:26 pm Honestly, I wouldn't know if a knife was rare or not unless it was documented somewhere or one of you guys told me.... ::shrug::
This is kind of an interesting thread in that the question posed in the thread title is subjective. In one sense, if you only have one Case knife, it could be said that it’s the “rarest Case knife you have”, even though it might be a very common and popular pattern! :lol: I doubt that was the intent of the OP though.

“Rare” can be interpreted many ways, in different contexts. I typically think of it as an old survivor knife, probably from the Tested XX era or even older, and probably one that wasn’t a big seller at the time it was made. In other words there were probably not a lot of them made to begin with, and not many survived in a time when pocket knives were purchased to be used, not collected, and disposed of when no longer deemed useful. Therefore there are not many survivors still around today.

But to some collectors “rare” could mean a knife that was made last week - there were only a limited number like it made. It might be a very common pattern like a 54 pattern Trapper, but it has some unique handle material, unique scroll work on the bolsters, unique blade etch, or a combination of those or other embellishments. Made with the purpose of it being “rare” and collectable to someone.

So “rare” is in the mind of the collector, and examples of both types can be found in the posts in this thread. JMO!

Ken
\
Thank you Ken. I don't intentionally look for "rare" knives or anything else and I do value your opinion on a lot of things about knives.... ::handshake::
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by jmh58 »

knifeaddict1965 wrote: Thu Dec 30, 2021 2:07 am -
This may be my rarest.

I bought a collection of old Case knives several years ago and always thought this red stag 75 was not authentic due to the short long pull I had never seen before. I posted it on the site several months ago to see if there was any chance it was legitimate and got some positive feedback from some of the experts saying that it may very well be authentic as the stamp looks good and Case did have this modified long pull on some of their Tested era knives.

As of today, this is only the second 75 pattern I have seen with the shorter long pull and hopefully I can get it to a knife show one day soon and get a definite verification of it's authenticity.

If it is authentic, I would think it is pretty rare. If anyone has this version with the shorter long pull, I would love to see pictures of it.


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20210424_201121.jpg

20210424_213348.jpg
::tu:: 8) ::tu::
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by petekuhn »

I had this in Oct. Its gone but was real nice
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by Mumbleypeg »

petekuhn wrote: Sat Jan 01, 2022 10:54 pm I had this in Oct. Its gone but was real nice
Real nice, indeed! ::tu:: ::tu::

Ken
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

7250 case bros little valley

Has anyone seen another Case Bros sunfish with Tortoise handles that has not been rehandled ?
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pen tang stamp 7250 cb lv ny.jpg
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

Case Bros LV Canoe Jack
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

H1211 1/2 Case Auto Made by G Schrade
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

1. JD Case Kane Copper Jack
2. J Case Wharncliff
3. WRCase and Sons Cool Celluloid
4. Wr Case and Son Little Valley Goldstone
5. Platts Bros NY Ny 4 bl pen
6. WR Case and Son Bradford Match striker Bomb jack. Rare Son Bradford mark
7. 6394 WRCase Bradford
8. C Platts and Sons Eldred Cattle Knife, Sweet bone
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

zp4ja wrote: Sat Jan 17, 2015 10:29 pm Maybe not the rarest, but I have personally not seen another like it with this handle material. Full blades. In good shape for it's age and not a common CASE'S over BRADFORD,PA stamp. Circa 1914' to 1920' based on the stamp used.

CASE'S BRADFORD, PA GS223 with Fluted and Coffin Bolster. I think I recall Tom ahs a bone example if I am not losing my memory.

Jerry
Nice knife. Rare Mark. i'm guessing Its circa 1919
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

RalphAlsip wrote: Mon Jan 19, 2015 9:21 pm This one may be too rare for some folks (haha). I have convinced myself it is legitimate. It is a very fine example of knife making craftsmanship regardless. The "Bradford Penna" stamping (rather than "Bradford Pa.") is an indicator of being a contract knife for W.R. Case & Sons. I would like to believe that this knife was made by Napanoch (based on arched stamping). Goins mentions a "plier" knife made with this stamping by Valley Forge. There is no record that I can find that Case produced or sold a pearl 45 pattern. The 2 things that bother me the most with this example are the word "SABER" stamped on the tang and the brass separator in the split backspring when the rest of the components are nickel silver.

Thanks for looking. I am always eager to learn, so please share if you happen to know something about how this knife came into existence.
Ive had a few of the Valley forge Pliers Penna knives. Looking at yours with the Saber mark. I think yours is a fantasy knife.
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Re: what is the rarest case knife you have??

Post by celluloidheros »

Bank2collect wrote: Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:02 am
RalphAlsip wrote:This one may be too rare for some folks (haha). I have convinced myself it is legitimate. It is a very fine example of knife making craftsmanship regardless. The "Bradford Penna" stamping (rather than "Bradford Pa.") is an indicator of being a contract knife for W.R. Case & Sons. I would like to believe that this knife was made by Napanoch (based on arched stamping). Goins mentions a "plier" knife made with this stamping by Valley Forge. There is no record that I can find that Case produced or sold a pearl 45 pattern. The 2 things that bother me the most with this example are the word "SABER" stamped on the tang and the brass separator in the split backspring when the rest of the components are nickel silver.

Thanks for looking. I am always eager to learn, so please share if you happen to know something about how this knife came into existence.
here is mine
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WR case 63045 BOT.jpg
WR case 63045 F.jpg
WR case 63045 Fchip.jpg
WR case 63045 FCLOSED.jpg
WR case 63045 M Tang.jpg
WR case 63045 MTREAR.jpg
WR case 63045 PAT.jpg
WR case 63045 PT.jpg
WR case 63045 R.jpg
WR case 63045 TOP.jpg
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