Odd W.R. CASE & SONS hunter/ fixed blade.

[MCM]

Here is one I need some help with.
Not mine, but available to me.
Thought it was re-handled. But the handle material kind of
looks like what was used on the Kinfolks/CASE throwing knives?
Just noticed that, and wanted to ask.
What is this thing? Does it have any real collectable value?
Aside from being an early Case knife.
Thanks!

[MCM]

I went ahead and bought it. Not a ton of cash. And just too odd to pass up.
Have never seen one like it.

[stockman]

Looks re-handled to me. I think value is low. Harold

[MCM]

If it was re-handled, who would pick that material?
It should be here late next week.
If I find out for sure it was re-done. Will probably re-do it again.
Fun project either way.

[btrwtr]

If it was re-handled, who would pick that material?
It should be here late next week.
If I find out for sure it was re-done. Will probably re-do it again.
Fun project either way.

It has been re-handled and the person that had that material would pick it to make the knife serviceable again. Looks like they did a good job getting back to working order. The guard is also not original to the knife. The handle has a non-original (not Case) profile so it must now be a hidden tang knife that has had the profile changed. Given the blade wear and changes made I would say the value is that of a good using knife with a lot of curiosity to it.

[Gunsil]

I agree that it has been re-handled and the guard is not original. Only value is as a user, not really any collector value left. 0dd looking knife but kinda cool looking too. Blade is post 1922, can't use Case pocket knife tang charts for Case fixed blades.

[MCM]

If it was re-handled, who would pick that material?
It should be here late next week.
If I find out for sure it was re-done. Will probably re-do it again.
Fun project either way.

It has been re-handled and the person that had that material would pick it to make the knife serviceable again. Looks like they did a good job getting back to working order. The guard is also not original to the knife. The handle has a non-original (not Case) profile so it must now be a hidden tang knife that has had the profile changed. Given the blade wear and changes made I would say the value is that of a good using knife with a lot of curiosity to it.

btrwtr, Thanks for the info. What Case / Kinfolks model knife do you think It may have started out as?
Thanks in advance!

Have an older KA-BAR skinner with a similar profile. Have had it 40 yrs or so now.
Photo of 3 below / from the same seller. Ships tomorrow.

[MCM]

I agree that it has been re-handled and the guard is not original. Only value is as a user, not really any collector value left. 0dd looking knife but kinda cool looking too. Blade is post 1922, can't use Case pocket knife tang charts for Case fixed blades.

Is this fixed blade chart accurate? Am new to these, thanks!

[Gunsil]

Your KA-BAR 662-5 is a nice knife! Blade has been sharpened down somewhat, should be wider but still a beautiful knife. Regarding tang stamp or in this case ricasso stamp charts I have never seen an accurate one. This one is missing one of the prevalent Case fixed blade marks and not all dates are proper. Nowhere near as bad as the pocket knife charts put out by Case. The one put out by KA-BAR is so bad it's fairly useless.

[1967redrider]

Appreciate your input, Gene.

[MCM]

Your KA-BAR 662-5 is a nice knife! Blade has been sharpened down somewhat, should be wider but still a beautiful knife. Regarding tang stamp or in this case ricasso stamp charts I have never seen an accurate one. This one is missing one of the prevalent Case fixed blade marks and not all dates are proper. Nowhere near as bad as the pocket knife charts put out by Case. The one put out by KA-BAR is so bad it's fairly useless.

Thanks, on Case knives, I dont know, what I dont know. Appreciate the help.
Have picked up 25 or 30 over the past 3-4 weeks. Trial by fire.
Have found its the best way to learn, aside from reading all I can find.

Here is one to make the purists heads spin. My dad picked it up probably 30 years ago.
I decided to keep it, and sent it in for a tune up. Headed back to me in the mail now.
Great stag. Odd matchup.

[Mumbleypeg]

I agree that it has been re-handled and the guard is not original. Only value is as a user, not really any collector value left. 0dd looking knife but kinda cool looking too. Blade is post 1922, can't use Case pocket knife tang charts for Case fixed blades.

Is this fixed blade chart accurate? Am new to these, thanks!

As Gene says, tang stamp charts for most brands are at best approximations. Case, and most other cutleries did not keep such records. At the time they were making tools, not collectables for us to obsess over how old they might be.

Then along came collectors who wanted to know when their knife was made. Around the early years of knife collecting becoming a popular hobby (late 1960s/early 1970s) early collector and author Dewey Ferguson asked Case VP of marketing at the time (and later President) Bob Farquharson for the dates when various tang stamps were used. Collectors wanted to know and Dewey was writing a book about knife collecting. Finding no such records, Farquharson asked long time Case employee Mary Petro for her best recollection of what stamps were used when. Mary gave her recollections. Farquharson gave them to Ferguson, who published them in his book. The rest is “history”. Even though hard evidence to the contrary has since been found, those ”recollections” have been published repeatedly in reference books.

I suspect the truth is that tang stamps were not changed universally on any given date. For example knives stamped CASE XX were made concurrently with knives stamped TESTED XX. Examples of knives made on contract for the military during WWII are stamped TESTED XX, but the “gospel” tang stamp charts say the TESTED XX stamp ended in 1940!

Even modern day (post 1964) we have examples of blades stamped with one year showing up in boxes having labels dated in the following year. Patterns having two “master blades” like the muskrat, congress, etc turn up having blades from two different years, sometimes even several years apart.

We know that tang stamps on fixed blade knives are not the same as tang stamps on pocket knives. In some cases they’re the opposite - TESTED XX are newer than CASE XX on knif-ax combos, for example.

Ken

[MCM]

Got the latest 4 knives today. Better than expected. And the odd fixed is still a mystery to me.
Orig. model # etc. Handle material is very similar to the Kinfolks, Cattaraugus & Case throwing knife.