Early Case Tested/Case Bradford Jack - Legit or Red Herring?

[herbva]

Sorry for the poor pictures, but the auction pictures aren't very sharp to begin with. The clip has the 1905-1920 Case Bradford tang stamp (I assume the "PA' is lurking below the edge of the bolster), and the pen has the 1914-1920 Case XX TESTED stamp inside an oval. The scales are a reddish celluloid or composite material that I am not familiar with Case using. The seller indicated that the knife measures "about 3 1/2" which falls in between patterns 16, 35 and 31. I am thinking that perhaps this is a 16 that was rehandled at some point. The blades do look awfully good to me for a knife of this age, so I am suspicious of this one. What do you think?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Case-T ... %7Ciid%3A1

[Gunsil]

Looks like tortoise celluloid to me which was popular back then. I am not a Case folding knife expert by any means and don't know if Case used the tortoise cell, but the knife looks legit to me.

[Mumbleypeg]

Those stamps are appropriate for a Case Bradford knife. Tortoise shell celluloid was used at the time. Unusual lack of wear or use, but not impossible, for the blades on a knife that old. Beyond that the pictures are too poor to tell anything. I’d like to see what Tom McCandless (olderdogs1) thinks of it.

Ken

[olderdogs1]

Those stamps are appropriate for a Case Bradford knife. Tortoise shell celluloid was used at the time. Unusual lack of wear or use, but not impossible, for the blades on a knife that old. Beyond that the pictures are too poor to tell anything. I’d like to see what Tom McCandless (olderdogs1) thinks of it.

Ken

I would tend to believe that the knife was authentic. Not sure of the pattern number without having it in hand. I believe this same seller listed a 47 Bradford a couple weeks ago that was unused as well.

Tom

[56Dodgers]

Looks off to me. You might be onto something with the replaced handles.

I think most of us here have solid experience with Tested era and newer knives. Its harder to put some of the older W.R. Case Bradfords and Case Bros knives into the same camp, because they really were their own thing.

That said, something about the handle material choice doesn't seem right for that era. Most old Case jack knives from this era had bone or wood handles. Something about the divot at the ends of the bolsters that look too modern. Something about the swedge on the mark side of the master blade when closed looks too modern. Maybe its the angle, but it doesn't look like both springs are the same length when shown from the back. Also, from that same rear picture in the auction, doesn't the way the celluloid is profiled near the liners look off? Would four pins have been common on a celluloid handled jackknife 100 years ago?

The grind on the pen blade, especially near the tang has a genuine 100+-year-old feel to it.

[herbva]

I actually wondered about tortoise shell celluloid when I first looked at the seller's pictures, but I thought it looked too red and didn't seem to have the brown and amber pattern that I associate with tortoise shell. But, I'm sure there are many variations of tortoise celluloid that were produced and I don't have a Case knife from the same period with tortoise celluloid to compare it to. And, the lighting and poor photos in the auction are another factor. I still have a nagging feeling that it just looks too good.

[peanut740]

I'm with Tom,I believe it is probably right.But,good photos would sure clear up some questions.

[btrwtr]

Given the quality of the pictures it's hard for me to say much about it. ?????

[98src]

Knife is legitimate. You just have to look at the other knives they sold. One of this pattern, one of that pattern, and all very early Case Tested or Case Bradford patterns. They were all basically new, unsharpened and probably not carried BUT, with rust spots on them.

[btrwtr]

I never saw the eBay link in the OP. The pictures on eBay are much better. Knife looks good.

[celluloidheros]

if it wasn't celluloid, i'd buy it. stamps look right to me but need to touch the knife. i've had a few like this. i would say ww1 era. maybe as late as 1920's