Queen City Classics Congress

[bdev]

Here's a nice Queen Congress from their QCCC series. It's a #32 pattern with Antique Green Bone handles.
I really like the jigging on this one.

[treefarmer]

That's a nice knife. I don't think I've ever owned a congress pattern. Do they all have identical blades on each end of the knife be it a 2 blade or 4 blade? I looked up the #32 and found it is 4", with 2 sheep foot and 2 pen blades it might be a good user.
Bruno, you always have my interest with the Queens you find!
Treefarmer

[Tsar Bomba]

Case, Boker, and a couple others make Congress patterns with large spears, small coping blades, or some other combination thereof. The Case 88 medium Congress has 4 different blade profiles, usually: Large sheepsfoot, large spear, small coping, small pen. I find it to be an incredibly handy knife for such a small package, carried one earlier this week.

I do notice that most Congresses, including Queens, have matching large and small blade pairs which reduces their utility a bit IMO. Of course, I say this being a bit of a muskrat fan and having at least a dozen or so knives with identical Turkish clip blades on each end, so maybe there's something to be said for redundancy.

The Queen #32 and #31 (half-Congress) are wonderful knives with excellent size and heft IMO. I have a jigged brown bone #32 and a maple burl #31 among my Queen accumulation, and both are excellent knives and real lookers. I like Bruno's QCCC example, too, though I think I prefer the more random jigging of the brown bone Congress to that more uniform "oval pattern" which you see more on Pacific Rim imports than USA knives, it seems.

[tallguy606]

My local pawnshop had a few new Case knives without boxes and I picked up a Congress for $20. I notice that at least two of the nail nicks are hidden behind other blades when everything is closed. That is, you have to open up one blade to get to the one behind it. Seems kinda odd.

[bdev]

Tony more or less nailed it about the congress pattern.
Personally, I like the pattern as a collectible but it's not for me for EDC. I just can't get used to the sharp edge of the bolster when using it. I like a rounded handle on my EDCs.


Here's another #32 QCCC that I have. Stag handles.

[Tsar Bomba]

That'n's a real stunner, Bruno. Outstanding stag, it must be awesome in hand on that frame.

I have felt for a while that Queen doesn't get the credit they should for the stag they put on their knives. I definitely need to get more (he says as he clicks on a stag keystone series from the AAPK store... ).

[FarSide]

Those are both very nice.

[philco]

Those are both very nice.

I agree.

I'm a fan of the congress pattern. I carry one almost daily and I have several in my collection. Most of mine are either Canal Street or Tree Brand Bokers from Germany. I do have a few others as well.

[doglegg]

I have a boker I love and also a Queen stag that came from the factory unsharpened. Nice knife but for that. May sell it.