Thread: Wild caught Case knife and Rubberset #4 !

Yeah, that is a Case "tested" knife with the long tail C if I'm viewing it correctly. That stamping was used 1920-1940. Great score at ten times the price.

Congrats on a great score!
Both look terrific cleaned up and will serve you well.
Looks like they both found their way into good hands!

Very nice. Case knives are awesome.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

Yeah, that is a Case "tested" knife with the long tail C if I'm viewing it correctly. That stamping was used 1920-1940. Great score at ten times the price.

yes, here is what the historian told me about the dating:

Yes and no. Yes (it was made with Tested blades). No (It wasn’t made in 1920-1940). It was made using the Case Tested XX blades. The Tested XX era transitioned into the 1940s. So, in other words, it was NOT a complete cut off of the Tested XX in 1940. It went further into the 40s. Some speculate as late as 1948 on some patterns. We will never have a definitive answer on which patterns, but it was transitional and sometimes you catch knives with both Case XX and Tested XX blade stamps. And it may be why we did not bother with the pattern stamps until 1948-1952ish.

It was likely made between 1942-1946. I put it as early as 1946, simply because of the timeframe of when we may have been doing contracts for military. I do not know that this was full force until the US joined WWII that we may have begun producing models like this.

I know that this seems like we are splitting hairs, and in the grand scheme of things, it is irrelevant to the overall value and definition of what it is. It was produced at war time for the Army Air Corps, we used materials that we had, such as a Tested blade vs a Case XX blade. It was still manufactured for the effort and in the most economical manner.

I like Case knives and have found them to be of good quality. I really like that brush. It just looks different.

Originally Posted by tintin

yes, here is what the historian told me about the dating:

Yes and no. Yes (it was made with Tested blades). No (It wasn’t made in 1920-1940). It was made using the Case Tested XX blades. The Tested XX era transitioned into the 1940s. So, in other words, it was NOT a complete cut off of the Tested XX in 1940. It went further into the 40s. Some speculate as late as 1948 on some patterns. We will never have a definitive answer on which patterns, but it was transitional and sometimes you catch knives with both Case XX and Tested XX blade stamps. And it may be why we did not bother with the pattern stamps until 1948-1952ish.

Very true. The fellow who told you the history knows his stuff. Here, top of photo, is an XX 62048 with green bone scales and a tested 'curly C' shield, next to a XX (1940-1964) both with a tested blade (profile) stamped XX, and the regular XX shield without the earlier Curly C.

Not sure if you can see it because of the photo angle, but the tested blades had a more refined blade profile than the later XX, as shown on the red Rogers bone XX at the bottom of the photo. The yellow 'tested' 31048 came out of a batch of tested blades that Jim Parker found in the factory after he bought out Case. Somewhere in the late '80s IIRC. Probably the last tested knives assembled at the factory.

Originally Posted by Pete123

Very nice. Case knives are awesome.

Those made prior to 1970. After that, not so much.

Case "Hobo"


Tang stamp dates it 1903-1905


Rescaled case "jumbo" jack


Rescaled because Case had problems with their yellow scale material.

very interesting, were they made with celluloid? did you rescale it?

Originally Posted by tintin

very interesting, were they made with celluloid? did you rescale it?

Not real sure what that yellow material was. When it decomposed, it ate the brass liners but not the steel. The decomposition makes the brass turn to green goo.



Had another beautiful old 1950's Case stockman totally ruined by the time I found it. The liners were thin enough to read through, yet the blades were untouched.

Had that one re-scaled by a knife mechanic friend of mine. The finish on the blades is from the factory. It's never been sharpened or carried, but it's no longer "original".