"I tend to buy non-mint Cases from the 1970’s or before. They have great value, a little history, and you can carry them without worry."
^^^ What HE said!
I started buying and accumulating/loving Case knives in the 70's, and back then, we (as teenage enthusiasts with only a little experience) lamented that the quality wasn't what it had been in the '20's through 50's. We totally took the quality of the 70's knives for granted.Little did we know about how quality would take a nosedive in the 80's! We were living in the last of the "good old days," and didn't know it!
The first Case knives I ever saw or handled were my Dad's original green bone "Circle C" (real one) Whittler that his father gave him when he was about 10, c. 1931. The other was his XX Red Bone half-whittler that he carried through WW2 and then retired. For a while, I
couldn't find any new Case knives (pre-internet) and borrowed one or the other of his to carry. They sharpened beautifully and quickly.
Some kid at school remarked disparagingly about how small the blade was on the 1930 Whittler... I didn't say a word -- just opened it and ran it down my forearm, where it shaved about a 6" strip completely clean with one pass, mounding up a big pile of hair
at the end. He was duly impressed...
Then we found the mother-lode, 2 hardware stores about 15 miles away with good-size Case displays, and the world was our oyster -- within our severely limited financial means! For context, minimum wage was $2.35, and gas had just gone up to 0.75 cents, and then $1.00 per gallon. My Gran Torino got 17 mpg on a good day... So, cheap as they might seem now, they weren't to be purchased very often on our meager incomes. My best friend bought a beautiful bone large Trapper c. 1976, simply because it was the largest pocketable Case he could get. I think it was about $13.85 or $14.50, IIRC. Then, in a pawn shop, he scored a major coup -- a medium XX Red Bone Muskrat in very usable condition for the princely sum of $8.00! I tried forever to buy it from him so I could use it, but he wouldn't sell... and he wouldn't carry it, either! (He admits to being kinda "dog in the manger" like that...)
It took until the late '90's for me to get even. We were both at a large gunshow and he sailed past a table that was a mess of random clutter and junk. I looked, and immediately saw a gorgeous, 1920's/30's green bone "Circle C, Tested XX" pen knife that had literally never been carried or sharpened!! Even the back spring, inside and out, was bright and clean, and there were only a few microscopic specks of rust starting to form on the
beautifully machined and polished blades. It was so nice, I was suspicious that it could
be a counterfeit --- but everything checked out perfectly.
And then, I realized, "one can not counterfeit an early Case and sell it for $10.00!" Poker face intact, I gleefully paid the man, and once it was safely in hand, asked him where he'd gotten it. "In an estate sale... I paid $5.00 for it, so I figured if I got $10, I'd be doing good..." I caught up to my friend, late of $8.00 XX Muskrat fame, and showed him my mint, early knife, so gorgeous that it looked more like jewelry, than a tool! Of course,
I had to taunt him with "Hey, Dave -- price of used Case knives is going up -- I had to
give $10 for this one!"
Dealers at tables within a row or 2 of where I'd purchased it were offering me up to $110 for it, but no way... not for sale!
Several years ago, I got sentimental and wanted a Trapper like Dave's... A NOS one at the Blade show, with CV blades, great bone handles and workmanship, and exactly the right year of manufacture, cost me close to $150. I then dropped it in my pocket and began the process of devaluing it, letting it acquiring a proper, natural patina. (No forced patinas here!) I like the knife a lot, but after a year or so, I moved it to a custom, tooled leather belt sheath, which makes my keys, etc. easier to retrieve, and prevents loss. My friend still has his original, but has largely moved on to soulless, non-traditional knives.
A thing that has grated on my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard since their introduction is the cheap, poorly-made shields that Case glues into the handles. When you buy a 1970's or earlier knife, the shield is heavy nickle-silver, held in place with a pin at each end and beautifully fitted. (Delrin handled knives had thin, unpinned shields, but we never considered buying these.) When the new shields came out, they screamed "QUALITY CUT" like an air-raid siren! Other areas showed similar downgrades, as well.
So, I ignored the later produced Cases completely, seeking out only older ones, until very recent years. I started examining a few of the nicer specimens, and noticed that their F&F seems to have improved significantly from the 80's and later. I have to admit, they are producing some very nice knives! If I didn't have too many Case's to carry already, I'd buy a hand-picked modern specimen without hesitation. However, there are some tremendous bargains on the older knives in very good to excellent condition, if you keep your eyes open.
Sorry for the long post, but I hope the experiences of someone who started with 70's and earlier knives, and now has a modern perspective, might be of interest.
All the best,
John