Photos More information on this knife set

[Thornsteinn]

Hey Guys!

I am new to this forum and may not be posting on the right thread, sorry if so. I was recently cleaning out my grandpa's basement and came across this knife set. I did a bit of research and learned the history of this knife set. However, I was not able to find the exact set anywhere online. I was hoping someone here would know more about these knives if they are decent knives, and maybe direct me to any website that I can learn more about.

The knife set is a W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. "The XX limited edition series XIV Mint Set" 1 of 250 made apparently.

Thanks for any help.

Since I am unable to upload an image I posted this link to a shared google drive of a picture of this knife set. Please let me know if you are able to view the Google doc. Again thanks for any help.
Knife set

 

[Arathol]

Tiny pics are not much help....

 

[Thornsteinn]

Tiny pics are not much help....

I resized the images to make them larger. Here is the google drive URL: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QWB8reUEcDza3YMv60gdDmJD-IPW5LD4uu0MVUp3Voo/edit?usp=sharing

If I need to take more pictures of the knives up close let me know and would be more than happy to do so.

 

[Delgadonine]

A picture is worth a thousand words!

A proper picture=thousands of words here

 

[killgar]

Welcome to Bladeforums Thornsteinn.

Case knives can be dated by the Case tang stamps (the markings stamped into the base of the main blade). Sometimes they can be dated to the exact year they were made. A close-up picture of one of the blade's Case tang stamp should make it possible to tell when the knives were made. Just describing the tang stamp might not be enough because Case has used a variety of stamps over the decades and some of them are very similar.

Beyond when the collection was made, I'd say the certificate of authenticity tells the rest of the story.

As far as the quality of the knives, I'd say they are of good quality. Most Case knives, including the ones in that set, were made in the USA (Bradford, PA).

Here is a picture of a Case XX knife from the XIV Series with Cabernet bone handles and "bomb" shield like the knives described in your set (no special embellishment on the bolsters, as mentioned in your certificate of authenticity). This knife is the same model in the upper right corner of your set (Muskrat). Based on the date code on this knife, it was made in 2011.

In regards to the "bomb" shield, Case originally used that style of shield between 1915 and 1925, but it's not unusual for knifemakers to go retro and use old-style shields/logos/tang stamps on modern, special limited edition knives (like the Case XIV Series)

If the stamp on this knife is the exact same as on the knives in your set, then you have your year of manufacture. But the exact number of little dots and x's that appear above and below the "Case XX" marking is important to determine the exact year.