Case

Founded 1889 · Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States · The Case brothers (W.R. Case & Sons)

W.R. Case & Sons is the house of the traditional American pocket knife: jigged bone, stag or Delrin handles, and patterns with names of their own — Trapper, Sodbuster, Peanut — unchanged for a century. It is also the most collected knife brand in the United States, largely because of its dating system.

History

The Case brothers began selling knives from a wagon in upstate New York in the late nineteenth century, and in 1905 the company settled in Bradford, Pennsylvania, where it remains. It supplied knives to the US armed forces in both world wars. In 1972 it was bought by American Brands and in 1993 passed to Zippo, the lighter company, which keeps it as a subsidiary and restored its craft pulse. Its most-loved feature among collectors dates from 1970: the system of dots under the tang stamp, one removed each year, so any knife can be dated simply by counting them.

Iconic models

Trapper
Two blades — clip and spey — at the same end; the pattern most identified with the brand.
Sodbuster
One blade, a plain handle, no ornament: the cheap working knife that turned out to be eternal.
Peanut
The small two-blade one, meant for the pocket of a dress trouser.
Copperlock
With a lock, for those who want the traditional look and modern safety.

Worth knowing

Since 1970 every Case knife carries dots under the shield, one removed each year: counting them tells you the year it was made. It is the reason it is the most collected brand in the country.