Case Pocket Knife styles

There were 37 knife patterns manufactured in the early to mid 1990s that make up the original Case Classic line of knives. This page displays pictures and descriptions of most patterns you might encounter.

Clasp Knife : Pattern 1072

The 1072 pattern is a single blade clasp knife. It measures 5 1/2″ closed & was first introduced into the regular Case Classic line with a 1990 tang stamp.

The original knife this was created to mimic was first manufactured by W.R. Case in their early 20th century years. It was configured in several ways. One of the most sought after was a switch blade variety known as a zipper. The Classic line recognized this & created some of these with shields & / or blade etches that read “Zipper”.

Some collectors call the pattern a bulldog, buffalo, &/or zipper in addition to the common Clasp name designation.

Coke Bottle : Pattern 1050

The 1050 pattern is a single blade knife that most collectors refer to as a large coke bottle or folding hunter. It measures 5 1/4″ closed & was introduced into the regular Case Classic knife line in 1990.

The original Case family brand (Case Brothers) large coke bottle pattern that the 1050 knife was made to mimic dates back to the later 19th century.

There are a lot of different variations of this Case Classic knife pattern. Several bone, & celluloid variations along with genuine stag & exotic materials of various sorts were used for handle slabs. Case also used several different shields, tang stamps, blade etches & even different blade grinds & nail pull configurations.

Congress (Big or Jumbo) : (Pattern 488)

The 488 pattern is a 4 blade knife known as a big Congress. It measures 4 1/2″ closed & was first introduced into the Case Classic line with a 1990 dated tang stamp.

The original Case branded Big Congress that this knife was made to reflect was first manufactured sometime prior to 1920. It was a very popular pattern among knife users & was a regular in the Case catalogs until it was discontinued for a while in 1981. Case has since brought it back.

An interesting note about this classic is that it was one of only four late 1980s – late 1990s era Case Classic patterns made in house by W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company. The other three included the 2100 Saddlehorn, the 394 Gunboat, & the 254 Trapper. All other patterns were outsourced to Queen Cutlery.

It was also one of only three patterns that was made with a XXX tang stamp. The others include the 2100 Saddlehorn & the 394 Gunboat.

Elephant Toenail : Pattern 2050

The 2050 pattern is a 2 blade knife most commonly known as an Elephant Toenail. It will generally measure in at 4 1/2″ closed, but I believe some early prototype examples exist that measure 4″ so there is a remote possibility that you could find one that’s 4″.

The original Case family brand toenail pattern that this knife was made to mimic was first introduced by Case Brothers in the late 19th century.

The Case Classic Toenail pattern was a favorite of a one Mr. Roger Dongworth who was a dear departed friend of the AAPK community. He owned a lot of great examples of this knife & he is the reason we have the Case Classic section of our website as it is dedicated to him. Fortunately, we have pictures of some of the knives he had in his collection that can be viewed here online!

Gunboat : Pattern 394

The 394 pattern is a 3 blade knife known simply as a Gunboat or Gunboat Canoe.

It was one of only four late 1980s – late 1990s era Case Classic patterns made in house by W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company. The other three included the 488 congress, the 2100 Saddlehorn, & the 254 Trapper. All others were made on contract by Queen Cutlery.

Jack Knife (Cigar) : Pattern 2046

The 2046 pattern was never put into the regular Case Classic lineup, but it was made in very low quantities in the form of prototypes & samples. It would be difficult to find many of them. Those that exist measure 3 3/4″ and have two blades that extend from the same side.

Moose : Pattern 2075

The 2075 pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a Moose. It measures 4 1/4″ closed & was first introduced into the regular Case Classic line with a 1990 tang stamp.

The original knife this pattern was made to mimic was first manufactured by W.R. Case in its early 20th century years. It was a popular pattern among knife users for many years.

Moose (Swell Center) : Pattern 2046J

The 2046J pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a swell center moose. It measures 3 7/8″ closed & was introduced as a regular in the Case Classic Line in 1990.

There were six different styles of this knife made. Five varieties of bone handle slabs and one genuine stag version. Published records show that there were 1000 of each of the six varieties made for a grand total of 6, 000 of them. That figure does not include any prototypes / samples that might have been made.

This pattern along with the 3046 are the only two Case Classic knife patterns that were sold exclusively through a third party jobber. The Smokey Mountain Knife Works Company was the place to go if you wanted to buy one on the original retail market back in the 1990s.

Muskrat : Pattern 20093

The 20093 pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a muskrat.

Muskrat (Cigar) : Pattern 2094

The 2094 pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a large muskrat or cigar muskrat. It measures 4″ closed and was first introduced into the Case Classic line with a 1994 dated tang stamp.

Case didn’t make a ton of this pattern. The only tang stamp you will find on the pattern is the “W.R. Case & Sons, Bradford, PA.” stamp.

The same cigar style frame was used to make the more popular 3094 stockman pattern.

Physician’s Knife : Pattern 2085

The 2085 pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a Physician’s knife or Doctor’s knife. The pictured knife has a spear and pen blade, but they were also made with a spear and spatula blade combination.

Saddlehorn : Pattern 2100

The 2100 pattern is a 2 blade knife known by collectors as a Saddlehorn. It measures … & was introduced into the original Case Classic line of knives with a 1990 tang stamp. Designs & production plans were under way late 1980s.

The original Case Saddlehorn that this knife was created to mimic was made by W.R. Case & Sons from the early 20th century up until the end of the tested era (circa 1940).

There are a few unique Case Classic configurations of this knife including a triple X tang stamped version, a Case Brothers Springville tang stamped version & a Case Brothers Gowanda, NY tang stamped version. It was one of only three Case Classic patterns to ever sport the XXX tang stamp. The others to do so include the 394 Gunboat Canoe & the 488 Congress. It was also one of only two patterns that has ever sported the Springville & Gowanda stamps. The 254 trapper is the only other pattern to feature them.