Tang Stamps In 1970, Case added ten dots beneath the U.S.A. on all knife tangs. Each year a dot was removed. The same dating system was used during the 1980s.  The differences are the “lightning” form of the letter S in Case and USA and the fact that the dots were put above the USA. From 1990 to mid-1993, the actual date was stamped on the tang. The dot system was used again from mid-1993 through 1999. In 2000, Case introduced a new tang date stamp: five X’s and five dots. From 2001 through 2005, one dot is removed each year. From 2006 through 2009, an X is removed each year. The 2010 Tang Stamp design again features five X’s and five dots. From 2011 through 2015, one dot is removed for each year. From 2016 through 2019, an X is removed each year. The 2020 Tang Stamp design goes back to the original 10 dots without a Long Tail C. From 2021 through 2029, one dot is removed for each year.

Over the course of Case’s long history, literally hundreds of different knife patterns have been created. To help our collectors identify the various patterns, we developed a unique numbering system. What kind of Case do you own? You can find the Case knife pattern number stamped on the tang of your knife’s blade. This number tells you exactly what kind of knife you have. The first number indicates the type of material used to make the handle. The second digit gives the number of blades. The last two or more digits indicate the factory pattern number.

Handle Materials

How To Identify Case Knife Patterns

In this example, 6347 is a 47 pattern knife wih jigged bone handles and 3 blades.