Sell to Us · Case Knife Collections · Anywhere in the US
Inherited a Case knife collection? We buy it whole, from any state.
From any state · free video appraisal · paid before you ship
California Vintage Buyers buys whole Case knife collections: the cigar box of pocketknives in a dresser drawer, the display cases from a den wall, the trappers and stockmen a father or grandfather carried and collected for fifty years. Text photos to (949) 449-1255 and a real buyer tells you what you have, usually the same day. Anywhere in the United States, we agree one price for the collection on a video call and pay through PayPal before you ship, with shipping on us. In Southern California we come to you and pay cash.
Two things decide whether a collection is one we buy. It has to be a collection, not a single knife or two, and Case has to be a real part of it. Mixed collections are normal: if a good share of the knives say Case on the blade, we make one offer for everything, the Schrade, Camillus and Buck knives included. If yours is mostly other makers, or it is one special knife, we will tell you so plainly and point you to where it is likely to sell best. That is the whole filter, and it saves everyone a wasted afternoon.
The reason to call before anyone sorts, sharpens or splits up the collection is that the value lives in small marks. The stamp on the blade dates a Case knife, from the W.R. Case & Sons stamps of 1905 to the dots Case still uses today. The pattern number names the handle and the blade count. And a knife that was never sharpened grades far above the same knife with a fresh edge. Most Case knives are honest money, tens of dollars to low hundreds each. A few older ones, in the right bone and the right condition, have brought thousands at specialist auctions. Telling one from the other is the work of the call, knife by knife, with you watching.
We are California Vintage Buyers, based in Laguna Hills, California. Sam and Jake, the two buyers who make every call, will never ask you to guess what something is worth, and you will never be asked to ship anything before you are paid.
What we look for in a Case knife collection
The older Case stamps
W.R. Case & Sons, Case Bradford, script Case and Case Tested XX stamps date a knife to roughly 1905 to 1940 on Case’s own chart. Case has revived some old names on new knives, so the rest of the knife has to agree. A photo of the stamp starts the conversation.
Text us a photo Send us a photoCASE XX and CASE XX U.S.A.
Plain CASE XX marked Case knives from 1940 to 1964, and CASE XX U.S.A. from 1965 to 1969, before the dots began. The bone-handled knives of these years, including the green and red bone collectors talk about, are the heart of many family collections.
Text us a photo Send us a photoDotted knives from 1970 on
From 1970 Case dated its knives with dots: ten in 1970, one fewer each year to a single dot in 1979, and the same again through the 1980s. A drawer of dotted knives is worth an honest offer as a group. Keep any boxes and paperwork with them.
Text us a photo Send us a photoStag, bone and pearl handles
The first digit of the pattern number names the handle: 5 is genuine stag, 6 is bone or a jigged synthetic, 8 is genuine mother-of-pearl. A cracked handle lowers the value, but it is still worth a photo.
Text us a photo Send us a photoNever-sharpened knives
A knife that was never carried or sharpened grades as mint, and it is worth far more than the same pattern with a worn edge. In July 2026 a near-mint, never-sharpened 1940s to 60s Case stag trapper sold for $850.
Text us a photo Send us a photoDisplay cases, sets and hunting knives
Case dealer displays, framed sets and collector cases sell as pieces in their own right: at one 2022 sale of a 400-knife Case collection, dealer displays brought $160 to $415 each. Fixed-blade hunting knives belong with the collection too, sheaths and all.
Text us a photo Send us a photoHow we buy a knife collection, near or far
Text photos to (949) 449-1255: one wide shot of the whole collection laid out on a table, then a few close-ups with the blades opened so the stamp near the handle shows, plus the pattern number stamped on the tang of one blade. A real buyer answers, usually the same day, and tells you honestly whether it is a collection we buy. If it is, we set up a short video call, go through the knives with you, and agree one price for all of it. Payment goes to your PayPal before anything is packed, and the shipping is on us. Ordinary pocketknives and hunting knives can be shipped when they are packed in a strong box with enough cushioning, and we walk you through it. In Southern California we come to you, read everything at your table and pay cash the same visit. Until then: do not sharpen anything, do not buff or polish, do not scrub off rust, and keep the collection together, boxes included, until we have seen it. Cleaning that looks like an improvement is what costs collector value. One thing we leave out: switchblades and other automatic knives, which federal and California law restrict.
Reading the stamp on a Case knife: the short version
Case put its own date code on almost every knife it made. Open a blade, find the stamp near the handle, and match it here. Our dating guide covers every variation and the exceptions.
| Stamp on the blade | Years, on Case’s own chart | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| W.R. CASE & SONS, BRADFORD, PA. | 1905 to 1914 | The earliest W.R. Case & Sons knives |
| CASE TESTED XX, script Case, container-C CASE | About 1920 to 1940 (collectors allow a few years either side) | Pre-war knives; a green bone whittler of these years brought $4,674 in February 2026 |
| CASE XX | 1940 to 1964 | Green bone cigar knives of these years brought $3,936 each in February 2026 |
| CASE XX U.S.A., no dots | 1965 to 1969 (on fixed blades, to 1980) | Late 1960s folders |
| CASE XX U.S.A. with dots below, round C | 1970 to 1979 | Ten dots is 1970, one dot is 1979 |
| CASE XX USA with dots, lightning S | 1980 to 1989 | The same countdown, a decade later |
| 19 USA 90 to 19 USA 93 | 1990 to 1993 | The year is stamped outright |
| Long-tail C with dots under USA | 1993 to 1999 | Starts at seven dots, not ten |
| X’s and dots | 2000 to 2019 | Each decade the dots drop first, then the X’s |
| CASE XX with dots above and below | 2020 to 2029 | Ten dots in 2020; four dots is 2026 |
Dates from W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.’s own tang stamp and dot dating charts (the Case Knowledge Base and the Case Collectors Club), read October 2026. Case has revived some old names on new knives, so the shield, handle and construction must agree with the stamp.
How We Buy Knives
Whole collections, never one knife at a time. Every stamp and pattern number is read with you, and one offer covers the lot.
How it works
Text us photos.
Lay the collection out and take one wide photo, then open a few blades so the stamp near the handle shows. Text them to (949) 449-1255.
Video call, one price.
Ten minutes on FaceTime or whatever you already use. We go through the collection with you and agree one price for all of it.
Paid before you ship.
The PayPal payment lands before you pack a box, and shipping is on us. In Southern California we can come to you and pay cash instead.
Common questions
Who buys Case knife collections?
California Vintage Buyers buys whole Case knife collections from every state. Text photos to (949) 449-1255 and a real buyer tells you the same day whether it is a collection we buy. If it is, we agree one price on a short video call and pay through PayPal before you ship, with shipping on us, and in Southern California we come to you and pay cash. We buy collections only, never single knives, and only when Case is a real part of the collection.
I inherited my dad’s knife collection. What should I do first?
Nothing irreversible. Do not sharpen, buff, polish or scrub off rust: improper cleaning lowers collector value, and buffing can erase the stamp that dates the knife. Keep every box, display case and receipt with the knives. Then open a few blades and look at the stamp near the handle. If many of them say Case, text a wide photo of the whole collection and a few close-ups to (949) 449-1255 for a free read the same day.
Do you buy a single Case knife?
No. We buy collections, not single knives. One or two knives are better sold another way: a local knife shop, a knife show, or an online marketplace if you can describe the stamp and the condition accurately. If you believe a single knife is unusually old or rare, a specialist knife auction is the place to ask.
The collection is mixed brands. Will you still buy it?
Yes, if Case is a real part of it. Most family collections are mixed, and when a good share of the knives are Case we make one offer for the whole collection, other makers included. If it is mostly Schrade, Camillus, Buck or Imperial with a Case knife or two, we will tell you honestly that we are not the right buyer and point you to the routes that suit it.
How can I tell how old a Case knife is?
Read the stamp on the blade near the handle. On Case’s own chart, W.R. Case & Sons stamps run 1905 to 1914, Case Tested XX about 1920 to 1940, plain CASE XX 1940 to 1964 and CASE XX U.S.A. 1965 to 1969. In the 1970s and 1980s Case added dots, ten in 1970 and again in 1980, one fewer each year, so three dots under a round-C stamp is 1977. Our guide to dating Case knives covers every stamp, the 1990s and later codes, and the exceptions.
What are old Case knives worth?
Most are honest money rather than treasure. At auctions between October 2024 and July 2026, ordinary and modern Case knives sold for medians of about $22 to $105 apiece. A near-mint, never-sharpened 1940s to 60s stag trapper sold for $850 in July 2026, and rare pre-1965 Case knives brought $3,936 to $9,225 at a February 2026 specialist sale. Age, handle, pattern and above all an unsharpened blade decide where a knife lands.
Should I clean or sharpen the knives before selling?
No. A knife that was never sharpened grades higher than the same knife with a fresh edge, and collectors grade a rusty knife that was cleaned to look new as near mint at best. Buffing can wipe out the tang stamp itself. Leave them exactly as they are, rust and all, and let the buyer see them that way.
What does XX mean on a Case knife?
It comes from Case’s heat treating. When blades went into the hardening furnace an X was marked on the pan, and a second X was added when they went back in for tempering, so XX showed that a blade had been fully treated. It became the Case trademark, which is why CASE XX appears on knives from the early 1900s to today and does not date a knife by itself.
How do you pay, and how does shipping a knife collection work?
Outside Southern California, we agree the price on a video call while the knives are in front of you, send payment through PayPal before anything is packed, and cover the shipping. Ordinary pocketknives and hunting knives can be shipped when they are packed in a strong box with enough cushioning, and we walk you through it. We do not buy switchblades or other automatic knives: federal law restricts shipping them across state lines and California law restricts their sale.
How do I know you are legitimate before I send anything?
Check us first. We are California Vintage Buyers, with a warehouse at 23011 Moulton Pkwy, Suite G-11, Laguna Hills, California, a Google Business Profile with reviews you can read for yourself, and (949) 449-1255 reaches a real buyer. The order of the deal protects you regardless: the price is agreed on a video call while you hold the knives, the payment clears before you pack a box, and when we come in person you are paid at the table.
Know what it’s worth before you sell.
Our field guides explain how the market actually prices these things. No fishing, no hype: real ranges and the details that move them.
One call. We’ll take it
from there.
(949) 449-12555.0 on Google · Free video appraisal · Paid before you ship, shipping on us
Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm
A real person answers seven days a week, weekends included. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.
Or send your photos online Photos on your phone? Text them to (949) 449-1255
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