Section 01
A pattern describes a knife's blade count, blade shapes, and handle profile — not its handle material or finish. Two knives in the same pattern can look very different depending on when and how they were made. Start here to name what you're holding.
A clip blade and a spey blade of nearly equal length, on a slim, straight handle. The best-selling Case pattern of all time, originally aimed at trappers who needed one blade for skinning and one that resisted twisting in tough hide.
Look for: pattern numbers ending in 61048 or 6254.
Clip, sheepsfoot, and spey blades on a three-spring handle. Originally built for cattlemen and farmers, it's the most common traditional pattern across the whole industry, not just Case.
Look for: a serpentine (curved) or straight handle profile — both exist.
A congress-style pattern with a deeply curved, humped handle profile — the "sow's belly" it's named for — usually carrying four blades on two springs.
Look for: the pronounced double-hump handle shape; easy to identify by silhouette alone.
A small, rounded two-blade (usually) or single-blade pattern under three inches closed — one of the most-collected small patterns for its pocketability and the huge range of handle materials it was issued in.
Look for: pattern number 6220.
Two blades opening from opposite ends of a handle shaped, as the name suggests, like a small canoe. A favorite pattern for handle-material variety among collectors.
Look for: pattern number 6220 variants and the pointed handle ends.
A single long, slim clip blade on an elongated handle — more a style than a strict pattern, produced across many sizes from pocket to display pieces.
Look for: exaggerated handle length relative to blade width.
Twin clip blades on a double-ended handle with no bolsters at the middle — a traditional trapping-line pattern prized for symmetry.
Look for: two clip blades of matching size, opening from either end.
A long bolster and a single (sometimes two) blade on a simple, elongated handle — one of the oldest American pocketknife patterns, predating Case itself.
Look for: the extended brass or nickel bolster, often a third or more of the handle length.