1958-1961 Case XX Mint 220024 Mega-Rare Little John Carver w/Block & Overlay

Description: WHAT I OFFERI have collected Case knives most of my adult life and many of you have traded with me in the past. I am again listing pieces from the Little Valley era thru the Lightning S period, some are rare and others are scarce or seldom seen, some are at Auction and others are here on Buy it Now. You can expect an accurate description, no lame excuses, quick shipping w/tracking, and a good knife as described or your money back. I never bought junk so I do not sell junk, and every knife is Guaranteed to be 100% Authentic or your money back. I usually provide some brief historical information about each knife, mainly to help educate the new collectors. I also buy Case Pocket Knife collections, Fast, Fair, Easy! UP FRONT ANSWERSNo Shipping Charges on any Buy it Now purchase. Fast shipping in a Hard Box Only to your USA Confirmed eBay address and with signature required on all pieces selling over $750. I Will Not accept offers less than the published price on any Buy it Now listing, so please do not ask as I cannot take time to respond. I offer 30-Day Free Returns provided I have not properly described any piece or have failed to disclose any and all negative issues, and I will pay return postage. Refunds will be prompt, issued upon receipt of the return, and Only in Full. No Discounts or Partials will be offered or accepted and the knife must be returned in the same condition that it was received. ABOUT THIS PATTERNWhen Case Traders get together the discussion invariably finds its way to rare pocket knives. Case has indeed created quite a few rare blades, many of which became rare simply due to an error or mistake in the materials or manufacturing process. Incorrect model numbers, upside down stampings, the wrong handles and/or blades are a few that seem to find a spot on the list of rarities. Arguably the famous 61111-1/2 Cheetah is always in this discussion, due to the extra 1 in the model number, perhaps the most impossible of all conceivable errors. However, there are not many rare pieces that were made 100% correctly, without the slightest error, even mentioned unless they go back upwards of a hundred or more years. After all, outside of being of very limited production (and I mean extremely limited) what modern day knife was produced, exactly as it was designed and continued to be made, for up to 3-years, totally error free, that is now considered so rare that more than 50% of all collectors have never seen one let alone heard of one? My question is not rhetorical as there is an answer. The answer is the extremely rare, seldom if ever seen, Little John Carver in Kit form. The small and extremely scarce 3-inch 0024 pattern is officially known as the Little John Carver. Its a barehead jack, meaning just one bolster, and its clad with handle code 2, which is Smooth Black, and equipped with a very unusual Spay master blade and a Coping blade secondary, a combination used on no other knife, ever! The blades are CV, Chrome Vanadium, and the liners are brass. It was introduced during the Case XX era of 1940-1964, more specifically during 1958. It was sold as a stand alone single piece as well as in a kit that would be entitled, Little John Carver. The concept behind this knife was of a marketing nature. Like McDonalds, Case wanted to expand their market and secure its future by targeting the younger generation. Hence the smaller size of the knife, just 3-inches closed, and promoting the idea that whittling was fun, hence an easy to carve balsa wood block, complete with carving pattern, would be included. And its the original block and overlay, rather than just the knife alone, that make it so very rare. Like many ideas starting out in blue skies there would be heavy dark clouds ahead. Sales were slim and the concept simply didn't catch on, rendering our Little John Carver, kit and caboodle, a gigantic flop! At that time the knife buying public wasn't interested in a knife with a weird looking Spay as a master, and the black handles were nothing to get excited about as they simply looked like plastic. With the trend spiraling continually downward, It was nearly 3-years later that Case elected to pull the plug and put a merciful end to all Little John Carver production. With a huge inventory on hand, the vast majority of knives were removed from the kits and sold individually while all the remaining balsa wood blocks and clear acetate overlays were destroyed by burning, rendering the Little John Carver with Kit an immediate rarity. I have only seen one other stand alone piece, no block or overlay, on this platform about 7 or 8 years ago, but outside of those I own, I have never seen another one with block and overlay, like this one, anywhere other than in pictures. That should give you an idea just how rare this offering truly is. If I did not have another I will keep forever, this one would not be seen here today! You can find this knife in books published by Jim Sargent, Steve Pfeiffer and on many online platforms. DESCRIPTIONPLEASE NOTE, any white specking you see on the handles is strictly photographic as the handles are pure smooth black and void of any issues, there are positively no white specks or white marks on these handles! I acquired 3 of these decades ago and this will be the only one I will ever offer for sale. The knife, and every component shown in these photos is in prime unused mint condition, nothing is hidden or undisclosed. Everything is unused and has spent most of its life in my possession. The Blades work perfectly and with a deep mirror reflection. The handles are perfect, void of any and all issues. The single bolster and backspring are perfect. The balsa wood block looks new and the acetate printed overlay is as good as the day it left Bradford. Every major book about Case pocketknives makes reference to this Ultra Rare 220024, 3-inch, Little John Carver. I personally consider this piece to be the rarest of all regular production Case knives and even though others may command a much higher price tag, the Little John Carver Kit is, and will remain, King. Take a good look as you may never see one again, especially in this exceptional unused condition. Only this one to offer and its amazing! Thanks and Stay Sharp.

Price: 6300 USD

Location: Kingsport, Tennessee

End Time: 2024-12-07T17:09:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD