CASE CONGRESS 6488  ~ Extremely Rare ~

This is a Case Congress Rough Black 6488 , made from 1940 to 1964. It has the rare Long Pull. Produced in Bradford, Pa. This knife has character, It was someones E.D.C. for many years. The ROUGH BLACK handles have no chips or cracks and are in amazing condition for its age. Blades have a good snap, all with half stop. It has been used, carried and sharpened. This knife books for 1800.00 to 3200.00 for near mint to mint condition.

The condition of this one is Very Good to Excellent ( see grading system below ) , Maybe somewhat more than 10% blade wear.  (See photos), No cracks in handles, no lazy blades, 6488 stamping is mostly visible.

• Model Number: The 6488 identifies the knife as a Congress pattern with rough black handles and four blades.
• Handles: "Rough Black" refers to a jigged, hard black synthetic handle material developed during WWII due to material shortages. These knives were nicknamed "Gum Fuddy".
• Blades: The knife has four blades: a sheepfoot (master blade), spear, coping, and pen blade.
• Tang Stamp: Knives from this era (1940-1964) typically feature a "CASE XX" tang stamp without any dots.
• Long Pull: This refers to a long nail pull on the master blade, making it easier to open. 

• Rarity: The use of "Rough Black" handles was phased out after WWII, making these knives highly sought-after collector's items.

NKCA Grading system

MINT: A factory fresh knife, absolutely original as it came from the manufacturer, not carried or sharpened, a perfect knife.

NEAR MINT: A new knife that has seen sometimes, show some slight carry or shop wear, blades snap perfectly, handles show no cracks.

EXCELLENT: Shows no more than 10% blade wear, handles are sound, no cracks, blades snap good.

VERY GOOD: About 25% blade wear, slight cracks in handles, may have one lazy blade, stamping clearly visible to the naked eye, no blades changed or repaired.

FAIR: 50% blade wear, blades lazy, cracks and chips in handles, handles replaced with same type, blades repaired, stampings faint but readable with a glass.

POOR: Blades very worn, handles bad or missing, blades have been replaced with the same type, reading of the stamp is almost impossible, even with a glass, good mostly only for parts.