The Duke — In Your Pocket

I’m generally not into collectable knives, preferring instead the kind you actually use. But when the two cross paths, it grabs my interest. That’s what drew me to Case’s John Wayne collection. The knives feature the veteran USC footballer and film veteran’s signature, either inlayed into the handle or engraved on the blade. But besides that, they’re just good old standard Case knives, great for daily carry.

Seriously. Would The Duke want his branded knives sitting around under glass, destined to pass from collector to collector? Hell, no. He’d want them out there hacking through busted radiator hoses, carving crappy figurines out of dead tree branches, and cutting up hot dogs to share at the ballpark. He’d want them jammed into boxes to make ‘em fit in the recycling bin. He’d want ‘em to live their lives to the fullest.

Case currently offers the John Wayne collection in nine styles. While outdoorsmen will likely flock to the TrapperLock and RussLock with their larger blades, I’ve always been a fan of the Medium Stockman with its nice balance between blade size (3-5/8″) and pocket-ability. It also has a really classic shape — a shape that (because my dad carried one) I’ll always associate with functional pocket knives.

It looks like Case isn’t hawking these things as ever-loving collectables, either, slotting them in at about $20 more than their standard counterparts. (They do offer a couple of Trapper models that include collectable cases at a premium, but that’s not really my thing.) Bottom line: If you’re a Wayne fan, for a double sawbuck you can have his signature on a really decent knife. If you don’t care, go with the standard.

John Wayne Knives [WR Case]