Are knives undervalued?

[GoodOlBoy]

Now stricly speaking I am not talking about money wise. Money wise I think many knives are FAR overpriced. But here is my issue.

They other day I am over at a co-workers place and I see that he has a giant knife collection. He is showing me this pretty and that pretty and talking about knife makers in general and blah blah blah. Then I ask him which ones have been used to cut, skin, clean, butcher what game. He looks at me with a look of sheer horror on his face. Now I KNOW this guy is a hunter. We have talked about it MANY times. So I am totaly confused as to what his problem is. Then finally he goes to the kitchen and pulls out a $9 wal-mart special hunting knife that looks like it has been beaten to death and is not quite sharp enough to cut hot butter. This is his hunting knife. He has Randall knives, he has ka-bars, he has gerbers, he has camillius, he has case, he has old timer, scharade, you name it he has it. But this is his hunting knife. Then he explains to me that these knives on the wall are "for collection value" and it would ruin their value to use them.

Now that got me to thinking. He has alot of money on that wall, but I don't think he has alot of value on it. Me I have a few very nice knives, and a few wal-mart specials, and assorted odds and ends. Every one has been used. Every one has value as a knife. Every one has been taken care of as though it were a million dollar blade instead of a $9 or a $50 or even a $100 blade. If I wanted to just see perfect unmarred examples of these knives I could print copies of pictures of them from the companies website to frame on the wall.

I don't know maybe its just me, maybe I am not getting my point across.

GoodOlBoy

[Swift]

A knife is a tool made to be used. But if a person wants to collect them for financial investment that's OK. However most people that collect em usually end up passing em to the next generation when they kick the bucket.

I have a small hand full of knives that all get used even my one custom gets used but the custom is the one that I hope will be my son's then grandsons piece of me when I head to the Happy Hunting Grounds in the sky.

[gd357]

My grandfather passed away a few years ago, and he had a shoe box full of knives. I ended up getting a nice Buck lock blade, and used it that fall to field dress a buck I took with my muzzleloader. he used it, and so did I. hopefully, it'll see much more use.

gd

[wrenchman]

I love well made knives but i youse a buck 110 when hunting.
It is not becouse i am worryed about the value my problim is i have lost a couple real nice sheath knives i just cant hunt with them.
I lost a real nice hinkel in ky and i lost a marbles knive a few years back also.
I bought another marbles to replace it a couple years ago and gutted my sons first deer with it so i gave it to him i hope he has it for many years and gets to youse it a lot.
My every day pocket knive is a old case i love them old carbon still blades

[Tater]

My hunting knife is my Uncle's old BSA knife. He got it back in the early 50s when he was in the Scouts and kept it till he left for 'Nam in 67. It sat in a box for several years till my Grandfather took it out to start using it while hunting. He gave it to me about 15 years ago when he couldn't hunt anymore and I've been carrying it hunting and hiking every since. As far as I'm concerned it's priceless. For me a knife is a tool made to be used. Hanging knives on the wall is a much a waste of money as hanging a screwdriver on a wall. No offense to your friend, just my most humble opinion.

[jmarriott]

I would be very pleased to recieve a collectable knife at a good price. Case peanuts and bulldog brand knives are my favorties.

You guy's go ahead a use yours to whittle tent stakes if you want. mine and the original packaging and such goes in the knife safe. They do better in collecting value than my 401kk most years.

Old fishing lures heck I know a guy that collects cast iron frying pans.

[longdistanceoperator]

Hey GOB, great article, enjoyed it very much, I think what you are missing here is what has happend in the last 10 years in the knife world. Knives have become EXTREEMLY high priced ART, JUST LIKE STUFF AT THE GALLERY OR MUSEUM...
A RECENT AUCTION BROUGHT $300,000 FOR A ORIGINAL LOVELACE PIECE, I belive it was a somewhat scraggly looking double tang fighter blade, made 20 years ago..by Bob LOVELESS..., AND Scagles run anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 a peice, most hi end switchblades are daily sold at $5000 to $40,000 a peice depending on the maker...
there are litterally hundreds of thousands of makers out there, many who produce stuff that is jaw dropping in its design and appearance...and you would never hear of their names, then you have those "common everyday well known makers " ...who produce run of the mill stuff on request... Yes prices have gotten insane, you probably have no idea how bad it reall is.. HOWEVER... the recent economic crash has CERTIANLY put a dent in the purchasing power and asking prices of these peices..the next major east coast show should reflect this...it will be outreagous prices from makers as usual ..but this time customers will just walk away instead of dickering as their bottom line purchasing power is going to be MUCH LESS this year..... you will proably also see ALOT OF GREAT DEALS by collectors who are money challenged...and need what they can get... the knife world is going to suffer great adjustment this year... like everything else... personally.. I think the knife world will come out of it in better shape for the long run... grossly overinflated prices will have been knocked down to something reasonable... I HAPPEN TO LIKE REASONABLE.. im sure most of us do...

as for your friends value on that wall, dont worry, he wont loose any money...in another couple years he will be able to get a nice profit easily for his pieces agian...

THIS LINK SHOULD OPEN YOUR EYES...

www.miaminiceknife.com

[blacktail]

Knives like guns are meant to be used or they have no value

Every knife I own has been used for the purpose it was intended

every knife I make is made with the intention that it be used.

[longdistanceoperator]

there are using knives..and tradin knives... but yea like you, i wont make a tradin knife... its a user or not at all...

[Ol` Joe]

I`ve had this one in 11 deer since I received it. It`s an "Ingram #2" with a D2 blade by Gene Ingram. I`ve a couple of Dave Winstons blades also and one of them has seen use also.
I do have knifes that haven`t been used by me on game, but I would not say they never will. I don`t concider any of mine "collector" pieces, but very good users.

[petey]

I'm much like your Co-worker. I have a lot of "numbered" collectable knives. Most are engraved and limited edition , like 1 of 100 or 1000 EVER made. They are just that..collectables made to unwrap and break out of the box and say "look at this nice knife". Will I sell them 20 yrs down the road? Probably not, but they will be worth something, if nothing else sentimental value to my children or grandchildren in 50 years. Each may "actually" be worth $10-20K in 50 years. Will they sell them? Probably not, but if they do..hope they get a couple days of higher education off of it.

I own several expensive working knives. My go to gutting and skining knife is a Buck Vangaurd, special engraved. I have Kodi-paks, and several others that hit the field. My Gerber or Coast clip knives are always on my side and I use them daily, from as simple as opening a letter to using them to tighten screws. If they break, hey I'm out $30 and go buy another...but my collectables...don't even get fingerprints on the blade or I'll whack ya one. A non-numbered knife probably isn't going to be worth any more 10 years down the road than the day he bought it. So, GOB if your co-working is just collecting off the shelf knives you can buy anywhere he isn't any further ahead if he wouldn't have spent his money.

No different than my signed NWTF stamp collection or any other collectable. Just a hobby, that will be worth something on down the road. Will the current owner, be it me or ancester ever cash in on it? I doubt it....I'll be dead before they leave my family's hands so the point is mute.

You guys mean to tell me that if you receive a $450 numbered 40 of 100 EVER made Case (which would typically go for $80) as a gift, you'd break it out and start whittlin wood with it? I doubt that seriously. Those that say they would, please email me and I'll give you the $80 to buy a non-numbered knife in exchange for your numbered knife so you can "make use" of it. We'll both be ahead.

[jmarriott]

Petey I could not agree more.

Heck I even have old forks and butter knives in the collection.

Whittle tents stakes with em if you want mine will stay in the knife safe and go up in value. The ones in the shoe box with the stone marks just make mine more collectable.

[longdistanceoperator]

Ol joe thats a great lookin little knife...

[longdistanceoperator]

Petey, youll probably wince but i did take one of my 6 buck striders and use it to clean
a moose couple years ago...it was 27 of 100, i looked at that little blade on my belt and then at that big moose... and just shook my head and got the big guy out of the backpack...and went to work... i just carried it for good luck up to that point... if i hadnt used it..id probably still be there wittlling away at that monster...LOL however.. after a good run thru the ultrasonic cleaner and a good oiling and a few mins on the croc stix.. it was good as new....

[TKO]

Maybe I am missing something but I am not sure why anyone one would be care what someone else does with their knives? If you have a $1000 knife and want to gut deer with it, good for you, want to put it in a case, under glass and display it, great. I think we are all differant. I like knives, I never had the money to collect guns like I would like to and knives are cheaper!