$1,000 is not a lot of money. It is however, the limit that I will spend on a single

IIRC,Matt's knives last about a half hour after he posts 'em.
Killer knives,unreal prices.:thumbup: :cool:
Great score,Stumpy.
Doug
 
Anthony Lombardo said:
Should a collector strive for a small number of exceptional pieces or a larger number of representative pieces? That is a topic I am really interested in hearing some responses on.
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That would make for a great topic on its own.

I have changed from having somewhat of a limit to striving for a smaller number of exceptional pieces. A few years ago I didn't think I would ever need to spend more than $500.00 to get anything I would really want. after a little while I found that i really wanted a Fowler Pronghorn and so my limit went up. Then came my decision to collect bowies, mostly of the very large variety. Since it was next to impossible to get what I was looking for in bowies for under a thousand dollars, that became my new loose limit. Then I fell in love with ivory and pattern welded steel and once again my limit headed skyward. Now I am finding engraving and carving to be something that I would like to add to my collection.

To make things worse, I want to get some high end offerings from makers like Fisk, Fuegen, JD Smith, etc. This is not going to happen for $1000.00 to $1500.00, but I have decided that I am willing to add a new knife every year or two instead of adding two or three new knives a year to my collection. I also want to add some nice traditional Japanese tantos. I have found that this is also going to run me some big bucks. I only hope that I live long enough to fulfill my wish list.
 
for me the dollar ammount of a knife is much less important than the actual value of the knife, and how much it actually strikes me personally.

while the bulk of my collection is under $1k, i'm happy to spend more than that if i personally really like a piece and i think that it's worth what's being asked. most of my plus $1k pieces are large damascus pieces with ivory handles and some carving, file work, etc, that accounts for the extra cost. not that i want a whole collection made up of monster bowies, but a couple eye-poppers are nice to have.

basically i buy what i like, with an eye towards getting the most value of a purchase that i can. setting an arbitrary dollar ammount, while it may make for a nice challenge in collecting, would just drive me nuts.

i will say i know i pay more from pieces i buy directly from makers than things i pick up on the secondary market. when i place an order directly with a maker i'm not going to haggle over price at all. buying from a dealer or collector i definitely hunt for bargains. buying from makers is always more satisfying though, even if i get 'better deals' from the secondary market.
 
I too am focusing more on exceptional pieces and getting fewer knives. In fact, the next knife I am looking at is likely to cost more than my whole collection combined. :eek:

It is a sickness for which there is no cure!
 
One recurring theme here is that no matter what you collect, the trend is to collect fewer, but more exceptional pieces as you mature as a collector. I think this can only happen as you gain experience and confidence, with the only exception being if you have a "mentor" helping you spend your money. One of my partners just started collecting and has gone straight into handmade autos, which took me about 4 years to build up to. I doubt he would continue if he didn't have someone helping him in certain directions.
 
yeah, I'm not sure where the whole "$1000 is not a lot of money" comes into play. I take it that means you could afford to spend more than $1000 on a knife but you choose to set the limit at $1000. It sounds a little like bragging about how rich you are.
 
AF said:
yeah, I'm not sure where the whole "$1000 is not a lot of money" comes into play. I take it that means you could afford to spend more than $1000 on a knife but you choose to set the limit at $1000. It sounds a little like bragging about how rich you are.
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Ummm, yes and no.

Saying that a $1,000 is not a lot of money is relative. I compare it to things that we buy and use.

If you are a regular Wal-Mart/Sportsman's Guide type of shopper, you are the kind of person who will always be willing to sacrifice true quality for a truly lower price.

I was relating this to guns, fishing rods/reels, bows, washers/dryers and so on. For many of these things, $1,000 is not a lot of money.

Some people will never get the statement's roots or its' intent. 3 of the shows that I have been to in the last 12 months have knives that START at over $1,000. If that is not a show you want to attend, or will not attend with the intent to purchase, that is your perogitive. I saw a set of four Perazzi shotguns at SHOT for $250,000, and this was not even the highest priced ones. Someone must be buying them, because if not, they would not have had them for sale.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
It didn't look like Steven was bragging to me. To many people a thousand dollars is a heck of a lot of money, but it doesn't even scratch the surface of what you can spend for custom knives. If you look at luxury consumer goods, a thousand dollars won't go far in buying you quite a few of them.
 
If you think $1000 is a lot of money, I would strongly suggest collecting knives from the Franklin Mint.

This forum is about Custom knives. Like any handmade item, the good stuff is never cheap.

I may buy 5-7 knives a year that cost in total $5000.

I know people who easily buy that amount in cigarettes or beer per year.
 
The value of that 2 dollars in your pocket is directly relevant to the desire in your heart for a particular item. To some it is much more valuable to spend it on that cold beer rather than a hamburger or hot dog.

Now you just have to decide whether you want 2 generic beers so you'll have more or one good one that you can savor.

OR save that 2 dollars until you can save more and buy a bottle of good Scotch.
:D

I never dreamt I would spend near a thousand dollars on a folder but my wife and I both fell in love with a beautiful Birdwing gentlemens folder by Joe Szilaski which incidentally won best miniature folder at BSW last year. It became my wifes christmas present for double the amount that this thread is about.

Do I consider myself wealthy or rich???? Not even close.
Was I crazy for buying it???? Maybe....but my wife is happy which of course makes me happy. :D
Would a collector looking at the same peice feel it was a wise investment?? I don't know but I feel that I could sell it and get my money back out of it someday if I wanted to however that was not my driving force behind the purchase.

There's the old saying "I spent most of my money on horses, booze and loose women. The rest I just wasted."

This has been a good thread with alot of good input, ideas and thoughts.

Fracmeister I hope to meet you at my table at Blade show in Atlanta:D

Butch Deveraux
 
I also enjoy luxury goods of many varieties. I believe in quality over quantity. And I spend more than many would consider reasonable for a knife. However, I continue to feel that the statement- so and so is not a lot of money- is a poor way of expressing the idea that more money can be spent on knives or other items. That's just my opinion.
 
AF said:
I also enjoy luxury goods of many varieties. I believe in quality over quantity. And I spend more than many would consider reasonable for a knife. However, I continue to feel that the statement- so and so is not a lot of money- is a poor way of expressing the idea that more money can be spent on knives or other items. That's just my opinion.
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I think you are simply refusing to see the statement in its context - i.e. - $1k is not a lot of money in the field of custom knives. Sort of like "$20k is not a lot of money in the field of new cars." A simple statement of fact. That is just my opinion.

As others have mentioned there is something of a psychological barrier at $1k. A good buddy of mine will go to a show with $6-7k in his pocket (and come home with empty pockets and an armful of knives) but will almost always shy away from any single knife over $1k as "too expensive". Really, I have heard him say it many times. This kind of blows my mind, because of that were my budget, you can be sure I would be considering at least one knife in the $2-3k range.

I don't set artificial limits for any single knife, but in practical terms, the majority of the bowies I purchase fall in the $700 to $1,200 or so range. A smaller percentage will nudge up closer to $1,800 (and a small group in the $400-500 range, where there are some exceptional bargains to be had from newer makers) . I have exceeded $2k exactly once. Liquidity is something of a concern - once you are up into the $2k - $3k range, you are talking about a seriously diminished pool of potential buyers on re-sale. Sometimes I wish I collected hunters. :o

Great topic Anthony - and real good input from everyone.

Roger
 
I well remember the days when I never would have considered paying $1000 for a knife--and I have loved knives all my life.

I well remember the first time I paid $1000 for a knife. It was a few years ago. I was more finacially seccure, but was still not looking to go into high-end knife collecting. In fact, I have never thought of myself as a collector. Still, I saw a picture of this knife and knew that I had to have one. I called the maker and was lucky that he had one on hand. Even then, I know enough about the custom knife business to know that if I didn't like the knife, the maker would refund my money.

That knife really changed things for me--everything about it was an order of magnitude above the high-end production models that I previously favored. I had owned some customs, but as they were fixed plades, they were not suitable as every-day carries. This knife, on the other hand, has pretty much been in my pocket ever since.

Recently, the maker, who has become a valued friend, asked me if I still thought that that original knife purchase has been worth it. I answered that I get the benefit of that knife daily, which would not necessarily have been the case of the cash, or if I had bought something else with the money. In other words, Yes, that knife was worth it, and quite frankly, given the materials and time that the maker had to invest in that knife, I consider it a fantastic value.

Now, will I say the same thing about a $5000 knife? I don't know, haven't been there, and am unlikely to go there, given current plans.

I will say that I personally do agree thith the trend that seems to be the basic topic of this thread--i.e. buying fewer knives of greater value/price as my tastes(?) mature. And if my financial situation takes a hit, as is very likely, well, then I just buy fewer knives, rather than more inexpensive ones.

One basic problem is that if you really want a specific knife, you have to order it from the maker. These guys have VERY long wait times, so you better be prepared for a few changes in your financial status in that time. Like many other things in life, this is not as simple a problem as it appears.
 
You're right, I'm taking it out of context. It does make perfect sense when referring only to the custom knife market.
 
I find this discussion really interesting! I am a maker who, like many makers I know, cannot afford to own the knives I make with my own hands. To be honest, its a pretty good feeling to make something you can't afford to hold onto :)

1,000$ is a lot of money, but its not a lot of money for a sole authorship handcrafted item that combines both artistry and functional standards. I've seen hand woven baskets go for quite a bit more.
 
I've always felt that good custom knives, generally speaking, are a fantastic bargain considering the amount of work that goes into them. When I first started "accumulating" several years ago, I bought the least expensive handmade fixed blades. It took me awhile to realize the truly great values cost a bit more.
 
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