A reckoning

B

BennyBlade

Joined
Apr 20, 2022
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Acquired a bunch of knives recently. I'm hoping CJ might mail me a birthday card. 😂 really has me thinking about my collection. Maybe keeping it at a set number and then only trading/upselling out of it. I know a lot of people that collect a lot of things. Man. I can't imagine paying storage fees for a collection I don't see. I know guys that have 2 - 3 storage units full of model trains that are just in there getting old... call me crazy, but I do see some of my knives as an investment.not really for me, but both my kids have small collections... neither one knows how big my collection really is... I see bucks always increasing in value in the future, both financially and historically.
What do you all do with your collection? Display it? Store it? Do you set limits, or are you just buying every knife you like forever? Do you think bucks historic value will out pace its financial value? Are the 2 linked together?
 
I probably have close to 300 plus knives.. And most all are put away.. Don't want to get into the display thing as we aint set up here for that..
On another note.. Every time I do my yearly polish/clean thing, I discover knives I forgot I had..🤨 And I have never bought duplicates either!! 😂
John:)
 
I don't have that many but I don't know how many I have. I was thinking 100 was a good number. Most of my knifes are bucks. Another good portion vnox. A small collection of others. I have a stack of buck boxes that are taped closed. I know what's in them due to a description in sharpie on the side of the box. Then there are nice ones I have no intention of selling. I'd like to display some of those. I only recently obtained the space to display some, but even now the house is a construction site... then there is the pile of users... lol.
 
I face the "what to do with" dilemma with multiple collections. I'm a long time collector/accumulator of firearms (Smith & Wesson, Marlin, Ruger), coins, police badges & shoulder patches, and now Buck knives, where a little over a year ago I had only 4 or 5, and now I'm approaching the 200 mark.

I've had dreams of grandeur of displaying the badge & patch collection, but there isn't enough wall space. I've re-purposed an oak stereo/TV entertainment center with glass doors into a lighted display cabinet, and I'll put a good portion of my Buck's on display. Firearms... are relegated to the gun safes, so I'm contented with my quarterly ritual of "oiling and fondling", the coins are stored away in a safe, as they were bought more as an investment to be sold off for retirement income as/if needed.

Do I set limits? Initially no, and I do get into a bit of a"buy what I see frenzy" (and the Sunday Morning Picture show has certainly been a big culprit in the growth of my Buck collection) , but then I quickly settle down and I become more discriminate in my purchase decisions... especially now, now that I'm retired and living on a company pension and social security retirement income.
 
I probably have about 3 dozen or so knives. Most of them are Bucks, with a smattering of Case, SAK, Benchmade, TRM, Spyderco, and GEC in descending order. Followed by a couple brands with just a single example (Utica, Imperial, Mora, Rough Rider, and Moore Maker). It's a fluctuating number, and every now and again I'll get rid of a bunch. I have a handful that have sentimental value, but most of them I just think are cool. I could get rid of everything and likely manage just fine with a 303 and my kitchen knives, but I don't see myself doing that anytime soon.

Edit: I went out to the garage and actually counted my knives in the tool chest. I came up with 69 pocket knives, 70 if I include the Mora. Then I remembered the 301 in my pocket and the Rambler on my keys. Brings it to twice the number of my estimate. I also counted the ones I don't use regularly: 8-9 depending on how you define "regular." (There are a couple older Buck slippies that are absolute nail-breakers, and one that I can't sharpen for the life of me. I need to either make them a project or get rid of them.) I should probably put a pause on my knife buying for a bit. I just started about 4 years ago when I was looking for something that my son in Cub Scouts could use. At the time, I had my dad's old Imperial Barlow, and a broken-tip Utica lockback that I used for everything.
 
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Getting older and some health things, so going to slowly start reducing the accumulation.
But not looking to make huge profits. Mainly recouping investment. Some have gone up in value, some have dropped. The hunting gear will remain, mostly...
 
Ironic that you post this thread now because it’s been on my mind pretty heavily lately. I’ve got a couple hundred knives in total. When my grandpaw died last summer I inherited enough knives to last my lifetime I reckon. I can’t bring myself to carry any of them though. I have them locked in the safe. I’m a minimalist at heart and envy those one or two knife guys. Same with guns. I have enough Glock pistols to outfit a small police department. I lucked into two Glock 27’s, one made the week my daughter was born and one made the week my youngest son was born. I don’t carry them but keep them locked up to give to those kids one day. And that’s not counting the Smith&Wessons and Rugers. Same with a lot of knives I have. I don’t reckon my kids will ever have to buy a single gun or knife themselves.

I don’t want any more stuff in my life than I can fit into two or three large duffel bags. I buy good condition Buck 307’s and Remington 9501’s. I think I have 8 in total. I figure it’s enough to use and enough to have spare parts if I want to have blades swapped or whatever later in life by somebody who knows how to do such things. I reckon that’s enough to last me the next 4-5 decades. I used to collect yellow handle Case knives but don’t fool with it anymore. I still have them all though, to give the kids one day. I have the knife I had in my pocket when I married my ex wife, when she was pregnant with my daughter. Carried the same knife when she was born. Naturally it’ll be hers one day. Same for my two boys.

Im also buying up Buck knives and guns manufactured the years my stepson was born to give to him one day just like my biological kids. He doesn’t know it yet though. My sentimentality goes a step further; I have the guns put up that I was carrying when each child was born to give to them. Maybe more freaking-mental than senti mental?

It’s gotten to the point with me though that I can’t wait to give all that stuff to the kids and just keep a handful of knives and a couple or three guns and breathe a sigh of relief. I do use some of the knives though. I think mine has got out of control. So much for being a minimalist huh?
 
Not that many here, maybe two or three dozen in two drawers.
I have a few more coming and then it's time to pretty much call it a day.
Some are beauties, some are beaters, the non-Buck ones I could care less about.
I never looked at knives as an investment, they're just something I've always had since I was a kid.
If I get close to my purchase price somewhere down the road that will be fine with me.

I DID find myself looking at a knife I already had which is a clear sign that I'm just about done.
 
As far as limits go I mostly limit my purchases of new knives to Buck 112 and occasional Case pocket knives. I am building a display for my 112's, but the rest of my knives (other than received gifts) are in constant flux.
In 2022 my adult daughter suffered a major health crisis. It made me prioritize my collections. I have and will continue to sell my knives, guns and bows to help support her and her family.
 
I've bought very few knives "just to have". With the exception of those i bought to flip, I use virtually every knife I own. Some are used for cutting and some are used for decoration, but none are used to take up space in a closet or safe. Any i have that aren't used for cutting or decoration are sold or traded off with free exceptions. There is a display of some sort in virtually every room in my house.
 
I have collected 112's since 2007 and really enjoy the hunt for the odd ones! I displayed my collection at the Blade Show in Atlanta and at the Gator Show here in Florida and it's been a lot of fun especially the fellowship with other Buck collectors. Health issues now have basically kept me from even going to the show in Florida this year and as much as I wanted to go to the 35th get together in Post Falls this year I just can't physically get thru the airport much less do all the walking to enjoy the experience. I still look for and add to my collection but now have to figure out what to do with my 112's if I pass on. The kids and grandchildren have little or no desire to collect and in fact would be a burden on them to dispose of so now I'm faced with the choice of what to do. Some are real treasures and valuable and I know would be wanted by serious collectors. I just hate to to go to all the trouble of taking pictures, packing to ship, setting a price and/or a offer and deciding who gets what. Some were sold to me JUST because I don't flip knives and have displayed this cool part of Bucks history. I almost feel like putting them all in a big box and anyone who came to my funeral reach in and pick one lol! For now I really enjoy just having them around and in fact this minute have close to a dozen 110's and 112's on my desk within reach. After ya get over 50 all the boxes and shieths and paperwork WILL take a lot of space and unless you keep real good records it becomes hard to remember what box goes with what knife..
 
I have about 300 Buck knives and just started collecting some Case - so maybe 50 of those. I am collecting primarily red handled Case knives. All of them are in plastic storage bins. I like Buck 112s the most, so about 75 of the 300 are 112s. I also like to collect the multi pack knives, often sold with a tin. And the Remington knives that Buck made and the Bullets. I also have another 100 or so from other manufacturers. Storage is an issue but it is still manageable in the house. I use smaller storage containers so that the weight of the knives are not ruining the boxes. Even though I am older, I haven't been collecting that long. Wish I would have started years ago, I would have all those that are too expensive for me to buy now. Almost all of my knives are new or very lightly used and have boxes. This all started when I gave my neighbor a 110 for when he drove me to the hospital. I thought it looked cool and got one for myself. Then you know what happened. Every once in a while I bring out a box. Donning gloves and having an oily rag nearby I marvel at their beauty. 😀. Oddly, I don't hunt, fish, camp, or prep so I don't really have an actual need to use them. My primary knife for opening boxes is a cheap folder I got from Harbor Freight😀. I am addicted to knife collecting. 😀
 
My brother passed at the end of December. Model trains was a hobby we both shared with my late father. Polycystic Kindney Disease lead to both of their eventual passing. Anyhoo.. I met up with his buddy today and went through 77 boxes of trains. It was bewildering. Some of his earliest models were in there. There was a ton of stuff I had never seen or known about. In his teens through 30s he was a Modeler and became a collector as he got sick. Quite a few of the boxes were worth over $1000. Just rare discontinued stuff that hasn't been available in years. The guys at his rr club are going to take some stuff, but the majority is going to an auctioneer. Whatever lump some they get, will go to his wife. It's kind of an overwhelming experience. He also had a massive collection of fdny memorabilia and model trucks that is currently in storage.

Here's the box I picked to keep.

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A part of my existing collection
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77 boxes of this
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This was one of three whole boxes he had, of coal trains that he painted and decaled himself. This is NScale 1:160. A penny is taller than these cars.
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There is a lot of wisdom here. Questions are hard. What am I doing this for? Do I still get the joy or happiness out of this that I once did?

I may well stop buying Buck knives this year with the possible exception of an interesting BOTM. It will be a year in May since I bought my first one and I have purchesed two. They will be split between my son and my daughter. I'm sure the knives they don't want will be sold or given away. Each passing day I'm knowing that there are far more important things to do with the money I've been blessed with.
 
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