'Buckmaster LT 185'... Very Cool! 😁

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I was excited about getting the Buckmaster LT 185 that I ordered for my collection. Well, my having received it today, it sure didn't disappoint

The online vendor I purchased it from, had it listed as having it's original factory box and all of it's original factory paperwork. It also listed the knife and sheath as being in mint/unused condition.

I couldn't be happier with it, it totally matching the mint condition of my Buckmaster 184

Here are the two pictures that the online vendor had on their website when it was up for sale...





And here is the knife now next to my Buckmaster 184.
(My Boker Plus Apparo is also in the shot doing a little photo bombing)



The new Buckmaster LT 185 knife by itself....



The blade is pretty darned thick on the Buck 185, but... not the beast thickness of the Buck 184
Both of them were made from forged 425M stainless steel.

I had forgotten to ask the vendor to please not insert the knife into it's sheath to prevent the scratching that these sheaths cause on the blades. Well, the vendor, obviously knowledgeable about the situation, sent the knife with it not being inserted into the sheath... Awesome!

 

[jbmonkey]

nice addition to the groups ya got. great example too....

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

nice addition to the groups ya got. great example too....

Thank you!

Buck made just over 6,000 of these, which doesn't make them extremely rare, but there are a lot of folks that seek these out for their collections.
That, of course, has continually kept their prices rising. The thing is, these originally were most often purchased and used by their owners, so finding them in mint condition is a tougher task for the collector, (like myself), that wants one in as pristine condition as possible.
I paid $675 + shipping for my specimen, which by no means is a bargain, but... The price I paid, (when one considers their current average going prices), was indeed very fair.
With my specimen being NIB, (new in the box), usually means one having to pay at least a few hundred more dollars than what I paid for it.

Using today's online search engines and online auction sites, it was not difficult for me to find specimens of this knife for sale. What was hard was finding it in true mint condition, and at a price that was not in the stratosphere.
I feel a bit lucky that I scored on my specimen. It's condition and price checked off all the boxes for me

As inflation of the dollar continues to grow, so too will prices on everything being sold, including things on the secondary market.

Btw, not only did my knife come with it's original box and all of it's paperwork, it even came with a free sample packet of Flitz metal polish that was often sent out with these knives. The packet is totally sealed, but it's contents have dried and flattened out from it's 30+ years of age. It only further proves that the knife and it's accoutrements are all original. Pretty cool... The entire package is like a little time capsule

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I want to further elaborate on my opinion about the slightly over 6,000 total production numbers of the Buckmaster LT 185 knives.

These were not being sold as a collectable specific knife, instead it being a standard production item. It's somewhat low production numbers were not because the knife was supposed to be a limited collectable, but most likely because their sales were simply not that great. The hollow handled Buckmaster 184 was doing good for Buck's sales, and if the Buckmaster LT 185 was not doing so well, then discontinuing them made sense.
Being that they were made as standard production model knives, they likely mostly got purchased for real use, not as a keep mint in a display case knife.
That right there is what then makes it more difficult to find them in true Mint/NIB condition.

For contrast, I have a Camillus made commemorative "Stiletto" which is very much like the Fairbairn Stilettos that they made for the US military during WW2. It was made to be a collectable, so although they only made about 2,000 of them, when one finds one on the secondary market, it's almost always in perfect unused condition. They were meant to be left unused and kept in a display case.



That, again, is where the Buckmaster LT 185 is a totally different animal. Although three times as many Buckmaster LT 185's were made than the 2,000 Camillus Commemorative Stilettos, the user knife intention of the Buckmaster LT 185 will place most of them now as being in the soft to hard used condition, not so many left being in the Mint/Unused condition... And even more scarce if having their original box and paperwork.

Shortly after the Buckmaster LT 185 was discontinued, their prices still reflected that it wasn't a big seller, those prices remaining stagnant.
But, some years went by, and their prices started rising as they started getting targeted by collectors. Now, more than three decades since they were discontinued, the better condition to mint/NIB condition are getting all the more difficult to encounter, and hence how their prices have skyrocketed.

The hollow handled Buckmaster 184, although over 100,000 were made, has also become a major collector favorite, and they too command a pretty penny, especially specimens in exceptionally good to minty condition.

I do believe that the book written by Richard Neyman about these knives did help bring a spotlight to both the Buck 184 & 185 model Buckmaster knives.

The rest is now history

 

[DMG]

I would love to find a user grade 184 to live out my teenage dreams of living in the woods with only a big knife, my dog and a bag of salt.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I would love to find a user grade 184 to live out my teenage dreams of living in the woods with only a big knife, my dog and a bag of salt.

One would think that a well used specimen could be had fairly cheaply, but... Even those seem to fetch a pretty penny

For example, this particular specimen that has it's saw teeth broken and all, is currently being bid for on the bay. The auction still has over three days to go, and is already at $335!

 

[DMG]

One would think that a well used specimen could be had fairly cheaply, but... Even those seem to fetch a pretty penny

For example, this particular specimen that has it's saw teeth broken and all, is currently being bid for on the bay. The auction still has over three days to go, and is already at $335!

View attachment 1778854View attachment 1778855

Wow. I’ll run across one eventually.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Wow. I’ll run across one eventually.

Yes Sir... Just keep your eyes peeled, have a wee bit of patience, and you'll eventually get the pay off by acquiring one
And, good luck, buddy!

Oh, by the way... I must admit that I'm scratching my head as to why that mangled up specimen is reaching the dollar amount it's currently at.
I just don't see as to why with the condition it's in

My curiosity is having me keep an eye on it... I just got'a know what it finally sells for

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I decided to go take a peek at that bay auction for that mauled up Buckmaster 184... It still has over a day left, but has already reached about $430.
I'm very surprised that it's condition would allow it to fetch that amount of money. It would be interesting to find out what the bidders are seeing in it that I just can't see

 

[KenHash]

I decided to go take a peek at that bay auction for that mauled up Buckmaster 184... It still has over a day left, but has already reached about $430.
I'm very surprised that it's condition would allow it to fetch that amount of money. It would be interesting to find out what the bidders are seeing in it that I just can't see

Maybe there's something stashed in the handle that only a few people know about......lol

 

[justjed]

Looks like somebody thought they could saw a car in half......

 

[Triton]

I decided to go take a peek at that bay auction for that mauled up Buckmaster 184... It still has over a day left, but has already reached about $430.
I'm very surprised that it's condition would allow it to fetch that amount of money. It would be interesting to find out what the bidders are seeing in it that I just can't see

Agree either prices have gone up considerably lately or I apparently stole mine a couple of years ago.

 

[KenHash]

I sold my 184 in mint condition with box/papers, both spikes, both sheath pockets for a shade over $400 in 2016.
Only drawback was a crack on the face of the compass, which still worked fine.
Even if prices have gone up, that doesn't explain why people are chasing up such a damaged specimen.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I sold my 184 in mint condition with box/papers, both spikes, both sheath pockets for a shade over $400 in 2016.
Only drawback was a crack on the face of the compass, which still worked fine.
Even if prices have gone up, that doesn't explain why people are chasing up such a damaged specimen.

Yes, both the 184 & 185 have risen in price in a way that seems to be way beyond just the inflation thing going on right now.

Looking at the "buy it now" specimens that are at least complete with sheath and the spikes, that bay's site this morning had prices from about $600 to about $1000, (MUCH MORE for a few of the more rare limited variants on there). Their conditions vary, but the standard models in the better condition, (in really good to excellent shape), seem to be at the $800 to $1000 range.

But, yeah, the bay auction for that damaged specimen is a real head scratcher

Btw, you having sold your NIB specimen having all of it's accoutrements for $400 just a few years back... Is a wow! That could easily get $1,000 today!

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Looks like somebody thought they could saw a car in half......

Yup, and somehow, it paid off... It wound up being sold for $456 (including the shipping)... That's one pretty pricey Buckmaster 184 knife for the condition it's in

 

[jeepin]

Yup, and somehow, it paid off... It wound up being sold for $456 (including the shipping)... That's one pretty pricey Buckmaster 184 knife for the condition it's in

That’s called more money than brains.

 

[afishhunter]

Interesting. I wasn't aware of the Buckmaster LT 185. Very nice.

I wonder if Buck would repair the broken saw teeth on that Buckmaster 184?

Supposedly it is still under warranty ... tho off hand I can't think of what would break/chip the teeth like that. Perhaps the one responsible attempted (or managed?) to cut through a board or branch with an embedded 10 penny nail or railroad spike? Used a 2.5 pound halfjack/short sledge hammer to baton the blade through a grade 8 bolt to verify Buck's claim that (1) the blade is tough enough to cut a bolt and (2) the "without damaging the edge" part of the bolt cutting claim was true?

Why anyone would want to use their expensive even when new knife instead of bolt cutters (or an end cutter or hacksaw for machine screws) to cut even so much as a low grade 4-32 machine screw or a small 1/16~3/32" steel rivet is beyond me, however.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I have read that they no longer have components to warranty such a thing. I guess they could be nice and send a letter back with a certain dollar credit to pick something out from their website, (if they don't flat out reject the warranty service, deeming it as user abuse), but such an offer won't be the same as repairing the damaged knife.
I do still wonder what could have caused such a thing