"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Padruig I empathize with you. Same experience in my neck of the woods. I still wonder how those more accomplished than I can find beautiful knives with obscure names that get displayed on our forum. And, I don't know if the big on-line auction houses are the answer.
 
Padruig, I have experienced the same thing many, many times. I indeed enjoy checking out any antique/junk store I can find.
Just remember, they are fishing for suckers! A jaundiced eye, and a low-ball offer can capture some surprising treasures. In the last year I have found a rare Remington surveyor pattern, worth maybe $250 - for $15!! That's after looking in ten stores at 100s of overpriced junkers!
I don't know or care exactly what ignorance motivates some of the outrageous prices, I just care about the rare but brilliant un-recognized treasure! The thrill of the hunt!!
Patience is the key, IMO.
 
I'll second Charlie's statement. Patience is key in any anitiquing that you will do. My mom manages an antique store where many different dealers rent booths. She'll give me a call whenever somebody brings in knives that she thinks I'd be interested in. I have been able to pick up several knives that people were willing to let go for a decent price. However, the vast majority are priced way higher than what I'd call reasonable. In talking to her it seems that this is typical of all kinds of antiques, not just knives. She tells me that many antique "dealers" are really just compulsive buyers and they put on like they're selling as a way to store and show off their finds. Some of her dealers haven't sold anything in years, and they don't mind at all. There are a couple that use the mall as a place to store their latest acquisitions so that they don't have to take them home and admit to their spouse that they were out shopping again. I don't know how common this is in the antique world at large, but whenever I'm in an antique shop and see prices that don't make sense I assume that I've encountered one of these situations. Sometimes the sign just says Antiques and you assume it's a store when in fact the owner views it more as a museum. ;)
 
I love going to antique stores, thrift stores, Goodwill stores, yard sales, flea markets and so on. 99% of the time I come away with nothing but other times I come away with a treasure. Like the Buck 119 I posted a week or so back I bought it new in a little thrift store still in the blister pack for $10. It is treasure hunting but as Charlie said for me it's "The thrill of the hunt". However that said I have also found again as Charlie said most antique dealers are on a fishing expedition trying to catch the largest amount of money they can for an item and in most cases don't have a clue how much a particular knife should sell for. I have been given prices of $100 or more for knives I've ended up buying for $15 or $20 dollars. When trying to negotiate with these folks if you find something you really want let them know you are a collector and know the market without belittling or embarrassing them and also if you can find out how long they've had it. If it's been there a year they know it's time for it to go away. Good luck I hope you find some great treasures for some great prices soon.
 
yup, always good to see a nice antiques/junk shop. very rare in my area, still wishing i stopped by that shop during the GEC rendezvous the other year but was trying to beat the traffic
 
You're spot on Cory. I think it is a way of showing off your collection, even if you never sell an item.

I went out last fall with my wife and grandmother, and we hit up 10-15 antique stores during a full Saturday. It seemed to me that the larger the store, the higher the prices, with the "malls" being unbelievable high priced for everything. One good thing to keep in mind, at those prices, you can always go back and see the objects over and over, because they are never going to sell. I saw a used 1980's SAK priced at $150, and I had to do a double and triple take to see if my eyes were playing a trick on me.
 
waynorth said:
Padruig, I have experienced the same thing many, many times. I indeed enjoy checking out any antique/junk store I can find.
Just remember, they are fishing for suckers! A jaundiced eye, and a low-ball offer can capture some surprising treasures. In the last year I have found a rare Remington surveyor pattern, worth maybe $250 - for $15!! That's after looking in ten stores at 100s of overpriced junkers!
I don't know or care exactly what ignorance motivates some of the outrageous prices, I just care about the rare but brilliant un-recognized treasure! The thrill of the hunt!!
Patience is the key, IMO.
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Very well said Charlie :thumbup:

Cory Hess said:
There are a couple that use the mall as a place to store their latest acquisitions so that they don't have to take them home and admit to their spouse that they were out shopping again.
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:D

deltaboy said:
The Hunt for a good knife keeps me going.
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Me too ;)
 
Cory Hess said:
She tells me that many antique "dealers" are really just compulsive buyers and they put on like they're selling as a way to store and show off their finds. Some of her dealers haven't sold anything in years, and they don't mind at all. There are a couple that use the mall as a place to store their latest acquisitions so that they don't have to take them home and admit to their spouse that they were out shopping again.
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Hmm, now that's an idea for all these knives that keep showing up at my door.:eek::D
 
$5 each from the $5 bowl at an antiques mall. I have passed on the Barker a couple of times, because the blades are so worn, but he was cutler to her majesty, who was likely the late madge Victoria, so before 1901. And it shows signs of someone filing down the kicks as the blades narrowed, so it was loved.
I almost passed on the rather clunky Camillus, but the blades are full and it's a four-liner.
cvBJmV3.jpg
 
Padruig :::
As Charlie has said : Patience is part of the key , but you need to know what the object is worth or what are other places listing very similar items for . If a shop has something that you want and won't deal with you , leave it there and keep going back . Dealers are often having sales. I have a few knives that I went back on 3 to 4 times before I got it for what I wanted to pay . The last one took 6 months . I find it easier to find good deals in smaller malls or shops .

Harry
 
Birthday Greetings to Jack Black! :thumbup::thumbup:
I hope you have an especially favorable day of celebration! :)
Oops! I didn't realize there's an entire thread dedicated to Jack's nativity! :o

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Birthday Greetings to Jack Black! :thumbup::thumbup:
I hope you have an especially favorable day of celebration! :)
Oops! I didn't realize there's an entire thread dedicated to Jack's nativity! :o
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Thanks a lot my friend, and my thanks to everyone here on The Porch :) :thumbup:
 
I appreciate all the feedback guys and I certainly apologize for making you all my sounding board. The truth is: it is certainly the thrill of the hunt that makes finding those infrequent gems such a treat. After all, if we found treasures every day, would they still be considered treasures?

I will continue to maintain patience and will continue to find enjoyment in the hunt. It has been interesting seeing my interests temper and narrow a bit when it comes to cutlery since my joining BladeForums. Had I gone on shopping trips after being swept up in the excitement of traditional cutlery, I'd have probably bought as much as I could. The education I've received here though, has provided me with tools and more discriminating tastes. I would have never known to be on the lookout for celluloid out-gassing, for instance.

This place has been fantastic and enlightening. I can hardly wait for my next find/acquisition. Patience.... :)
 
Old Engineer said:
I guess that explains why I have never found a decent knife there .
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You know the old saying about not being what you know but who you know, right? :D

In honesty, you haven't missed out on much. I've picked up an 8OT, a 34OT, and an old Schrade Walden 861. The 861 is the only one I'd really consider a treasure. the Old Timers were only notable in that I paid $5 between the two and they were both in really good shape. That place just doesn't have a lot of good knives come through it. Actually, there are some really nice knives there, they're just overpriced and not worth what they're asking. ;)
 
I could honestly be in a "Walking Dead" type of scenario.

I-85 through Atlanta is shut down one way.

We have traffic that rivals LA's.

This is really really really bad.

I want to fly over to get pics, but I bet the air traffic will be nuts.
 
Wow - so the Interstate actually COLLAPSED due to a fire underneath it? That's going to take months to repair.
 
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