Cleaning a Mint Knife

You bring up some good points Peter. My rationale comes from the fact that a 110 was shiny when new and that's how I like to look at them. :thumbup: The good news is...if one doesn't like the shiny look, simply leave it alone and let it tarnish evenly. Otherwise I simply wipe them down periodically with a soft cotton cloth and that is enough to retard the tarnishing process. ;)
 
My first post wasn't meant to be "anti polish". Heck, I couldn't collect knives because I gotta use every one I have. I love the look of nice polished brass, copper, and silver. My issue was only with the term "mint". You could sell me a knife and label it "like new" or "never used" and I would be perfectly happy even if you polished the brass so much you could see through it!

I just think that the term "mint condition" should stick to the standard collectors definition.
 
WayneH said:
I just think that the term "mint condition" should stick to the standard collectors definition.
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Isn't leaving the patina on a contradiction in terms then??? When a coin comes from the mint, it is bright and shiny. :)
 
WayneH said:
My first post wasn't meant to be "anti polish". Heck, I couldn't collect knives because I gotta use every one I have. I love the look of nice polished brass, copper, and silver. My issue was only with the term "mint". You could sell me a knife and label it "like new" or "never used" and I would be perfectly happy even if you polished the brass so much you could see through it!

I just think that the term "mint condition" should stick to the standard collectors definition.
Click to expand...

I always ask alot of ?'s ahead of time when it comes to condition on something I'm interested in. Mint to someone may not mean the same to someone else, 98% may only be 90% to another, etc. So asking ahead of time (along with good pics) can hopefully avoid any disappointments when something arrives. If you buy alot on Ebay, sooner or later you'll get something that isn't as nice as expected. And sometimes you'll get a nice surprise & get something in even better condition than described.
I'm with you, in that too much is being made here on whether to polish the bolster's or not. I mean, we're talking about relatively inexpensive knives here, not something rare worth a small fortune. Polish away if that's what make you happy.
 
I also agree that "mint" is well overused...especially on EBAY. To me "mint" implies flaw and blemish free and I don't comprehend "almost mint". Unfortunately, as was stated, different people have varying interpretations.

The brass bolsters do look very nice with a high polish compared to a dull patina. They also get green oxidation if left for long periods of time in leather sheaths. I have favored semichrome since the days I used it to make the aluminum on my 60's Triumph look like chrome. It works superbly on most metals. Mothers is good stuff too as is Never Dull, which is tough to beat for silver.
 
It's true that a patina would make an item no longer "mint" in the coin world. It would be "uncirculated". But knives, for the most part, aren't sold in air tight packaging either.
 
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