Collecting Production knives.

GreySteel

GreySteel

Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
135
I got a question for you avid knife collectors such as I, well starting. I am in to collection brand name knives like SOG, Spyderco, Kershaw etc.... When I buy them I don't really intend to use them really at all, maybe a little when I am going casual and not at work, I have my workers knives that I use for my job, not my upper end knives. I know alot of people that collect knives, and collect them as show pieces get knives that have the wood, or bone handles,, or the o-1 steel blades etc... the mutli hundred thousand dollar knives. But just wanted to ask how many just collect production knives and show them off? That is what I am into, your Endura 4's, or your SOG Aegis, those type of knives to show off. Any comments I am sure....
 
Not me, I use all the knives I have (production), at the very least I will carry them a few times before I sell or trade them, if I dont they get mad at me
 
I have a few production knives that I don't use, but for the most part I use them at least once and a while. I like having a nice knife, being able to show it off, and still know that it will be a good edc if I want to carry it. I don't mind having a few scratches here and there, to me it adds a little "character" to the knife. Now I do keep some in better shape than others, those I call my dress blades. They'll do the job, but still look brand new at the same time.
 
FWIW any knife not in LNIB shape has very little if any collector value.

i used to collect BM prototypes/per-pro's/etc and enjoyed it, i am more into custom stuff now though.

imho spyderco is a good brand to collect, they have a wide variety of models and hold there value well & some seem to even go up occasionally.
 
Thank you for the replies, like I said, I alternate my knives for casual EDCU if you will, but will also be used for collectors pieces also, to me that is the best collection type blade, a blade that is cool looking and can get the job done in called upon.
 
SIFU1A said:
FWIW any production knife not in LNIB shape has very little if any collector value.
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Corrected that for you.

My production knives are users. The "wood and stag and O-1 knives," as you put it, aren't (at least for the most part).

If you're looking for things that will increase in value, production knives probably aren't your best choice. Sure, some of them go up in value, but not many of them, and not typically by a whole lot.

If, on the other hand, you enjoy just having a collection of good-looking knives, well, I don't see anything wrong with that. It's your money, spend it on whatever makes you happy.
 
most of my knives are users, even if I'm buying it mostly for the aesthetics. I don't really care about resale, if I'm going to get rid of a knife, its usually a gift or trade with a friend. That said, the majority of my knives are only light users, and only a few get the heavy use
 
Spyderco, then Benchmade are the best production models to collect, IMO.
Even then not all models will ever go up when discontinued. They have to be fairly popular to begin with and yes they have to be kept mint in the box, or they aren't worth the bother. (SOG is a very poor brand to collect IMO)
 
SIFU1A said:
FWIW any knife not in LNIB shape has very little if any collector value.

i used to collect BM prototypes/per-pro's/etc and enjoyed it, i am more into custom stuff now though.

imho spyderco is a good brand to collect, they have a wide variety of models and hold there value well & some seem to even go up occasionally.
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Speaking just for myself, most of my "collecting" is for me, not really to sell. I enjoy knives, and just being able to have a bunch of different ones makes me happy. I don't think I've sold any of my blades yet, gave a few away to friends though.

I do have a few that will never be used, some that have been handed down for several generations and a few rare blades.
 
I collect production knives. I use some, but most stay in the box. I see it as a collection and not an investment, but I do hope that one day I may have a few that are worth somewhat more than I paid.

Tom
 
GreySteel said:
But just wanted to ask how many just collect production knives and show them off?
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I did for a while but sold them all for financial reasons. Right now all I can afford to collect are knives I'm going to use.

I don't think there's anything wrong with collecting production blades either. Some are rare, and some will appreciate in value quite a bit and it's just plain fun to show off a collection of knives, regardless of whether they're production or custom.

FWIW any knife not in LNIB shape has very little if any collector value.
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I think that is a horrendously inaccurate blanket statement. I've seen heavily used knives that are very rare models sell for considerable amounts of money. They may draw less than a LNIB counterpart but there are plenty of used knives out there that have a lot of collector value.
 
There are exceptions to every rule. The last Kershaw Mini Cyclone Ti/ZDP sold on the bay went for over 3X what the street price was in April of 2007. The guy had a bunch of them and sold every one. Ti/ZDP Leeks will bring 2X over street price when new. A non-blem S60V Blur sold for over $ 450 on the bay. MSRP was $139, the price they originally sold for. For full disclosure, only 15 passed QC for release. The SG2 Blurs will sell for 2X street price now. All are now discontinued. So there is some reason to collect high quality, and sometimes limited runs of production knives. It all boils down to how much someone is willing to pay (secondary market price), and which knives you are speaking of. And if you keep them NIB. :)
 
IMO the more you know about knives, the more likely you'll be "collect for investment".
 
rifon2 said:
IMO the more you know about knives, the more likely you'll be "collect for investment".
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Absolutely. I like to say I went from being an "accumulator" to being a "collector" to being an "investor." There are stages to this whole thing, and the process doesn't happen overnight.
 
"Samael"
that's exactly how it goes!

'GreySteel'
if you feel the urge to buy anything;
consider searching for reviews or feedbacks on the model that so interest you.
as a yardstick, i choose to buy only if i still can't stop thinking about it both day and night for an entire month.
deep regrets sets in if i had missed the opportunity to get it cheaper or buy something that suddenly drops in retail value in a short span!
way i see it, "good things come to those who can wait"... well, in so as far as how valuable brand new regular production knives goes.
 
I collect Spyderco knives. I don't show them off. The collection is for me. Not for anybody else. I collect Case Eisenhowers also and several other things. Most knife collectors collect production knives. Those that collect customs are in a tiny minority.
 
Knife collecting is a hobby. If you are collecting knives as an investment, you should seriously reconsider your strategy. Knives are one of the least stable and predictable objects that you could possibly choose to invest in.

Collect knives because you love them, and enjoy the process of searching them out and acquiring them. They're fun to have around, and can be useful tools. You can meet lots of interesting people by collecting- there are plenty of benefits to the hobby. But accumulating wealth is not one of them.
 
moonwilson said:
Knife collecting is a hobby. If you are collecting knives as an investment, you should seriously reconsider your strategy. Knives are one of the least stable and predictable objects that you could possibly choose to invest in.

Collect knives because you love them, and enjoy the process of searching them out and acquiring them. They're fun to have around, and can be useful tools. You can meet lots of interesting people by collecting- there are plenty of benefits to the hobby. But accumulating wealth is not one of them.
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That's exactly right. If you don't love knives there is no use to try to buy them otherwise.
 
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