GEC Serial #s, are they a big deal?

BearBug

BearBug

Joined
Jun 18, 2015
Messages
503
I really like the 77 yankee jacks as a near perfect size. I really appreciate the pen behind the main and the hidden kick. These have really been disappearing lately so I started to look for other patterns with pen behind the main. I found the 56 reverse dog leg pattern. I couldn't find much on stock for dealers so I found one on the auction site. I like it but it is serial number 2 with a pop etch and appears untouched since production. My understanding is that #1 stays at GEC. I'm not a collector for show so to speak. I use my knives. Am I doing wrong if I try this out? or should I move it toward a collector?

Any thoughts?
 
I don't see them as a big deal because sometimes, the knives without a serial number have the lower production numbers. So there may be 45 knives made, 40 have serial numbers, 5 don't. Seems like the non-serial numbered knives would be more rare. To me, serial # or no serial #, if the knife is one that I want, I'll buy it.
 
It's nice of you to consider collectors, Brandon but in all honesty, if I wanted the knife for a user I wouldn't hesitate to buy it if it appealed to me. If you don't buy it someone else who intends to use it might. I say snatch it up while you've got the chance.
 
Actually, I dislike the numbers on my knives but not a deal breaker because sometimes that's all that's available. My question is why do the serialized knives bring a premium?

Alan
 
Jake: looking at production totals in the past I totally agree.

Rick T: I have the knife in question, simply debating whether to use it or sell to a collector who might want it uninhibited state.

Alan: I agree on not liking the numbers. I've had more than one occasion where that # is 13. I'm not super superstitious but just enough. Funny enough none of those numbered 13 have ever ended up in my possession.

Thanks for your responses.
 
BearBug said:
Rick T: I have the knife in question, simply debating whether to use it or sell to a collector who might want it uninhibited state.
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Ah, I see. I misunderstood. One way to look at it, among others, is that if you use the knife it will make the mint condition serial numbered versions of that knife even more rare making them even more attractive to collectors. (I'm half joking and half serious):)
 
Brandon, just to be contrarian I think I have at least two #13's. I'll have to check. It's strange that GEC goes to such lengths to make a beautiful knife and then basically scratch a number on the bolster.

Alan
 
Jsega51 said:
I don't see them as a big deal because sometimes, the knives without a serial number have the lower production numbers. So there may be 45 knives made, 40 have serial numbers, 5 don't. Seems like the non-serial numbered knives would be more rare. To me, serial # or no serial #, if the knife is one that I want, I'll buy it.
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Yup, this. If it's an older run with serial numbers, the knives from that exact run without serial numbers have more collectible value in my opinion.
 
I strongly dislike the serial numbers. If it were a blade etch I wouldn't mind, but the numbered bolsters are ugly to me, and I would never pay a premium for them. I have one, and have contemplated buffing the number off. It doesn't bother me enough to not buy a knife, but if I have a choice of a serialized or unserialized, I'll pick the one that hasn't been disfigured every time.
 
I don't gravitate toward serials either. I think I only actually have one, a 48 single big clip stag. Personal I don't care for polished bolsters much either. I usually put a satin finish on them. This just happened to be serialized and happened to be #2. I would say that most people don't care for them since if you want an older pattern, the one's left on dealer sites are highly likely to be serialized. Thanks for contemplating.
 
I have one serialized knife and while I normally don't think much of them, I think it's pretty cool. It's number 25 out of a run of 25. Somehow having the last one made appeals to me.
 
Me, I'm indifferent to them. I have several GECs with No.s but I couldn't tell you what they are, maybe I should assemble them for the next Lottery draw?:D The numbers are not deeply engraved and soon begin to wear off from the bolster anyway. Some people look for No.s due to bithdays etc and I recall one 'collector' years ago who seemed fixated on having examples all with the same number.....peculiar ambition:rolleyes:
 
BearBug said:
.... I like it but it is serial number 2 with a pop etch and appears untouched since production. My understanding is that #1 stays at GEC. I'm not a collector for show so to speak. I use my knives. Am I doing wrong if I try this out? or should I move it toward a collector?

Any thoughts?
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I have some serialised 02 as well. It doesn't make much difference to me.



This #251209 in Orange Jig Bone is one of 49 serialised knives (although the etch said 1 of 50 as is often the case) and no unserialised were made.



As you can see, I use it quite happily because as a knife, it pleases me to do so.

Dr-Mabuse said:
....having the last one made appeals to me.
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Having the last numbered one at any rate - I doubt the the actual order in which they were manufactured has much baring on the serial number they have been allocated. I can understand the logic though :)
I have roughly a 50/50 split of serialised and not, and can find no correlation between rarity and serialising.

I have a #25 serialised no 25 which also tickles me.


- Paul
 
Like most of you who've posted so far, I don't really care one way or the other about the serial numbers on GEC. I only own two, a spear point natural stag #25 and a sheepsfoot from the same run. They do happen to be the same serial number (both number 50), which I thought was kind of cool, although I didn't buy them for that reason. I got the spear point first, and actually missed out on the one with what I thought was the best looking stag and had to go with no. 50, which was my second favorite of those available. Then when the sheepsfoot was released, no. 50 happened to be the best looking one I saw, so I got it.

45815413-0182-44AE-954F-87BF419444EA.jpg


As for whether or not you should use a serialized GEC, I say use it. I carry/use that spear point #25 often. In fact, I might just drop it in my pocket today! :D
 
GaiusJulius said:
I strongly dislike the serial numbers. If it were a blade etch I wouldn't mind, but the numbered bolsters are ugly to me, and I would never pay a premium for them. I have one, and have contemplated buffing the number off. It doesn't bother me enough to not buy a knife, but if I have a choice of a serialized or unserialized, I'll pick the one that hasn't been disfigured every time.
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I have a #68 White Owl serialized in Natural Stag that came to me with horrible blade wobble. I tightened up the pivot and peened the pin which always required refinishing of the bolster afterwards. It was a 50/50 shot which side of the pin world need to be peened and it ended up being the side with the serial number. It came out very easily with the peen marks and looks perfectly normal (though unserialized) now. I like it much better!
 
Will Power said:
Me, I'm indifferent to them. I have several GECs with No.s but I couldn't tell you what they are, maybe I should assemble them for the next Lottery draw?:D The numbers are not deeply engraved and soon begin to wear off from the bolster anyway. Some people look for No.s due to bithdays etc and I recall one 'collector' years ago who seemed fixated on having examples all with the same number.....peculiar ambition:rolleyes:
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As is often the case, I agree with Will - serial numbers on knives, GEC or otherwise, don't usually mean much to me.
BUT, I won a Schrade-Wostenholm I*XL stag canoe in a cchu518 GAW, and when the prize knife arrived, I discovered that it had a serial number that was the DDMM form of my birthday! That was a happy coincidence for me, and I like the knife even more because of it. :cool:
KrjhY4b.jpg


- GT
 
The serial numbers certainly provide some information on rarity or production numbers of a particular run. The serial numbers do not keep me from using a knife. They mostly just provide justification for the seller to charge more. I prefer no serial numbers.

I have a couple GEC's that are serialized. Two of the #42's I own have a serial number. GEC doesn't make many of that particular one.
 
I would venture to guess that most people don't think much of the serial numbers one way or the other, simply because they don't mean much. GEC seldom produces consistently sized runs of knives, the number of serialized vs. unserialized seems to vary at whim, especially when you factor in the different handle materials, and because their releases are so (comparatively) small anyway, every knife is rare in itself, so there is no need for differentiating marks to single out 25 or 50 of some huge run of 3000 or 20,000, as other manufacturers might do. Plus, GEC seems to have a track record of applying marks rather indiscriminately, (e.g. the numerous marked "prototype" or "factory test run" one sees) so there's no real certainty that, say, #3 really was the third knife of that combination ever made. So the serial number basically gets reduced to the level of decoration -which some don't mind or think is neat, and some don't care for. Of course, I'll wager that if GEC ever announced that they were going to stop serializing knives totally, the hue and cry would be immense ;)

Edited to add: these days I think they pretty much are only serializing the Natural Stag anyway.
 
Can anyone attest to the idea that GEC keeps serial number 1? I have a 2007 model 73 with serial number 1 and while I did think that was neat and everything, I didn't think that much of it. I was more excited that it is 1 of 7 in the particular cover set.
 
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