Have Schrade knives peaked in price?

K

kevins73cigars

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Feb 24, 2006
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Being a relatively new collector (little under a year) I don't know what kind of prices you guys were getting in say 2002, 03, and up to the closing in 2004. I found out about Schrade's troubles when I went to buy a replacement LB7 before a camping trip last summer and couldn't find any in the local hardware store. Have the average prices increased dramatically in the last 3 or 4 years? Have they levelled off or fallen recently?
 
Prices for some patterns have risen, for some patterns they have fallen. It seems that whichever patterns are released in mass quantities onto the market get snapped at "gotta-have" prices at first, then the prices drop as the glut satisfies the market. How many times have you seen a knife listed as rare, when an exhustive search turns up fifty at once? Those are where the bargains are. Are prices up or down? Yes.

Codger
 
I'll give you a heads up, if Codger does one of his rants on a knife, it doubles in price.Toby
 
Wachu talkin' bout Arnold? Just for that, the real sleepers are the Irish knives. Rant shall arrive any day now. Just need to get those German Centuries boosted a bit first.

Codger:D
 
Codger,
O.K., how about the LB7? Would you say the current average price of an LB7 is dramatically different than it was 2 or 3 years ago? How about an 897UH?

Which knives do you see as the best value for their current selling price? Are there any knives you see as undervalued?
 
Woof! I am not an expert, nor a seller. What I see is excellent prices in just about every production pattern that was not discontinued way before the closing in '04. Special bargains abound, you just have to find them. Anytime I can find a well made late issue Schrade for well under it's last MSRP, I consider it a bargain. On the other hand, some of the latest patterns were not the best designs, and the last assembled were not of the best quality workmanship. What you consider a bargain is up to you and your wants and preferences. Phil, Larry, or Redshanks might give you more secific info on the LB7's. The one I bought was a target of opportunity one rainy day at a local collectable shop. $24 with tax, if I remember right. New in the box with sheath and papers. The Lightweight gift set I recently bought was a gotta-have-love-at-first-sight kinda thing, and I didn't pay much. The mint set of SP1 and SP3 were an early edition with maroon Zytel handles having coined oblong "cutler & anvil" shields inset. The color changed to black with a comolded shielding soon after. Less than twenty for that. For me at least, the secret is not fixating on one particular pattern and worrying yourself ragged over it until you get one. The 897UH is still as low priced as it ever was. This I think is a function of availability. Have e-Bay e-mail you a search daily of every 897UH listed for a month. Add them up, both quantity and average closing price. You will see what I mean. Older mint ones in gift boxes and Limited Editions go for more on average, but the clampacks, blue stripe boxes, gray boxes, and last gray ended blue boxes are cheap. Have been, and will be for some time yet. I have found a few as low as eleven each. Some for up to eighteen. Of course some go for more, I just won't pay it knowing many go for less.

Pheew! How's that for a post that says a lot of nothing!

Codger

EDIT: You must realize that with the seven tractor trailer loads of finished knives hauled away by the two knife sellers in 2004, the market was/is/will be flooded with newer Schrade knives. While Mom and Pop don't have twenty in their store anymore, thousands list on eBay every day. And that is not the only venue where they are being sold.
 
If you are shopping on e-bay, there is a 89OT and a LB5 that are IMO selling for good BIN prices.
 
In my opinion, Buy it Now
Sorry about that I'm just a lazy typer.
You have to be carefully with e-bay, if the add does not say 'Made in USA" or if you cannot see it in the pictures of the knife then it is probably not, FYI (for your information)
Rick
 
Thanks Rick. I checked out your suggestions. LB5's are cool, I have a few, but they usually end up costing as much or more (usually more) than a compareable LB7. Lb7's are a heck of a lot more knife than an LB5 - still, I'll probably prefer LB5's when I start to get arthritis!

Codger,
You mentioned that "...some of the latest patterns were not the best designs..." Which ones in particular, in your opinion, were not Schrade's best designs?
 
My opinion, the values of common popular knives have peaked, OldTimers and Uncle Henrys for instance. I think the values of vintage Schrade knives may continue to climb slowly; their values never really exploded like the OldTimers'.

If there was a Schrade I was interested in and the price was below or near the original m.s.r.p., I'd buy it. Many of the recent OldTimers and other common models still sell for below m.s.r.p.

It's all a guess, a guess about the number of hoarded knives out there and a guess about future desirability.

Best Wishes,
-Bob
 
Yeah, that's "bayspeak". Rather Orwellian, don't you think?:D

The Last MSRP (Manufacturer's suggested retail price) of the 34OT was $33.45 in 2004. They were $5.95 when introduced. Of course that was 1964. I just bought one for a research project MNIB (mint new in box) complete as shipped in the woodgrained gift box, foam tray, papers etc., circa 1977-1982 for $17.50. In 1982 they listed for $14.00. So I gave $3.50 above retail for the knife....or.....I gave $15.95 less than retail for it, depending on how you look at it. Now, I am not telling you this as a brag, because it is a very minor accomplishemnt, but rather to illustrate my point. A year or two ago, this knife might have sold for double what it did today. Do a search SCHRADE 34OT and see how many hits you get.

Codger

Walter Brennon as Will Sonnett: "No brag, just fact".
 
Codger_64,
I saw 10-20 Schrade Century Swiss Army knives at a local hardware store selling for around $10.50+tax the other day. Now, I see that Knife Center is selling them for $9.95+shipping.
It's actually a good deal, for someone who needs one, two, or three... ;)
Since I'm already a knife hound and have more knives than I'll ever use, I'll let someone else buy them. Schrades were a good value for the money, but even better, especially if they're on a clearance sale! :thumbup:
 
Thats just a couple of my favorites, there are just to many to choose from and there is a lot of junk out there right now. I'm almost to the point where I'm not going buy any more unless I can hold them in my hand first, unless it is a seller I have delt with before. Like Phil said in an earlier thread its a lot more fun to get out there and buy them in person but there is just not many sources within my range. Good Luck, Rick
 
In my NSHO (not so humble opinion!) there are several good buys on e bay right now BIN(buy it nows) on some Schrades :-))))
 
For the longest time, there used to be roughly 1600 listings for Schrades each day on eBay. It went up to 2200 listings shortly before Christmas, and now it's averaging 3300 listings each day. The market is flooded with the common OT's and Uncle Henry's right now and the prices for some of them have actually plummeted. Take a look at the completed auctions and you'ill see a large number of knives went unsold.
 
I can't seem to find a decent deal on two models I just have to have the 2250 and 1250 Old Timers..........I just have to have those two models so I will keep searching...........

Kap
 
kapt kopter said:
I can't seem to find a decent deal on two models I just have to have the 2250 and 1250 Old Timers..........I just have to have those two models so I will keep searching...........

Kap
Click to expand...

Did you mean the 25OT and the 125OT? Recent prices for these have been low. There are bargains out there.
 
I don't think I paid too much for my 125, but I can't seem to get a break on the 25OT, 225OT, or 126OT.

Some of the fixed blades are also sky-high, although prices have leveled off. The 13OT, 14OT, and 41OT specifically.

The 51OT is another. I finally got one, but it took a lot of patience and persistance.

-Bob
 
Modify your search parameters. Some of the sellers use wrong alpha/numerics, misspell Schardes and my favorite, Durlin handles. A 225 OT is also a 2250 T.

Codger
 
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