Hey LT and guys.. new 1972 knives

[textoothpk]

As I travel around the area working, I stop and check out antique shops and such, looking for that old, mint Remington Bullet still in it's orginal box.. for $35 as long as I'm fantazing. But this was interesting, I thought for us in the forum. A Schrade-Walden display case from the early seventies. 37 knives, all perfect, some with boxes and sheaths. I liked the UH171 hunter the best. A couple of nice butter & mollasses (sp) all others handled in Delrin. Still, nice knives. Priced at $1650! The owner had it on ebay for two weeks, just two questions were asked, no bids. He came down to just over $1100 for it. Still too much, I couldn't resell them for that.

Hope this link works.

http://www.villagephotos.com/viewimage.asp?id_=6363788

 

[lt632ret]

You bring up an interesting point in Schrade history and the collecting market. The later Schrade Walden knives those handled in delrin of various types do not bring big money. While if those knives had been handled in bone cell or pearl a group like that would have brought thousands ( probably from me ). Schrade went to the jigged, sawcut, K horn, and staglon delrin around 1958 when they made the move to Ellenville. They made the bone knives under Schrade Walden until around 1960 actually a lot of the bone pearl and a little cell were sold until 1960 in reality most of this had been produced in Walden. The confusion is that they kept the Schrade Walden tang. The funny part is that move to plastic was at that time the wave of the future ( and it was less expensive ). Originally they tried jigged delrin ( to look like bone ) then sawcut and in 68 ( approx) when the UH line came in staglon ( to look like stag). They kept the Schrade Walden tang until around 72 or 73 (approx )

What all this did was make the collector value of the non plastic knives soar and proliferated the market with the plastic. So even though they carry the same basic tang the market value is vastly different. Confusing eh. I feel for the casual collector the plastic handled knives are just as interesting and usually the same patterns as the others. Sooner or later these will also appreciate although there were a lot of them and unlike bone they never break. Drop a delrin knife and a bone knife on a rock on a winter day and then tell me which knife needs a new handle.

I have been at this for 50 years and must admit ( I guess it makes me a snob) but, I prefer the old materials. By the way you may have noticed Schrade has gone back to producing bone handled special editions, I guess I am not alone in feeling this way. Just a note I was told that they will never produce pearl handled knives again due to the osha health requirements which make cost prohibitive you might want to remember that when you see a genuine pearl Schrade.

In any event I feel that if the seller had a 500 dollar reserve he might have sold that group for 700 to 900 . Around 5 years ago I bought 700 assorted of these knives from this era some late Schrade Walden some early Schrade ( all the same knives )all new many in the original plastic cases and boxes. I paid 2000 dollars. Now individually they sell for 10 to 25 a piece so I guess they are going up some what. Anyway thats my opinion ( of which God gave us all one among other things ). Of course prior to 46 Schrade was under the Schrade Cut tang and that is a whole other matter. For another night. LT

 

[textoothpk]

Thanks for the input, LT.

This particular antique dealer, like so many of them, told me "old knives are really going up in price". Well, yes, so they are, a very few of them. I know it is hard for them to stay educated on everything they sell. And it is the little things that matter so much to collectors. Here's a good example I've seen: An old, beat up Hammer brand by Imperial. The dealer looked up 'Hammer' in her reference book and of course saw Hammer by New York Knife Company, so the price was sky high.

Sometimes this can work (not often, not at all!) to the collectors advantage. I was in a shop last year where the whole little basket of knives tucked under the glass counter was priced at $40.00 each. Again, 'old knives really increase in value", so the seller was taking the approach that at least one of them was worth that amount. The thing is, under all the Colonials and broken handled Case and whatevers, was an old Kabar dogshead. My lucky day. But that happens almost never.

I sent an email to the seller of those late vintage Schrades an offer of $250. Who knows?