How much would you pay for a knife with no maker's mark?

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hardheart

hardheart

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This is a hypothetical, stemming from a thread in the maker's section on how one would make a $3000 knife. What I want to ask the collectors is how much they would spend for a custom knife made to their specs, with perfect F&F and premium materials, but they would never know who made the knife?
Maybe one way to give an answer, if you could, would be to describe the knife in design and materials, and then assign the price. Perhaps, Loveless chute knife, ATS-34 blade, green canvas micarta slabs, stainless hardware, I would pay $XXX without knowing who made it.

I guess I'm really most interested in hearing what the numbers are for knives not offered in production versions, or in rare materials. Like, how much value is placed on multi-bar mosaic, and how much is placed on the person who formed it. Or the quality of scrimshaw and/or carving, as opposed to the artist.
 
I certainly wouldn't buy a $3k knife if I didn't know and could never know who made it. If the provenance could be clearly established notwithstanding that it bore no mark - that might be a different story.

As a rule, though - an identifying mark of some kind would be a good idea.

Roger
 
Isn't that the difference between a Factory Knife and a Custom Knife- the direct connection to the maker?

Are there $3000 factory knives being made and sold today?


Mitch
 
braillediver said:
Isn't that the difference between a Factory Knife and a Custom Knife- the direct connection to the maker?

Are there $3000 factory knives being made and sold today?


Mitch
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Well at least with a factory knife you know WHERE it was made. In this example, you don't even have that much information.

Roger
 
The monetary value of a collectible custom knife is greatly dependent on who made it. Unfortunately, at times even more important than the quality of the knife.

If the knife was well made and suited for purpose, I would give the same as I would for a good user.
 
I'm not a custom collector, but I wouldn't buy a knife without know who made it.
 
RogerP said:
If the provenance could be clearly established notwithstanding that it bore no mark - that might be a different story.
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I think you get the point : no matter whether there's a mark or not. But I have to know who made it.
 
Please don't get attached to the $3K price, it was just the number used in the other thread. Also, please consider this as purely a speculative topic where the build quality and pedigree of the raw materials is unquestioned despite not knowing who crafted the item. Let's just say the blade is as good as anything you have ever owned, just with no name.

I can see already the importance of the maker's name, but just how dominating is it if you really did not have to worry about the basic quality. I guess this could apply to regular production knives as well, those certainly sell on brand rep. But, is there as much reliance on name for a user, or something you are able to purchase as often as you wish without the added quality of being unique?
 
There are handmade knives with, so to speak, no "attribution" that sell for big money, but they tend to be historically significant pieces and there is still much doubt in some circles as to not only value but authenticity of said pieces. A prime example are the alleged Civil War bowies.
The only modern collectible knife that I can think of right now that would fall into that category would be the "sterile" SOG knives that were made by local smiths during the Vietnam War.
 
hardheart said:
Also, please consider this as purely a speculative topic where the build quality and pedigree of the raw materials is unquestioned despite not knowing who crafted the item. Let's just say the blade is as good as anything you have ever owned, just with no name.
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That's just the problem - who made it has a lot to do with the buyer's willingness to accept that it was well made in the first place. It's not like you can ascertain all there is to know about build quality by looking at the knife. What does a bad heat treat look like? If it's a hidden tang, is that a full hidden tang or a short little stub only going 2" into the handle?

I just don't see any combination of factors leading me to buy a knife like this - unless it were so ridiculously cheap that I was willing to grab it as a lark. It's not like there isn't a vast array of knives to choose from at widely varying price points from a large group of makers whose work I am familiar with and whose integrity I trust.

Roger
 
Well, let's say you ordered the materials yourself, got progress pics, the HT was done by a pro, say Bos or Peter's or such, and maybe even an X-ray of the completed knife to show the tang. You get to see everything except the face of the maker, and you get to inspect the knife fully.

Let's try another route if this won't work. Take any knife from your collection, and sand off the mark. It is done in a way that doesn't ruin the look of the knife, the mark just isn't there, otherwise identical. You know the quality, but how much is it worth now that there's no proof of who made it? Same with my example in the OP, a Loveless style chute, not terribly unique, how much is it worth with Bob's level of F&F, but without Bob's name?
 
does wolfgang loerchner mark his knives?

I think he do with "Wolfe" but I cant remember for positive.

ANd I would not buy a knife without knowing who made it.
 
In answer to the original question, certainly less than $500; most probably much less. One need only look at the many fine knives by Spyderco, Bob Dozier, pick your favorite, to figure that out. To get near $500 I would really have to be impressed by the design, workmanship, and materials.

How much would a coin collector be willing to pay for a 1804 silver dollar that looked good enough to pass grading by NGC if he knew it was made in a workshop somewhere last Tuesday?
 
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As far as what value I put on high end materials? Quite a bit. Exceptionally fine pattern welded or wootz steel, fantastic ivory or MOP, a great hamon, beautifully done engraving and/or carving, an exquisite sheath. All those will be things that I am willing to pay extra (sometimes quite a bit extra) for, but only if I know who made the knife.

If I don't know who made the knife and it is a Loveless style chute knife with green Micarta handle, ATS-34 blade and stainless hardware and it's fit and finish are very good, the knife would have to be an exceptional bargain for me to be interested in it. Between $200.00 and $250.00 I would say.
 
This is one reason I have always counseled makers to use their name as part of their mark. It can get confusing..
 
hardheart said:
Let's try another route if this won't work. Take any knife from your collection, and sand off the mark. It is done in a way that doesn't ruin the look of the knife, the mark just isn't there, otherwise identical. You know the quality, but how much is it worth now that there's no proof of who made it? Same with my example in the OP, a Loveless style chute, not terribly unique, how much is it worth with Bob's level of F&F, but without Bob's name?
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I'm probably just not a buyer for that knife - I'd choose to spend my money elsewhere. A buyer could be found - but likely at a giveaway price.

Or say I order a knife from a maker I know and trust but ask him not to put his name on it. I pay his going rate. How much would I expect to recover on resale (assuming I could normally expect to resell such a piece and get my money back) if I refuse to disclose the maker's name? I suspect it'd be hard to resell at all and I would get back only a fraction of what I put out.

So what are your views on the subject anyway?

Roger
 
I was just trying to remove the maker's name from the question. In the maker's thread, the makers are talking, and to me, it seems that what it takes for maker X to do compared to Y or Z to wind up charging $3K is going to be extremely broad, depending on who they are.

To go back to the chute knife, Keith would maybe do $250, while I saw a genuine Loveless that was said to have gone for $11,300. How much would an SR Johnson sell for? How hard would it be for one of our regular makers to match the knife just about exactly? Would they get $3K? How about scrim, damascus, MOP? They cost more, but the prices still won't increase equally even if the work is similar. One forger's feather damascus won't cost as much as another's, and they just might look identical.

I don't pay a whole lot for my customs, relative to high quality production knives; and I really just order customs for specific features in materials, not for consideration of future value.
 
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