Is "retired maker" a plus or a minus?

Hello WWG,

Thanks for the answers. Not sure about owing the money, but I'll certainly buy you a beer sometime if the opportunity presents itself (going to the AKI?).

As for Rigney, I'd love it if he came back to the game. I'd really like to meet him and I'd love to be able to place an order with him. I think he has created knives in a nice, wide range of different styles - hunters, daggers, bowies - both highly embellished and more simple - mirror polished and satin finished stainless as well as damascus.
It could also mean that something would be available at prices less than those in the aftermarket (maybe).

Best,
Thor
 
The prices stated for the Herrons are what Herrons have been selling for on E bay where you have three or four guys after the same knife. As Les mentioned, you got in at a fair price. When Les puts one on his site for $1,500.00-$1,700.00 I will be waiting to snatch it up quickly.
 
I would consider myself a fairly new collector. Part of the issue I see, long term for this hobby, is as retired or deceased makers fall farther and farther into the past, information about them becomes harder and harder to find. IMO this will more than likely negatively affect their value, if that is your motivation for collecting. Sure a few collectors "in the know" will not be affected but the pool of potential new collectors will become smaller and smaller. Part of the problem is most of the literature that mentions even a little about these greats from the past, is long out of print. Newcomers to the hobby will rely on the internet and whatever else they can get their hands on, given they even have an interest about these pioneers in custom made knives. My point is, without a rich body of information it's going to be much harder to get future knife collecting generations excited about someones almost forgotten work, no matter how good they were. For example, I believe that having up-to-date books, e.g., Loveless, Moran, Randall and soon to be Lile, will help keep these guys in the minds of collectors for generations to come. It's much harder to find information on makers like Corbet Sigman, Harvey Draper, Walter Kneubuhle and even George Herron. All of them worthy of collecting today but I'm suggesting that in 10 - 20 - 50 years the knifemakers who are well documented will be more highly prized and collectible than those who are not.
 
Well said, tarheel15. The internet has changed collecting habits for the better in most areas, but to the detriment of those BC (Before Computers).

Thank goodness for the books already published. The Points of Interest 5-book series from the early nineties (Jim Weyer) may become the earliest bible of early American knifemaking.

Coop
 
SharpByCoop said:
Thank goodness for the books already published. The Points of Interest 5-book series from the early nineties (Jim Weyer) may become the earliest bible of early American knifemaking.

Coop
Click to expand...

Actually, Latham's Knives and Knifemakers, and Cassidy's Knife Digest Vol's I and II would fit that bill, Coop, but like the Gutenberg Bible, not the easiest books to find.;)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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