Is there such thing as a rare folding knife?

Sure there are but rarity does not always equal valuable. Desirability is what determines if anything be it a knife, gun, coin, jewel, etc...is going to have value. You could have a one of a kind knife ( and many of us do) but if no one is willing to pay for it then it isn't very valuable. On the other hand there are Case knives that where made by the thousands 50 years ago that are worth far more than their original cost.
 
Hi,

It's very difficult to determine what is going to become valuable as collector pieces. I agree with Absintheur, rarity does not ensure value.

One thing is for sure, collecting to profit for retirement isn't a good idea. It will seldom pan out. Collecting for enjoyment and fun, will always pay you back.

dalee
 
I agree, finding out which folder will become massively expensive decades from now is tough. You can probably bet that numbered folders of well known high-end manufacturers or custom makers will increase in value. Try getting one of the first 20 Extrema Ratio Reventón. ;)

Whether or not it will increase tenfold is anybody's guess.
 
If you look back at some things that sold for a few cents years ago and what those items bring today, there is no way anyone then would have believed it.
I bought a couple of very old marbles at a yard sale, for 10 cents each and sold them on eBay for nearly 200 dollars! A card of just as old buttons I paid a dollar for, from the same yard sale fetched me 77.50.
I'm sure a lot of these production folders will be worth a lot more than anybody now can imagine in the future.
Only problem with that is we may very well not be here to collect on our investments, just like the people that bought the marbles and buttons years ago wasn't!
 
High quality will always be recognized and retain and gain in value.
 
sure a few folders have a greater demand than supply so they will bring a premium, the emerson customs are a good example, from ernie they are $550 and they sell all the time on the secondary market for $1000 and up, up up.

imho if ya have a chance to get one from ernie for the $550 you will never go wrong regardless of the model, you can usually right around double your money as soon as ya wanna turn it.

not many makes are like that though, usually its the opposite lol buy it for $550 and sell for $400 or so.
 
I am not very familiar with his stuff, but does Mr. Atwood make knives? His stuff just about goes up in value by the minute doesnt it?
 
Yes, it presently does. Peter Atwood is in the enviable position of selling jsut about anything he makes.

50 years from now it may be different - that kind of popularity will spawn competitors, one of whom will be just as successful, make fewer items, and have a aethestic quality the future collector finds highly attractive.

That's the great unknown in forecasting - what a unborn generation will find cool in their life that they are willing to pay extra for.

You have to ask the following: is the style unique? Are the construction methods still used? Is a certain material more difficult to shape, requiring more actual hand labor?

Applying the answers, I suspect a future generation may prefer G10 handles to FRN, domestic brand makers to unknown foreigners, and smooth, usable styles over highly sculpted exotic or oriental pocket art.

One thing is sure, it all seems to get collected by somebody.

It wouldn't surprise me at all that a maker decides to duplicate a much older line and offer it to a retro fashion market clamoring for highly styled exotic toys.

Like Dark Ops. :D
 
Hi Lagriffe,

There are some very wise words posted above.

Some thoughts to share.

Trying to "pick the winners" is like buying stocks, or even gambling. Being able to "see" the winners when they come out is difficult to impossible. Knowledge helps in selection.

The original Spyderco Police model, called the "PIG" (which was engraved on the blade), sold new for $50 in 1984./1985. Now they'll command hundreds. I've heard s high as $750.

Whodathunk?

Some of our older models won't fetch the original MSRP. ???

Rarity helps, but it's not absolute. Smaller or fixed volumes helps, because if it does become a winner, there are a finite amount available.

These days there are also counterfits. Older Spyderco Bram Frank
Guntings are in high demand for those that want them, but we've seen counterfits that even say Spyderco, Golden, Colorado CPM-440V engraved on the blade. Again, knowledge helps in selection.

sal
 
The original Spyderco Police model, called the "PIG" . . . .
Click to expand...
Does this mean that it was originally the PIG model and later became the Police model or is PIG an acronym with a little tongue in cheek humor? If PIG is an acronym, what does it represent?
 
Absolutely. I just sold a Spyderco Probe... which is a pretty rare one, not very popular back in its day and extremely unique design overall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top