Jess Horn

D

db

Joined
Oct 3, 1998
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While researching info on some knives I want to sell I found that Jess Horn has passed away. My question is does the passing of a maker increase the value of a knife designed by them even if it is a production made knife? Example the Spyderco Jess horn knives? On a separate note the bay seems to be a terrible place to find any kind of good info. Nothing beats BFC for real good information.
 
A bit of a sensitive subject for many as many on this forum has not only lost some of their personal favorite makers, but close friends.

For collectors collecting a specific type, or maker yes the passing of a maker can increase the price on some of their custom work, but it is difficult to say. "Worth" is a difficult thing to judge in the knife world as something that might be invaluable to one might be scrap metal to the other. For me as a collector it comes down to the personal relationship I have/had with a maker. Some of my collection, even users, are invaluable to me and if the maker would pass I would pay top dollar to try and source some of their rarer pieces, but for someone else they would pay far less. Does my rambling make any sense?

As for relation to production knives, not that much IMO.
 
Kind of a weird question man, can't tell if you're just curious or wondering if you can hike up the price and make a few more bucks on the fact that someone passed away. Maybe that's not your intention at all and you're 100% just asking for info sake, but just way too much of a sensitive subject if people here knew the person.
 
Generally, it can.
The cost of those Spydie Jess Horns is already high, they've been out of production for a while.
Maybe a rare sprint run or reissue here or there.
Those have been popular since the 90's when they came out, so collectors already love them.
As always, condition is an important variable too.
I had a couple of the zytel handle ones go through my hands.
Always wanted one of the micarta ones. Burgundy or white.
 
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Marthinus, Mick_1KRR, and anyone else, I’ve been a small part of the knife community for over 20 years. I’ve even been a member of BFC since it started. I have also lost at the least one very good friend that was a maker and a few that I knew fairly well. I Guess I didn’t think about my question being insensitive. Shame on me. I am sorry if anyone is offended by my question. I personally haven’t sold off many knives that I own ever. However, I’m at a point that I need to get rid of most of my collection witch I’m kind of sad to do. I never looked at my knife buying as an investment or a way to make money. Truthfully I’ve given away many more knives than I have ever sold. In Fact I think I’ve ever only sold 1 or two. I’m not looking to hike up the price of any knife I have or am selling. In fact I really hope everything I sell off goes to someone that loves them just as much as I do, both custom and production knives. As I really never was interested in selling my knives I never really paid much attention to how or what to do to sell a knife. I really thought my question in my first post was an interesting one and again I’m sorry if it offends anyone. I’m not going to delete my post as I never did like it when someone posted something dumb then would go back and delete it.
 
I don't know if the death of a maker would effect a production piece one way or another. There is a lot of those out there and it really comes down to supply and demand in my view.
 
Selling your collection, advertising costs. Get your Gold membership.
 
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No harm no foul, db.

We've had some makers pass away on us, alright. They were part of the "crew"... there for us with solid advice, building us some custom pieces... cracking us up at night on BFC Chat.

My sig line is still an old quote of yours, from back in the day when we were watching the rise of "mid-techs" made by machines.

You can probably answer this question by looking back on our history here. Did the Kit Carson factory designs go up? How about the Simonich designs? Not a lot really, unless the model itself is no longer available. You can still get a M-16 from CRKT dirt cheap because they still make them. The F4 might be a bit more steep? Rob's Cetan design from Camillus USA will cost a bit, because Camillus USA is no longer in business. and the supply isn't there any more. The Phil Boguszewski Spike from Benchmade is pricey, but again it's because it's an out of production piece.

Don't take my casual nature discussing this topic as callous. Some of these folk were our friends, and I still feel the holes left by their passing in this forum and the knife industry alike. But you asked a question, db... and this is still a discussion forum.
 
Vel your correct as usual. I really miss those days in the chat room. I also miss more than a few good friends I had the chance to get to know just by liking a piece of sharpened steel.
 
Sometimes the value of knives go up when the makes passes on, but not always. If the maker did something unusual or different, then the price may go up. People like Barry Wood and Loveless knives have gone way up, others not so much.
 
Pretty much being dead is the best thing an artist can do to increase the value of their work.

There are some downsides.
 
db said:
While researching info on some knives I want to sell I found that Jess Horn has passed away. My question is does the passing of a maker increase the value of a knife designed by them even if it is a production made knife? Example the Spyderco Jess horn knives? On a separate note the bay seems to be a terrible place to find any kind of good info. Nothing beats BFC for real good information.
Click to expand...
 
I would like to say, as his youngest daughter, that the value has gone up. However, I do agree that value is a personal measurement based on whether you knew my dad and how much you were sentimentally interested in his specific designs. He had his own niche and customers that were drawn to his designs. The value is driven by the interest and the demand.
 
Looking at the long run, it seems the price can spike right after the passing of a maker, but then the buzz calms down and the deceased maker loses popularity as people forget.

Not true of some of the more famous, but at one time I thought a Carson 4 was going to be a grail...

(To those more worried about whether db broke a rule than his content....geez)
 
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Deborah Orrey said:
I would like to say, as his youngest daughter, that the value has gone up. However, I do agree that value is a personal measurement based on whether you knew my dad and how much you were sentimentally interested in his specific designs. He had his own niche and customers that were drawn to his designs. The value is driven by the interest and the demand.
Click to expand...

Welcome Ms. Orrey.

Your Dad was an icon in the cutlery world. His name is routinely mentioned. His genius is demonstrated through the custom makers who pay homage to his memory by continuing to make his designs and giving him credit. His knives are sought after and sell quickly.
 
Initially it's depending on the maker. As time passes, and knowledge of them lessens, the value comes down

With production knives, even more so.

That said, the Spyderco Jess Horn C27 is very collectible.
 
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