Just a girl trying to identify knives...

[jencarlos]

i had a pretty damn good knowledge of cold steel knives before ever buying one. however, i will say that jlauffer , T The Whip , K KenHash and @hermit dave VASTLY contributed to my knowledge, and for jlauffer that was even going back to the coldsteelforums days

 

[jlauffer]

i had a pretty damn good knowledge of cold steel knives before ever buying one. however, i will say that jlauffer , T The Whip , K KenHash and @hermit dave VASTLY contributed to my knowledge, and for jlauffer that was even going back to the coldsteelforums days

Thanks! I love it here, but do miss the CS forums

 

[KenHash]

Wow, thanks Ken! But not sure I'd go that far...gotta give props to T The Whip and @hermit dave, and you too Ken

I would. But as you correctly say we have a number of very very knowledgeable members here most going back to the old CS forum.

 

[The Whip]

Ahh, Jeff Loffer's Cutlery Shoppe catalog--what a goldmine of historical cutlery information it's been over the years! Not only has Jeff always been extremely meticulous in supplying knife data, but his early friendship with Lynn Thompson and his decades-long support as a full-line stocking Cold Steel dealer have made his catalogs a wealth of knowledge, particularly during some of the years when Cold Steel catalogs are sorely lacking.

Sure enough, Cutlery Shoppe comes through again in this instance (Spring 1990 catalog). As John surmised, DrMom's 7.5-inch Magnum Tanto is indeed a transition piece appearing briefly as the nine-inch-bladed Magnum Tanto was being replaced by the Magnum II Tanto. You'll see in the write-up below that the replacement was initially referred to just as a shorter-bladed Magnum Tanto.

But in the same catalog, while the ad copy refers to the new knife as the Magnum II, the photo shows the new model bearing just the "Magnum Tanto" label (exactly as on DrMom's knife).

Mystery solved! And a new entry for Cold Steel's history is pieced together, one clue at a time....


-Steve

P.S. - A quick word about Cutlery Shoppe. I've met and spoken with owner Jeff Loffer several times over the years. He is a great guy who loves knives as much as we do, and he doesn't sell anything he doesn't believe to be a worthwhile product. I've been a satisfied customer for many, many years.

 

[nephron]

More good "old" information I can save. Nice and clear too.Thanks.

 

[jlauffer]

Ahh, Jeff Loffer's Cutlery Shoppe catalog--what a goldmine of historical cutlery information it's been over the years! Not only has Jeff always been extremely meticulous in supplying knife data, but his early friendship with Lynn Thompson and his decades-long support as a full-line stocking Cold Steel dealer have made his catalogs a wealth of knowledge, particularly during some of the years when Cold Steel catalogs are sorely lacking.

Sure enough, Cutlery Shoppe comes through again in this instance (Spring 1990 catalog). As John surmised, DrMom's 7.5-inch Magnum Tanto is indeed a transition piece appearing briefly as the nine-inch-bladed Magnum Tanto was being replaced by the Magnum II Tanto. You'll see in the write-up below that the replacement was initially referred to just as a shorter-bladed Magnum Tanto.

But in the same catalog, while the ad copy refers to the new knife as the Magnum II, the photo shows the new model bearing just the "Magnum Tanto" label (exactly as on DrMom's knife).

Mystery solved! And a new entry for Cold Steel's history is pieced together, one clue at a time....


-Steve

P.S. - A quick word about Cutlery Shoppe. I've met and spoken with owner Jeff Loffer several times over the years. He is a great guy who loves knives as much as we do, and he doesn't sell anything he doesn't believe to be a worthwhile product. I've been a satisfied customer for many, many years.

Nice Steve! Interesting how for the Master Ops Tanto, they used the same pic as the Special Ops Tanto, and added the San Mai III logo underneath the Tanto logo, rather than just use the markings from the Master Tanto.

 

[Mike Sastre]

"P.S. - A quick word about Cutlery Shoppe. I've met and spoken with owner Jeff Loffer several times over the years. He is a great guy who loves knives as much as we do, and he doesn't sell anything he doesn't believe to be a worthwhile product. I've been a satisfied customer for many, many years."

Gotta agree. I've known Jeff Loffer for years and he is a great guy, as well as having very fair prices.

 

[DrMom]

So...is it in my best interest to join on a basic membership level if I am trying to find out the value of some of these Cold Steel and chef's knives?
I can't keep them all, but I also don't want to unknowingly be cheated of a fair price because a knife might be worth more than I realize. It's not like I can look on Amazon for comparable prices for these 1980s-1990s knives collected by my relative.
If I join, how do I get the "right person" to help me put values on these various knives? I don't have a whole bunch, but the longer "swords" have yet to be dug out of the shed, and I have to do this a little a time.
You all have been so very welcoming and kind, but I still admit that I am CLUELESS as to what you are talking about much of the time.
I think it's fascinating to watch the process of determining the year/name/history of a collectable, but I can't get too wrapped up in it.
I just need to find someone who can help me who has the knowledge and willingness to do so.
Thanks again!

 

[jlauffer]

Need a Gold Membership or higher to talk values here. Don't think there is one right person...we all have our areas of focus. You can also use the Advanced Search feature on eBay and select Sold Listings.

 

[rycen]

Sorry but as mentioned before asking about value requires at least a gold membership. Closed