'Knife deal of a lifetime'? Any good stories?

E

Emanym Ton

Joined
Sep 21, 1999
Messages
762
You know the car story about the gent who's shopping for a car to restore with his son... Answers an advertisement for 'used Chevy-67' goes to check it out and it turns out to be a Corvette and the unknowing lady sells it off for $500 and the thing has like 200 original miles, perfect condition, etc.

Don't know if those type stories are urban legends or not but wondered if there are any about knives? Anyone ever come across a LNIB Sebenza sitting in a garage sale box for a quarter? Let us hear those stories.

Shawn



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"The difference between being a Coward
and a Hero is not whether you're scared,
it's what you do while you're scared."
Unknown
 
I bought a Busse Police Recruit in A2 for $75 and an Almite Navigator for $35. All due to the forums.
 
Might not be a "deal of a lifetime" but I was freakin' stoked,,, bought a VERY nice Ka-Bar & sheath at a garage sale for 5 bucks!
almost felt like a criminal when I handed over the pennies hehe!
biggrin.gif
 
I got a story for you, it'll bring tears to your eyes.
A friend of mine got a very old, very good condition Randall Model 2 with ivory handle at a yard sale for $35. That was exactly what the lady was asking for it. The only thing wrong with it was that the very tip of the point was broken off. He sent it to Randall and an 8 inch blade with broken tip became a perfect 7 inch blade.
He's had offers well over $800 but he's not selling.
Why can't this ever happen to me?
eek.gif

There's a lesson here. Keep records of what your knives are worth and let your family know where they are.

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Dave (Phil.4:13)
I Can Do All Things Through Him Who Strengthens Me
Lifter at work: www.profitness.com/Profiles/profileDaveAbramson
 
Last summer my girlfriend and I hit garage sales quite a bit, looking for some durn thing or another. I hit pay dirt when I found a half dozen SAK's, all new in their boxes, with a $10 price tag on the lot! Two of the SAK's ended up being highly collectible Marlboro Limited editions. I ended up selling all of those knives and using the profits to buy my first Spyderco Military and have enough left over to have 1/2 of the money towards my first Buck Custom 110 from Pete's Custom Knife Shoppe.
I struck gold again when I found an old Case
floating guard for $5, which I quickly sold to finish financing my 110 and several more
Spydies.
 
A few years back I went to a small street fair in the small town in which I live.There was this guy selling knives.He had mostly cheapo's of one form or the other.To hear him talk,you would think he was the utmost authority on knives.He was rambling on about these one-of-a-kind collectibles he had.The prices were outrageous.I spotted a sheath knife,priced at 15 bucks.I thought,well another piece of Pakastan junk.I pulled the knife out of the sheath,and it was a Benchmark Natchez,1982,pre-Gerber,mint condition.I pulled the money out and payed Mr.Knife-Authority and walked off smiling.The only regret I have is I wonder if I could have talked him down to 10.
 
I got a cable damascus knife with an antelope antler handle at an auction at an SCA event for $75.00. It was made by Tony Lemon, Oso in SCA. Very nice blade. I also got a rather nice D2 blade with a drastic trailing point and taper with bloodwood handles made by a local maker at a faire for $15.00. The maker just didn't like it, since it was a convex grind and he had moved on to hollow grinds since then. My father fell in love with it, so I gave it to him and it's been his primary kitchen knife ever since.

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Oz

"Nonsense. I have not yet begun to defile myself."
http://www.freespeech.org/oz/
 
Some years ago I bot an F & S Fighting Knife with the rare S gard for 8 bucks the shape was 85% mint and last I looked they were worth about a 100 times what I paid for it.
Bob
 
A friend of mine went to a garage sale a few years ago and found what looked to be an old Randall laying in a box. Not sure if the sheath was with the knife, but the blade was pretty discolored and the handle had some crappy tape wrapped all around it. The guy wanted $20 for it. My friend quickly gave him the $20 and went home to start cleaning the knife up. Turns out, the blade came pretty clean with a little elbow grease and some Flitz and the tape was just one there to make the handle a little fatter. Underneath the tape was a perfectly preserved leather washer handle, and the knife ended up being one from the 40's. My friend sold it for about $1000. Stuff like that dont happen to me though.

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Danbo, soul brother of Rambo
 
I've related this story before, but it's my best knife story to date and I love telling it.

My wife's great aunt invited us over for lunch one day and we got to talking about her late husband's various collections. She mentioned that he collected knives for several years. When I told her I also was a knife collector, she offered me my choice from an old cigar box in the basement. In the box were about a dozen pocketknives (older Schrades and Imperials)and some straight razors. Not knowing much about pocketknives, I picked up the one that was in the best condition and also grabbed a straight razor. While she was showing us some of his other collections (he had every Jim Beam decanter from about the 1940's on), I saw a wicker basket full of screwdrivers. On top was an old hunting knife. I checked it out but it was well-worn and had no stamp of any kind on it. I dismissed it, but dug through the basket to see if there was anything else. On the bottom I saw a black metal sheath and pulled out a WWII-era Puma boot knife with a corkscrew, leather punch, screwdriver and can opener in the handle. Subsequent research revealed that it was a private purchase knife for German troops (most were sold to machine-gunner outfits). The estimated value - $400-$800. My cost - nada.

A pretty good deal in my book.



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"I can't believe you stabbed me with this cheap piece of mail-order sh*t"
James Caan in 'Eraser'
 
Well, there is that spearpoint, saw-backed, Randall 15 in the rough-backed, white-stitched sheath I got for $75...I’m still trying to figure out how much it’s really worth.

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Allbest,

Jim Six
Adventure, Intrigue & Cheap Thrills
jim@six.org
www.jim.six.org
 
Dave Ellis here. I've got a great one, back in 1997 I ordered a lefthanded buttonlock folder from Ray Appleton, he quoted me approx. $800 and a couple of year wait. When the knife was completed he called me with the bad news, the cost was actually $1150! After much soulsearching I plunked down the cash. I sold the knife a while back to a customer out of the Country for $14,000, yes $14,000, the knife has been featured in many magazines, the knifes name was Sheephorn, I miss it daily but the money was too good to pass up.
Dave
http://www.exquisiteknives.com

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My best was a Randall Model 10 that I got out of the kitchen knife box at my local Goodwill store for $0.95 plus 6 cents tax. Later, out of the same box I got a set of three Spyderco kitchen knives with MBS-26 blades for $2.95.

I got a pristine WW1 triangular-bladed trench knife for $10.00 at a garage sale. A coworker sold me a F/S commando dagger with the beads-and-ridges handle for $20.00. I told him that it was worth more, but he wanted it to go where it would be appreciated.
 
Awesome stories! Keep 'em coming. Some of these finds could result in putting a kid through college! Guess I'm going to have to start going with my wife to garage sales this Spring!
biggrin.gif


Shawn
 
Well I guy I hunt with was up in the mountains and stopped in a general store.The guy had a case with a bunch of knives,one of which was a Puma Whitehunter.It was a little discolored and the sheath was beat.But he felt the asking price of $8.00 was pretty good and he picked it up.Cleaned up really nice on his wheel and saddle soap brought the leather back.
I found a 1911,Marbles lying in the road once I felt that was a good deal.

[This message has been edited by Lone Hunter (edited 12-21-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Lone Hunter (edited 12-21-2000).]
 
I worked for many years in construction. From job to job it was often working with people we'd met for the first time.
For that reason I always made it a point to bring up in conversation that I collected guns and knives. That led to many good purchases of guns pa brought home from the war erc.that never would have happened if I didn't mention my love for guns.

Ok Here's the story. I was concrete foreman on a large bridge project in Connecticut.
On Fridays we had walking tours as part of the job meeting. That's when the State, engineers, construction companies, all the big shots have the weekly meeting.
On this tour I came around the corner with about a dozen other white hats and noticed a cement finisher working on a rather difficult compound radius piece of sidewalk.
He was doing it nice.It just plain looked good. I stopped a minute and said "thanks Ray, it's work like that which makes us all look good" A couple of other in the group commented too. Thinking nothing of it I went about what we were doing.The next morning in the parking lot Ray was waiting for me to show up and called me over as soon as I came in. When I got to his car he asked "you like guns and knives and things right" My answer
Sure do Loved them since a kid. He handed me a long bag i knew right away it was a sword.
he said take this it's been hanging the garage for ages.
Well it was as hell in no garage. It was a japanese nco in the best condition I've ever seen and same for others i've shown it to say the same thing.
I told him I couldn't take that thing it was worth money. to at least let me pay for it.
He wouldn't hear of it. I kept refusing and he would take no for an answer till we were almosr arguing. His partner called me aside ans told me to take it and talk to him later which I did.
Well it seems Rays partner told me that after some 25 years finishing cement that was the first time anybody ever took the time to gave the man a simple compliment on his work and never in front of all the bosses which I don't understand because bosses or no bosses he was one hell of a cement finisher.
As it ended there was no way to make Ray take anything for that sword or for me to get away without becoming the owner.
I tried but couldn't get him to take any money.
2 good lessons there. Let people know you're interested in guns and knives (I bought a nice little pistol from the truck driver on that job) and treat people the way they should be treated. Ray deserved that compliment and a lot more. He was one hell of a cement finisher. And A hell of a nice guy too.

[This message has been edited by TomW (edited 12-21-2000).]
 
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