Knives to invest in

what about loveless,randall,lile,crain,hibben,moran, etc...
all these knives go up value.
check out mileswelze.com
 
New Randalls average about 20% over book value. Crain's are expensive, but more or less flat. Lile- only certain models move strongly, same with Hibben. I've heard Moran has been dropping a bit. Haven't watched Loveless.

Again, they aren't the types of things you can sit on your hands with........
 
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One thing is for sure. My Randalls I bought 15 years ago haven't lost any money. if I sold them today I believe I would make more than any savings account would have payed.

However, as with any investing, trying to guess what will be worth more (much more) down the road can be just as much a talent as making the knife.

Good Luck

Bill
 
Busses are a good investment as you can beat the heck out of them and still sell them for more than they cost new down the road.

Striders hold their value very well also.

Custom knives usually do pretty well depending on the maker and the knife.

Old Carbon V Cold Steel knives are bring a premium now.
 
My Randalls I bought 15 years ago haven't lost any money. if I sold them today I believe I would make more than any savings account would have payed.
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You seriously use a savings account to prepare for the future? It doesn't even provide a rate of return to keep-up with inflation.

I don't think of any knife as an investment. Unfortunately, knife makers come and go over decades and the in-demand knives you own today may not be as valuable 20-30 years from now.
 
I try to stick with the "knives are tools to be used" school of thought. I don't buy them only to lock away and hope they become more valuable. That kind of guessing and predicting game is beyond my skills and interests.
 
bgudowski said:
what about loveless,randall,lile,crain,hibben,moran, etc...
all these knives go up value.
check out mileswelze.com
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ron lake folders too, of course we are talking a lotta money on some of them, a whole lotta $$ from the get-go.
 
After you select a maker/manufacturer that you believe will appreciate, remember that the most serious money is often made at the time of purchase rather than sale. In other words, study the market carefully, search diligently, and try to buy at the most favorable prices. It may seem obvious but like buying stocks, the more homework you do and effort you commit to the task, the better chance you'll make a favorable buy.

Hard to say how long the economy will be in the dumps but if you have money to invest, that's often the most favorable time to buy.

I tend to get attached to knives and not want to sell so I'm not "investing" in them. My heirs may make some money but I doubt I ever will.

DancesWithKnives
 
Yes, custom knives can be a very good investment and perhaps more importantly an investment you can enjoy. However it just doesn't just happen. One has to work at it.

To be successful from an investment perspective:

You have to buy the right knives (knives that will be in demand by a broad range of knife collectors over an extended period of time) from the right makers (makers who have great talent, promote themselves, the knives they make, their collector's knives and the custom knife community in general).

You have to market/sell your knives in a manner conducive to your profiting.

You have to be disciplined in being willing to sell knives you may be fond of when the market is most favorable for you to profit on them.
 
Then again, in 2012 after the president has been re-elected and doesn't have to worry about your opinion anymore as it pertains to his career, they may ban all knives and guns. A big investment in "assault knives" may be annoying as you watch a couple of deputies cart your boxes away.

Just saying...
 
Back in the 1980s Pravda West (also known as the Left Angeles Times) started trying to popularize the term "Assault Knife" through their crime reports. Thankfully, even the people of the PRK didn't buy into that.

DancesWithKnives
 
tltt said:
For the most part investing in knives is a fool's game, verging on retarded. If you want to see a neat exercise, buy a stack of older Blade magazines from 1980's-90's and look at what was the hot collectibles then, vs what you can buy them for now.

The only way to make real money is to become what amounts to a dealer and constantly wheel and deal. But casual investing will leave you broke 99% of the time.
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You couldn't be more incorrect.
It's actually closer to 99.783% of the time.
 
shunsui said:
Then again, in 2012 after the president has been re-elected and doesn't have to worry about your opinion anymore as it pertains to his career, they may ban all knives and guns. A big investment in "assault knives" may be annoying as you watch a couple of deputies cart your boxes away.

Just saying...
Click to expand...

Wow...is this really going to happen???
Perhaps I should be investing in carts instead. :D
 
The only knives that I have seen, as a casual observer, hold a big enough market value to be worth buying to invest in, were the big names.

Loveless, Moran, Scagel, early Randalls, D' Holder, antique San Fran bowies, Japanese swords, select European swords, very select Asian/African swords etc.

If you have that kind of money, more power to you. That looks like a select club, even in the knife community, and you'll only be able to sell to hardcore collectors. Unless you find a Scagel like that one guy did at a flea market, buy it for 5 bucks and sell it on eBay, I don't foresee it being anything more than supporting your hobby.
 
Knives; lousy investments, I buys 'em cause I loves 'em. But I do have a custom Pat Crawford dagger from the early 80's put away for safe keeping.:cool:
 
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