Mint 60's 8OT

Use it or trade it to someone who collects these kind of knives?

  • Use

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Trade

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    0
  • Poll closed .
Absintheur said:
I really don't care about an unknown collector finding my mint knife in the future. I would hate to die thinking there were things in my safe I could have enjoyed but never did because I was worried about someone I didn't know getting my mint things.
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If the knife in question is already old and mint, the only reason that you can enjoy it as such is because its original owner cared for it. You're reaping the benefits of that care now. With a little respect and restraint, someone else can enjoy it in the future. Do you really feel the need to 'use up' everything that passes under your aegis, regardless of its rarity?

If you owned a rare old painting, would you display it in direct sunlight because it fits better into your decor, even though the UV will fade the colors and destroy much of its value and enjoyment for future generations?
 
Rick said:
If you owned a rare old painting, would you display it in direct sunlight because it fits better into your decor, even though the UV will fade the colors and destroy much of its value and enjoyment for future generations?
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That is abuse, not use...big difference. a true collector would seal it away from all light in a pure nitrogen atmosphere where no one could ever see it...would that be worth owning? I doubt I will "use up" many of my knives...just as my grandfather's are full bladed despite years of use, I too know how to sharpen without removing massive amounts of metal. Careful use does not destroy knives...abuse and carelessness does.
 
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Use does not equal abuse.

I have pocket knives from my youth that have been used and sharpened over the years. They still have full blades and other than light scratches on the blades, appear to be new.

Right now I am carrying a Schrade 863 open stock whittler that I bought new on the bay still in it's original tube. I have it beyond sharp and a pleasant patina going from cutting apples and such.

I strop it more than I hone it and I would imagine that years from now it will still have most of the blades left. My son gets it when I check out and will know how to take care of a knife so that it doesn't get "used up" and lasts so that he can pass it on to his offspring.

But back to the OP? Gonna use it?
 
Absintheur said:
Careful use does not destroy knives...abuse and carelessness does.
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Depends on the knife in question. Carry and use, careful or otherwise, does destroy, or at least compromise, the fragile glaze or crocus finishes found on many old, mint knives. Examples of those beautiful finishes are becoming rare as hen's teeth these days due to neglect, general ignorance or lack of respect. At this rate, antique knife aficionados in the future will never know what those fine old finishes looked like firsthand.

If you owned a minty knife like this from the '20s or '30s, would you use it; willingly undermining much of its value, beauty and rarity for your own short term enjoyment? Or would you take pride in the fact that, while under your care, it survived unscathed to be passed on to the next generation?

RemJack01.jpg


Sorry if I'm causing the thread to drift from the specific to the general here, but hopefully we're still on-topic for the most part. :o
 
Rick, with the Remington you posted, that would be a hard call to carry it or not.
Mint condition Rems are a lot harder to come by than certain Schrades though.
I have to be 100% honest though, I don't think I could have that knife and not carry it. Life is to short to miss out on the shear enjoyment of having that one, or one similar, in pocket...
I certainly wouldn't use it hard or abuse it, but it would put a smile on my face being able to pull it out of pocket and admire it...

The future is completely uncontrollable and uncertain. My theory is to do what makes a person happy during the short time we are here. I don't think it is being greedy or self centered by doing so. There is no right or wrong way of doing it IMHO. Granted, it would be unfortunate if all the mint knives disappeared, but I have a feeling there are still going to be quite a few safely tucked away for future generations to enjoy.

I was fortunate enough to receive a couple mint condition Schrade Waldens from a fellow member awhile back. He wrote a note that said he hoped I would get a lot of enjoyment and use out of them.
The knives are becoming hard to find in mint condition, and will always hold a special place for me, but they do see pocket time and very careful use.
I know for fact they will still be in excellent condition when I get older, and my son will get them when I am to old to carry sharp things :D

YMMV
 
Good points all around that I have seen, but I said use it. Can't argue either way really but it just felt right for me.
 
The 8OT you linked to (knife we are discussing) is a nice knife, but as others have said, it is not rare even in that minty condition. ebay has them regularly and they can sell for less than the $50 you paid.
Schrade was a high volume manufacturer, making millions of some of their patterns(like 34OT, 8OT, LB7, etc.).
as it lacks the original box and paper, use it, if you like it. if it doesn't really 'turn your crank', trade it for something you like better.
roland
 
Rick said:
If you owned a minty knife like this from the '20s or '30s, would you use it; willingly undermining much of its value, beauty and rarity for your own short term enjoyment? Or would you take pride in the fact that, while under your care, it survived unscathed to be passed on to the next generation?
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I just can't understand why own it if you aren't going to use it. What is it's value to the future? They won't know what a knife is? They won't have pics? What if your house caught fire, I know I would really be upset to know I could have carried and used a knife but now it is too late.

Value...I value this knife much more than I would the Remington above...it has been passed down through 4 generations and carries almost 90 years of memories...

rem1a.jpg


Let me ask a question...do you buy two copies of every knife you buy so you can keep one mint and in the box for some collector 100 years from now or do you use the modern production knives you buy? If you use them aren't you denying future generations a mint collectors knife?

and yes...I would carry and use that mint Remington...
 
Abs, your Rem is priceless. It has character, sentimental value, and some really nice looking bone too :D

I'm sure the stories that knife could tell, would make for great reading
 
Beautiful Remington there. It would probably find my way into my pocket though. Just too pretty.
 
I say use it, no real history is being lost. Maybe trade it for a user or two.

This is like saying not to shoot an old gun, or a fancy gun, or don't drive that pretty/rare car... they are meant to be shot and driven and you are supposed to feel good while driving and shooting. Same for knives.
 
Your question is totally subjective and your own answer will change from time to time. Like most multiple choice questions you might have put in about eleven more choices. I have lots of knives. I don't carry the really cherry ones. Don't have a reason to; I have lots of users. Even though the early Schrade Walden NY USA 8 OTs with match strike are relatively common right now, they will not be in a short time. I started hitting on Schrades on ebay in 2005 and the picture is totally different now. The good stuff is getting very sparse very rapidly. Most of it won't sell for the third or fourth time for many years into the future. And for every one that becomes a user, the rest just get more rare. That drop-dead gorgeous mint Remington is about as rare as they get. Peoples' lives are so short, they don't have a good perspective on how long it takes for something to become rare and valuable. If I just picked garbage cans in the 50's for common rubbish, I could be selling it for big big money now. But, like I say, values and attitudes are strictly personal and subjective.
 
Use it and pass it down to a younger family member in your later years for them to treasure and keep the tradition going.
 
Rick said:
Depends on the knife in question. Carry and use, careful or otherwise, does destroy, or at least compromise, the fragile glaze or crocus finishes found on many old, mint knives. Examples of those beautiful finishes are becoming rare as hen's teeth these days due to neglect, general ignorance or lack of respect. At this rate, antique knife aficionados in the future will never know what those fine old finishes looked like firsthand.

If you owned a minty knife like this from the '20s or '30s, would you use it; willingly undermining much of its value, beauty and rarity for your own short term enjoyment? Or would you take pride in the fact that, while under your care, it survived unscathed to be passed on to the next generation?

RemJack01.jpg


Sorry if I'm causing the thread to drift from the specific to the general here, but hopefully we're still on-topic for the most part. :o
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If you were to sell that knife to me, it would be in my pocket about 30-seconds after I received it and at the first opportunity to use it, I'd use that knife in a New York Second. That knife was made to be used by the maker and use it I would. Now, after I'd carried/used it for a bit, I'd probably put it away and use another of my knives BUT I wouldn't hesitate to take it out and use it again.

I buy things for my pleasure not somebody else's pleasure down the road.
 
Modoc ED said:
If you were to sell that knife to me, it would be in my pocket about 30-seconds after I received it and at the first opportunity to use it, I'd use that knife in a New York Second. That knife was made to be used by the maker and use it I would. Now, after I'd carried/used it for a bit, I'd probably put it away and use another of my knives BUT I wouldn't hesitate to take it out and use it again.
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It was made to be used almost a century ago. After all that time, its context has changed dramatically from a cheap, common tool to a fragile and valuable collector's keepsake; something to preserve, appreciate aesthetically and respect as a rare link to a bygone era.

I buy things for my pleasure not somebody else's pleasure down the road.
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I enjoy it immensely without ruining it as a rare mint historical keepsake; the walk 'n' talk; the beautiful contrast between two types of blade finish that haven't been produced for decades, and probably never will be again, etc.

Should we crack open all the display cases in our museums and use all that cool stuff as if it's nothing more than the contents of a fancy hardware store? Does everything have to be "me, me, me" all the time, with no thought for preservation?
 
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