Mint In Box Retailed for $100 in 1980. 32 years later still MIB sells for $51.

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Larry303

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This highly desirable Schrade I*XL Commemorative retailed for $100 in 1980...some 32 years later and still Mint in Box it sells for $51 realizing a 49% capital loss during those 32 years...Item # 140692856869.
IMO this large stockman style was perhaps the best made by Schrade/I*XL using quality materials and I have never seen a bad example.
I have previously sold 4 MIB in years past and still have several MIB....mine always realized minimum $150 which I regarded as undervalued for such a quality knife set complete with Hallmarks...this sold for $51 in the current market...and you often see those fake Waldens that never graced Walden or Ellenville sell better than $60...go figure..how do you compare the two on any collector basis whatsoever?...go figure..
My case rests Your Honour.......Hoo Roo
 
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My house value has done about the same but in the last 6 not 32 years.
While some remain high most have dropped. Taxes on the other hand just keep going up regardless of the assessments.
I'm sure the prices in Oz have done a similar down turn.
It will turn around again.
 
Delmas,....???....
lrv, absolutely valid points you make however I wasnt suggesting Real Estate or Schrade knives were appreciating or even holding their own value wise...quite the opposite which is the current reality you quote.....there are currently programs being shown here in Oz about how relatively cheap U.S. house prices are compared to Oz prices and many Aussies appearantly are buying big time with multiple purchases..one I heard stated he had recently bought 30 homes so far and was intending to purchase more......wait till he gets the on-going maintenance costs,Agent Fees, Taxes etc on those 30 homes in relation to his rental income he may not be so smug!.I hope for his sake it does turn around again because capital gain is the only win he can hope for IMO.......Hoo Roo
 
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I've never seen that wooden giant stockman sell for $150.00 myself, and those Schrade Wostenholm's have not sold as well as a lot of Schrade Waldens, especially ones with bone handles. Even quite a few Delrin handled Waldens in the tube easily outsell that series. For the most part, for whatever reason, well made does not carry as much weight as desirability. Your case is resting on a pretty obscure example, whatever case you are attempting to rest, for whatever reason you are wanting to convince the forum that foreign made knives are taking down the value of Schrade Walden knives. I'm not buying it. I do buy the fact that there is some trickery on Ebay, but what else is new? :confused: Here are some successful results, if you want to flip the coin. All genuine Schrade NY and Schrade Walden USA knives.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/260914855946#ht_538wt_1164

http://www.ebay.com/itm/260914856199#ht_538wt_1164

http://www.ebay.com/itm/260914856624#ht_506wt_1164
 
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Old Timer prices are skyrocketing, judging from NIB recent auction examples:
$80 for a sharpfinger?!? $90+ for a 125. $90 for a Grand Dad's Old Timer barlow. $70 for an 8OT.

Makes me glad I collected aggressively starting in 2004. Obtaining a decent-sized collection today would cost a fortune.
 
I really doubt the I*XL stockman sold for $100.00 in 1980. In fact I'd bet high that it didn't. I contend it never retailed for $100.00. That was Schrade's "Suggested Retail" only. MSRPs (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Prices) are always inflated to support brand value and to make consumers think they are getting a deal.

I have found that you can often take nearly a third off of Schrade's suggested prices when you compare to the actual prices folks paid back-in-the-day. If Schrade suggested a knife be sold for $60.00 it's basically guranteed that knife really sold for $40.00 once competition entered the mix.

I search for "Schrade" (including title and description) on eBay every day and get 8000 hits. I have done this for the last three years or more. I watch a lot of auctions! I see nothing to indicate that imports (or anything else) are dragging down the prices of vintage USA Schrade knives. Supply and demand is what drives the values. There are always folks who pay way too much and folks who get a steal.

The people willing to pay collector values for mint knives with bling know what they want and know what they are bidding on. The mere existence of new import Schrades doesn't stop a Schrade fiend from bidding high on a 51OT or a 197UH or LB2 or LB4 etc.

I will not accept that my collection is worth less because of the Chinese Schrades! The people who would bid on my knives are well educated on real versus imported Schrade or they wouldn't even bother. To these people imports are like apples and pre-2004 Schrades are like oranges. The desirability and value of one doesn't drive the price of the other. They are too different! The buyer demographics are completely different!

No one says to themselves "I think I'll buy a vintage MIB 2OT or a new Chinese "Cowgirl Up!" knife. I just can't decide which I'd like more. I guess I'll just flip a coin."

APPLES AND ORANGES!!!
 
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WELL SAID DAVE !
We all know some knives sell for very little $$$.
And as you said if it is hard to find, with the right number stamped on it - It will always sell for BIG $$$$ every time. Ken
 
I would say well said Dave and Hal!!! That about sums up what I was trying to say in the 100th anniversary thread. The examples that Thawk showed are all good quality American made tools and were sold as such. Now that people are starting to realize they are not available at the corner hardware store anymore, they are willing to pay the price. Now that I tkink about it, the corner hardware store is gone too.
The stuff that was sold by the knife companys as "Collectors Items " have never increased in value. Just pick up a copy LGKV4.
 
In the wake of the bankruptcy, interest in Schrades skyrocketed. We are now seeing a falling off of supply, as the bins are being emptied. Along with the drying up of inventory, the supply of copralites has swollen. As time passes, say... 5 years from now, the supply of genuine plastic handled Schrades from 1960 to 2004 on ebay will dwindle to a bare trickle. The number of people watching and spending will likewise dwindle. What will be left is a few knives for sale, both the creme and the plebian, and a hard core tiny group of afficionados. The entire Schrade (genuine Schrade) economic phenomenon will shrink drastically. It is impossible to say which way this will push prices. Human behavior is fickle, and outside influences such as the economy, politics and global issues always change the mix. Has anyone noticed the stampede towards Great Eastern Cutlery? Who would have foreseen the rush from baseball to soccer? Why doesn't anyone want to buy my hula hoop? I envy the ability to see into the future so blithely. I sure would be a lot richer.
 
Nice slant on the current and future situation Cal. We all live in hope....I follow Aussie Schrade Ebay more than US Ebay now and I am probably quoting the Aussie trends I have noted..and I always used to get $150 plus for those I*XL's on Aussie Ebay....Sharpfingers, PH1's PH2's Orange Handled Pro Fisherman's and now pakkawood handled Pro Fishermans are the latest mass release...all the genuine models of these knives have taken a dive in values due to the abundance of these other 'varieties'....Schrade dealers in Oz have a real problem even getting hits to look at their listings of these models and many pass without interest or bids they tell me...<I dont regard myself as a dealer>Some dealers in Oz tend to buy under one handle in U.S. and sell under another handle in Oz within weeks of acquiring...all mine were acquired in past years so I really cant lose value wise and particularly when USPS was so much cheaper then.....anyway time will definately tell what impact the huge availability of look alikes has on the collector market in the future.
An interesting point I saw raised by those two 'characters' on American Pickers last night which I watch without fail..one of the most interesting shows on T.V. IMO..they stated that since the introduction of the Internet the availability of items and the ability to buy worldwise has dramatically reduced the value of many desirable collector items in all the facets of collecting because previously one only had access to buy locally which pushed up prices due to the relative scarcity...a valid point...and I believe also relative to the values of many knife 'collector' items produced. If one wanted say the Schrade Native American' Indian' series when they were being produced you had to pay the virtual going price....now you see the same Series knives so common on Ebay that prices have dropped from what they were realizing previously apart from the ultra rare' Lance'....
All these factors plus the worsening Economy continue to impact on our collector knife values IMO and going into denial is somewhat avoiding the real issues...just my thoughts and obviously not shared by others......Hoo Roo.
 
I know you have a nice collection but back before E-bay changed the ID policy, I was outbid a lot of times buy a guy named Eucalyptus. He paid way more then I would even now for some that stuff. And I'm sure he would take a hit on shipping it back to here.
 
Ecalyptus ,Upstream, not Eucalyptus, with the exception of the Gold Calendar which was bought on Ebay <with little bidding against me> all my others that I regard as exceptional scarce Schrades were bought direct from 3 Schrade collectors/dealers over the years and I never competed value wise with bidders on any of them...how would I have gone having to bid for the 3OT and 2OT's from the Conferance Wall collection etc I wouldnt have been in the hunt same with the others I have...dont get me wrong I have never lost money on any knife I have bought and resold much later yet..not ever....but they are stagnating and reducing in values ,not from what I paid but what the prices they were commanding several years ago...but the World is also not the same place it was 3 + years ago...its not all lose I bought a sweet intact Adolphus Busch S/Walden with nice Stanhope Viewer for $120 odd not long ago...<even less in Aussie Dollars>..they used to command much higher prices...
I see nothing wrong with a bit of a reality check on values thread every now and again to see collective thoughts....Hoo roo
 
I have to say Larry, I think your view of value, if it is based on the Aussie Ebay market, is much different that it is on US Ebay. Much more to bid on here since many are unwilling to ship down under, and the amount of post 2004 Schrades on Ebay is staggering. Your collection profile is different than mine, as I focus almost completely on production slip joints. I don't care for ones with serial numbers and SFO knives for the most part. And you've been at it longer. My view is based on my experience with Ebay, and the knives I focus on. In my focus on the Schrades I collect though, and for the five years I have collected, values on NIB knives has tripled based on how I bid.
 
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thawk said:
I have to say Larry, I think your view of value, if it is based on the Aussie Ebay market, is much different that it is on US Ebay. Much more to bid on here since many are unwilling to ship down under, and the amount of post 2004 Schrades on Ebay is staggering. Your collection profile is different than mine, as I focus almost completely on production slip joints. I don't care for ones with serial numbers and SFO knives for the most part. And you've been at it longer. My view is based on my experience with Ebay, and the knives I focus on. In my focus on the Schrades I collect though, and for the five years I have collected, values on NIB knives has tripled based on how I bid.
Click to expand...

Thawk I&#8217;m with you on this.
I have been collecting 4&#8221; Schrade knives for many years, I use to pay under $30 for most 8OTs, and some of the Woden knives (880 & 881etc.) would sell for under $40.
I have a knives that Schrade gave away to some of the Knife Dealers that I use to pay less than $30 for, now-a-days they are very hard to find and sell for $45+.
Then in 2005 I started to put my 2000 -2004 collection together &#8211; most of these knives I payed $5 to $20 for; have come and gone with very little of them put away. Schrade Tolls I found selling for $8 to $22 two years ago. Now with Schrade knives being made in China, most of the above knives and tools could sell for twice the price I payed for them.
However as a collector, I collect knives and do not sell them! I try not to think about the $$$$$$ ... Ken
 
The only reason I think about the Values is because I try and contain my knife purchases to cost neutral..my knife sales fund my purchases....with the Australian Military WW11 knives/artefacts I collect which are invariably many hundreds of dollars with even the original sheaths only <without the knife> being around $300 + due to scarcity then I have to sell more Schrades in sheer numbers than the numbers I replace them with.<which is a good thing for me to reduce the considerable number of knives I am custodian of>.Australian Military values appreciation are of course much stronger as many new collectors enter the ranks....and I guess I may have been comparing between my experience with being a current Schrade collector and Military collector as well...both with demand/desirability and numbers of potential bidders..Its a side benefit to me if both continue to increase in values as you blokes suggest is, and will happen.
8OT's always hold their values because they are an excellent user on horse property's, cutting bales etc, and I have never had a problem selling those and their relative scarcity does tend to drive prices by those intent on using them with no regard to collectability.<they also do not care about correct boxs' and paperwork so long as they are the genuine article>..another facet to collecting to consider..I just sold a Lake & Walker SLW2 for $66 and they used to bring squat <I used to give them away to loyal buyers with their knives I sent>.I believe education as to what they are is the driving factor there to values...they always were good knives, folk just did not realize it..its how I came to have 17 odd @ $5 to $7 in the early collecting days and US dealers also used to include them in my parcels free because they could not get a bid in U.S. 2004/2005......Hoo Roo
 
Instead of investing in high-dollar items, I sure wish I had bought a truckload of those $1.39 and $2.99 Irish Imperials when they were on closeout. Those things are selling for $4-$5 now, double the money or more.
 
Bob W said:
Instead of investing in high-dollar items, I sure wish I had bought a truckload of those $1.39 and $2.99 Irish Imperials when they were on closeout. Those things are selling for $4-$5 now, double the money or more.
Click to expand...

Hi Bob,
Try and buy a Badger SX4 made in Ireland, or a 2003 Schrade BadgerSX4 made in China.
Better still I have a 2004 Schrade Anniversary Badger in a tin, made in china for Schrade before the close down.
Try and find an Imperial Schrade TM7 now-a-days, just two years ago they were selling in a pack of 12 for $10.
Imperial Schrade AP35s are hard to find and Taylor Brands is making a poor copy of Schrade SS1s and some of the SQ knives.

When was the last time you saw an &#8220;SW7SN in a box with a sheath&#8221; or an SQ877 or SQ587.
SLW2 knives come and go on eBay, however when was the last time you saw a Lake & Walker Two with a plain blade.
LARRY303 said he gave them away once and now sells them for almost $50.

This is my 2004 Schrade Anniversary Badger in a tin, made in china for Schrade before the close down.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_forum/gallery/image_page.php?album_id=131&image_id=4092
.. Ken
 
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No one says to themselves "I think I'll buy a vintage MIB 2OT or a new Chinese "Cowgirl Up!" knife. I just can't decide which I'd like more. I guess I'll just flip a coin."


Very well done!
I had no idea I could get a "Cowgirl Up" Schrade made in China! Look for me soon in "latest Schrade" thread. I have "LOLed" at that since last night!

All the best gents.
 
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