Mint vs. Used Pricing

[Les Robertson]

Hi Kevin,

Bob might not know MS60-MS70, but you can bet I know it when I see it

What?

Also, unless you have countless years as a numismatist you would probably have difficulty understanding the subtle difference between a MS 62 and MS 63 (as an example).

Bag marks, striking pressure, beginning of the strike as opposed to the end of the strike of a particular die, etc.

This is why the 3rd party grading services...even they who specialize in grading do not always get it right.

Now, if you were referring to whether a knife was mint or not. Im sure you can tell the difference.

 

[Kevin Jones]

Hi Kevin,



What?

Also, unless you have countless years as a numismatist you would probably have difficulty understanding the subtle difference between a MS 62 and MS 63 (as an example).

Bag marks, striking pressure, beginning of the strike as opposed to the end of the strike of a particular die, etc.

This is why the 3rd party grading services...even they who specialize in grading do not always get it right.

Now, if you were referring to whether a knife was mint or not. Im sure you can tell the difference.

Definitely, was referring to whether a knife was mint or not as I know absolutely NOTHING about coins except what I overheard from my dad over the years. He's a coin collector and American Civil War relic collector and authority.

I hoped you and Bob weren't referring to an elaborate grading system for custom knives . If so, I thought I must have skipped that class.

You guys are confusing me skipping back and forth between coins and knives.

 

[betzner]

Haha -

I am sure that when it comes to figuring out whether the three of us (Kevin, Les and I) agree on whether a knife is mint or not, we would probably be right on spot (no pun intended) 98% of the time with each other.

Luckily for me, I don't have the problem of having to "spot the spots" on a fine, forged damascus blade, as magnificent as they are, making my job of trying to spot "mint" ones a helluva lot easier. Luckily, for us, "mint" is "mint", without all the different grades.

Les, how true, how true when it comes to MS-62 vs MS-63. That's why, some time ago, I decided that MS-65 was the grade I would collect at, it I was getting a coin.

Bob

 

[Kohai999]

Inherent in owning handforged knives, which tend to lean to carbon steels, especially Damascus, is a high degree of maintenance is required. Keep in mind the Damascus pattern comes from putting acid on the blade to bring out the pattern.

I prefer a plain blade that doesn't require too much maintenance. I realise though that carbon steel is often preferred in longer blades. Damascus is great looking but I would prefer a lower maintenance (and priced) steel. I guess hand forged is really cool. It doesn't have to have a hamon.

I'm seeing some possibly alarming quotes here.

Simply, damascus is MUCH easier to take care of than straight, hand rubbed carbon steel. Damascus has an etched surface in 95%+ of the applications it is used in, and this acts much like gun bluing in protecting the surface, IN ADDITION the "hills and valleys" formed by the etching take and hold rust preventative solvents(Ren wax, Butcher's wax, RustFree, Tuf-Cloth....) much more aggressively.

The ONLY thing that I have found to be perfect for carbon blades is the physical and chemical isolation provided by a VCI product like Brownell's Gunwrap

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[TennKnifeman]

This thread is actually discussing if "mint" means "mint"?

The National Knife Collectors Association grading standards says a mint knife is "factory fresh", means as it just came out of the box from the manufacturer (or knifemaker).

I'd venture that if the seller has the knife on his table, or provides detailed photos, then if you like the knife and the condition it is in buy it, no matter what the condition is by someone else's standard.

 

[notdos]

Lemme try this way. In the knife collecting world, the average buyer believes that "Mint" means perfect. The term is regularly abused by unscrupulous sellers who (after you've bought) want to suggest that "their interpretation" of mint must be different from yours. This thread proves that it's a term that brings more controversy than clarity.
I prefer to seperate knives into two categories. New or PreOwned. New means new from maker/dealer while PreOwned means it has been sold at retail at least one time. You'll note neither suggests perfection.

Phillip

 

[RogerP]

I don't think a knife coming from a dealer is "new". It has been sold by the maker for cash and delivered to its new if temporary owner - the dealer. I don't see any difference in that situation as compared with a sale by the maker to a collector, who re-sells it to a fellow collector. In neither case could the knife be described as "new", though its condition might well be described by that term or a great many others.

And condition is what matters - not how many hands the knife has passed through at any given point.

Roger

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

So if Chevy makes a car , has it trucked to the dealer , it is no longer new ?

If a dealer buys it from the maker , with the intent to sell , to me it is still new. If a dealer buys it , sits on it in their personal collection or carries it , it's no longer new.

 

[LarryM]

If a Dealer carries it to shows let anyone who is interested test drive it. Well it's a Demo LOL. Larry

So if Chevy makes a car , has it trucked to the dealer , it is no longer new ?

If a dealer buys it from the maker , with the intent to sell , to me it is still new. If a dealer buys it , sits on it in their personal collection or carries it , it's no longer new.

 

[Kevin Jones]

I have seen new knives on maker's table that looked horrible and have seen knives that were 15 years old that look like new. So I'm not so sure that age or how many times they have changed hands really make that much difference in regard to condition.

 

[betzner]

I have seen new knives on maker's table that looked horrible and have seen knives that were 15 years old that look like new. So I'm not so sure that age or how many times they have changed hands really make that much difference in regard to condition.

Well said, Kevin. Complete agreement here.

 

[RogerP]

So if Chevy makes a car , has it trucked to the dealer , it is no longer new ?

Chevy doesn't sell directly to the public, only through dealers. Makers sell directly to the public - including dealers.

I have seen new knives on maker's table that looked horrible and have seen knives that were 15 years old that look like new. So I'm not so sure that age or how many times they have changed hands really make that much difference in regard to condition.

Exactly correct.

Roger

 

[John T Wylie Jr]

Chevy doesn't sell directly to the public, only through dealers. Makers sell directly to the public - including dealers.

Although .....

some makers have a 3-5 year backlog and are not accepting orders , but dealers still acquire knives from them ( either thru orders placed long ago , duplicate orders ,from shows or just from being a steady customer ).

In that case , the knife dealer , is much like the car dealer ( except I actually like knife dealers ).

either way , we all need more knives