Model 10-5 fair price?

[maineboatman]

Hello, BF friends,
Please help with a fair dollar value for this used Randall 10-5 with an original sheath. My friend wants to sell it to me for a user & he is not a knife person. I am a Knife Knut but not a Randall Knut. Sharpened a lot, some corrosion on blade & on the aluminum handle. The sheath has been worn on a belt & has lots of use, but all stitching seems in good shape. I will saddle soap it & put mink oil on it for my saltwater fishing knife.
Many thanks for any help as I want to be fair with my friend. :thumbup:
Sincerely,
Maineboatman

 

[Docwaters]

What price has he put on the knife?

 

[ohen cepel]

That model doesn't seem to sell as high as many of them.

I would offer him $50 to $100 below the Randall new price since it's been well used. That is me and my opinion is worth just that.

Will make for a great user!

 

[Samael]

On the plus side:

There aren't a lot of model 10s in the world, especially since the shop has implemented the "one knife every three months" rule. If you can only order four knives a year, most people aren't going to use a slot for this knife.

They haven't made these things with aluminum handles for quite a while now.

On the minus side:

This lovely recession we're in the middle of has been death on sale prices, and I'm not seeing much improvement yet. It's pretty rare these days to see Randalls sell for a whole lot more than the current cost from the shop.

The knife has obviously seen some hard use.

Current price from the shop: $215.

No, I'm not going to tell you what I think it's worth, but the foregoing ought to give you a general idea.

 

[sams]

Maineboatman, there collectors and there are users. I'm not sure anymore what I am.

That is an old knife with a Heiser sheath worth big bucks to collectors. The knife is old to fit in time with the sheath. Collector value ?? 5 or 6 hundred, user value, 2, 3 hundred.

 

[Samael]

Oh, geez, I missed the Heiser sheath. That's what I get for looking at this stuff on my BlackBerry. Yeah, that changes everything.

Good catch, sams!

 

[Melvin-Purvis]

It's worth what he's willing to take, and what you're willing to pay; no more, no less...anything beyond that is just speculative guestimations by armchair quarterbacks. That's my .02 cents worth anyway, and worth every penny...

On a side note, there is a fellow up at the Oregon Knife Show asking $1450 for a stock (relatively new) production Randall Model #14...he's been asking ~$1000 over list for something like 8 or 9 years now, simply because a friend of his once told him it was worth that much...

As always, YMMV...

 

[maineboatman]

Well I would like to thank my BF friends for their responses. I had not realized how Knutty Randall folks are; willing to spend $$$ without blinking! I checked the leads suggested & found I cannot keep this as I am not about to pay what it will bring from a collector.

Thank you for letting me know about the Heiser sheath added value & the no S for stainless on the stamping. The sheath is a “brown button, bar-oval, no tack” 1950s vintage & is original to this knife. I put some 600 grit, followed by 1500 grit, to the knife during the weekend & it cleaned up quite well. Saddle soaped & brushed the sheath. So here are the “after” photos.

I had been thinking about $50 would be my offer, un-cleaned! I am returning it today to my friend & will advise him to sell it for far more than I can pay. The clean up is my gift to him. I enjoyed my brief ownership! Many thanks again for your input, although it does bring me to the old saying, “where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis a folly to be wise”. :grumpy:

 

[sams]

Wow, you are a true gentleman. I hope I did not burst your bubble but gave useful information. With anything collectible people want to buy cheap, hoping you are ignorant and resell for big bucks.

Always beware of dealers, collectors, and buyers who appear "too slick". I got burnt a few times and try to warn novices. This is to the dismay of dealers and pseudo collectors. I would like to see a fair deal for both parites.


I know about a guy bought a Loveless knife for $8.50. The woman 's husband died and she needed money. He sold the knife in the gun shop for $82.50 laughing. I was pissed, upset for the wife. The owner knew what he was getting, a four thousand dollar knife.

Oh well such is life.

 

[Melvin-Purvis]

'Cleaning up' a vintage knife DOES NOT add value; if fact, just the opposite, it typically decreases value...