Hi
Im new to this site but Ive been collecting/buying knives for the past 20 years (mainly from the major manufacturers) and have a keen interest particularly in military/ tactical knives from the Vietnam war era up to present day.
I took the plunge last month and decided to purchase a Model 14 stainless as I have always admired and longed to own such a knife. I received it in the mail last week and after having studied its condition and read up on different sites about collector value etc I have the following questions on which I would appreciate some advice .
- The knife has some discoloration marks on the guard (verdigis I think) from where the retaining strap made contact with the brass from being stored in the sheath. Does this have any effect on collector value as new models on Ebay all state condition as 'mint' ' never been sheathed' etc?.
- The micarta handle has a small scratch on the right side near the pommel which looks like it could be buffed out but again what effect will this have on the value of the knife ?
- The blade doesnt appear to have been sharpened however there is a noticable burr on the one side which would indicate to me that the knife could have seen light use previously. I would love to put this knife to my Kai 1000/6000 whetstone but it seems that having this knife in unsharpened condition is preferable when it comes to retaining the value of such an article.
I know that Randalls are made to be used and it would seem that the value of the knife is not greatly diminished through normal use,however in reading these forums I get the impression that a great many people only keep their knives as collectors pieces (Im talking about new models here not anything rare or with historical value) and enjoy them in this way due the the prices commanded for these gems.
I guess I am in two minds around whether to use the knife (taken out for hunting mainly) or to keep it in my collection under lock and key- stored seperately from the sheath etc.
I would be reluctant to send the knife back to Orlando if the marks could be buffed and the edge restored by the Randall shop as it would be quite an expensive exercise having to again pay shipping costs and insurance from South Africa.
Im new to this site but Ive been collecting/buying knives for the past 20 years (mainly from the major manufacturers) and have a keen interest particularly in military/ tactical knives from the Vietnam war era up to present day.
I took the plunge last month and decided to purchase a Model 14 stainless as I have always admired and longed to own such a knife. I received it in the mail last week and after having studied its condition and read up on different sites about collector value etc I have the following questions on which I would appreciate some advice .
- The knife has some discoloration marks on the guard (verdigis I think) from where the retaining strap made contact with the brass from being stored in the sheath. Does this have any effect on collector value as new models on Ebay all state condition as 'mint' ' never been sheathed' etc?.
- The micarta handle has a small scratch on the right side near the pommel which looks like it could be buffed out but again what effect will this have on the value of the knife ?
- The blade doesnt appear to have been sharpened however there is a noticable burr on the one side which would indicate to me that the knife could have seen light use previously. I would love to put this knife to my Kai 1000/6000 whetstone but it seems that having this knife in unsharpened condition is preferable when it comes to retaining the value of such an article.
I know that Randalls are made to be used and it would seem that the value of the knife is not greatly diminished through normal use,however in reading these forums I get the impression that a great many people only keep their knives as collectors pieces (Im talking about new models here not anything rare or with historical value) and enjoy them in this way due the the prices commanded for these gems.
I guess I am in two minds around whether to use the knife (taken out for hunting mainly) or to keep it in my collection under lock and key- stored seperately from the sheath etc.
I would be reluctant to send the knife back to Orlando if the marks could be buffed and the edge restored by the Randall shop as it would be quite an expensive exercise having to again pay shipping costs and insurance from South Africa.
, so use her and enjoy her i will.