Most Valuable Spyderco

Badhammer

Badhammer

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Is there a particular model of Spydie that is considered by most collectors as the holy grail as far as rarity/value?
 
Badhammer said:
Is there a particular model of Spydie that is considered by most collectors as the holy grail as far as rarity/value?
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No, it's a bit different from that. There are a few models that are considered "grail" knives by collectors, but almost none of them sell today for more than their original MSRP. I'd say the top contenders in that category would be the orriginal "2 screw" Worker, the Evolution Set, the C22 Michael Waker CF, the C27 Jess Horn, the 25th Anniversary Delica,the Ramco Laguiole, and the WTC Knife.

Then there are a few more recently discontinued models that have a strong "afi" following and sell for maybe 150% of original MSRP. These would include the Dodo, Gunting, Yojimbo, C83 Schempp Persian and C95 Manix.

Then there's the C35 "Q". It was designed as a vehicle for advertising, cheap enough to be used as a purchase or sales incentive. Today, the least common versions fetch 500% to 800%, or more, of MSRP and even the "garden variety" Spyderco "bug" version generally brings 150%.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
How about the plain edge carbon fiber Civilian? Or did I hallucinate that one? :D

The Deacon said:
No, it's a bit different from that. There are a few models that are considered "grail" knives by collectors, but almost none of them sell today for more than their original MSRP. I'd say the top contenders in that category would be the orriginal "2 screw" Worker, the Evolution Set, the C22 Michael Waker CF, the C27 Jess Horn, the 25th Anniversary Delica,the Ramco Laguiole, and the WTC Knife.

Then there are a few more recently discontinued models that have a strong "afi" following and sell for maybe 150% of original MSRP. These would include the Dodo, Gunting, Yojimbo, C83 Schempp Persian and C95 Manix.

Then there's the C35 "Q". It was designed as a vehicle for advertising, cheap enough to be used as a purchase or sales incentive. Today, the least common versions fetch 500% to 800%, or more, of MSRP and even the "garden variety" Spyderco "bug" version generally brings 150%.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
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Buffalohump said:
How about the plain edge carbon fiber Civilian? Or did I hallucinate that one? :D
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Hope not, otherwise I'm having them too. :D

civilians_left.jpg

In addition to the left handed ones, they also made wrong handed ones. ;) :D PE Almite one is also relatively "rare".

Bottom line is, everyone who collects Spydercos has their own "top ten" list. The seven I mentioned would all be on mine, and I'd be very surprises at least five of them were not on most other Spyderco collector's lists. They were listed more as examples than as a definitive list. I'm sure the original bare aluminum Civilian, original C67 R, Dive Probe, titanium Herbst, titanium ATR, and brass lined CoPilot all have their fans.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
The Cranberry Lum Chinese has to be right up there with the SE D2 Military and the Caly 3 w/o Boye dent right behind it. ;)

As far as I know, there were only two Cranberry Lums made and the other two were one each. Try getting any of those away from their current owners. :D
 
I would guess that the Michael Walker would command some of the highest prices, though the market for the Anniversary Delica and World Trade Center knife hasn't really been explored - they're recent enough that people are mostly hanging on to them. There are lots of the WTC relative to other models, but the potential interest is much greater. I'll second the G10 Native, and add the spyderco laguiole collaboration.

Then there are the prototypes and small test runs with probably less than 10 examples. The Trakk'r falls into that category, and was something of a ghost for a long time.

Earliest production has very high collector value, especially in mint condition, since Spyderco targeted hard-use environments.
 
I think Sal and two other people have a S125V folder. Those would be rare if available.

I suppose if you don't have it, then it's worth more. Here's what a two screw worker user looks like. This one bounced around in a tool box in my truck for years.

 
They aren't the most valuable but the Lum tanto folders, original Lum Chinese with green handle material, limited run Lum Chinese with gun metal blue handles, and the Lum tanto fixed blade all seem to bring a good price these days.
 
Tohatchi NM said:
I would guess that the Michael Walker would command some of the highest prices, though the market for the Anniversary Delica and World Trade Center knife hasn't really been explored - they're recent enough that people are mostly hanging on to them. There are lots of the WTC relative to other models, but the potential interest is much greater. I'll second the G10 Native, and add the spyderco laguiole collaboration.

Then there are the prototypes and small test runs with probably less than 10 examples. The Trakk'r falls into that category, and was something of a ghost for a long time.

Earliest production has very high collector value, especially in mint condition, since Spyderco targeted hard-use environments.
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Walkers, by the time production ended, had an MSRP of around $450. Currently, they rarely sell for over $400, and sometimes go for considerably less. 25th Anniversary Delica did spike for a while, but the last few I've followed have sold for just slightly over their $325 MSRP. WTC Kinfe is one of the few "grail" pieces that has definitely appreciated in value, had a $225 MSRP, often sells now for in excess of $400.

Laguiole woud be the other one which has significantly increased in value. It's also something of an odd case. Sal considers it a Spyderco, as do many collectors, but it has no Spyderco markings anywhere on it and was marketed as the Ramco Laguiole because it lacked any version of Spyderco's opener. At any rate MSRP was $120, and $20 extra for the sheath and they now sell for double to triple that, and occasionally higher for a PE one.

Again, every collector has their own list. Some knives appear on most of them, some on a lot fewer. Some I obviously missed have been mentioned and I'm rather surprised another one which slipped my mind, the P.I.G. Police, has not yet been mentioned. And there are at least two which one can only speculate on, since to the best of my knowledge none have ever shown up on eBay - the "Ground Zero" Rescue and Rescue Jr.

But all of this just reinforces the point I was making to the OP - that there is no single model which is considered "The" Spyderco grail knife.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
Domanfp said:
whale blade?
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Rare, certainly, but how many collectors would buy one if they could? Can't speak for anyone else but I know it wouldn't be a "must have" for me.

Rare does not always equal sought after. Prime example, a couple years back a TTZ Probe came up on eBay. Starting bid, IIRC, was $400. Auction closed with zero bids. AFAIK, there are less than six, and perhaps as few as two, of them in existence. Even among Spyderco collectors, probably less than half were ever aware of what it was and, as rare as it is, it's just a rather uninteresting looking chunk of ceramic. OTOH, put a Blue Ridge Knives "Jolly Roger" Q out there and watch the feeding frenzy, and there are 300 of those.

Paul
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My Personal Website - - - - - - A Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting - - - - - - Kiwimania
Dead horses beaten, sacred cows tipped, chimeras hunted when time permits.
Spyderco Collector # 043 - - WTC # 1458 - 1504 - 1508 - Never Forget, Never Forgive!
It's easy to grin when your ship comes in and good fortune and fame are your lot, but the man worthwhile is the man who can smile with his shorts twsited up in a knot. - Morey Amsterdam
 
I guess I'm partial to the knives Deacon mentioned (C22 Walker, C27 Jess Horn, Anniversary Delica, and the WTC knife). The Brontosaurus Executive and White Rescue would also probably make my list.

Rod
 
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