Need advise on pre-ban ivory knife

[Soda Pop Cowboy]

Howdy Friends, The knife that's pictured is one I made about 35 years ago. Blade is nickel titanium, the handle is pre-ban ivory that I did the scrimshaw on. It's 8" OAL & 1/4" thick at the spine. I've enjoyed looking at it for 35 years & have decided to sell it but have no idea what it's worth. "I know, I know, it's worth what someone is willing to pay". I can kind of estimate what my other knives are worth by comparing them with similar knives that have sold, but this one is unique & hard to find something to compare it to. Can someone give me a "ball park" estimate, if this was yours what would you expect to get for it? Thanks, Bernie Link

 

[brownshoe]

Not sure what you mean by "nickel titanium" blade. I would not buy any knife that I could not recognize the blade material.

I am not sure, but your internet information indicates you are not a well known maker, possibly a hobbyist. To me the lion scrim is not very representative. You don't show the full condition. That all together to me means the knife is worth no more than $100, probably less.

 

[Soda Pop Cowboy]

Not sure what you mean by "nickel titanium" blade. I would not buy any knife that I could not recognize the blade material.

I am not sure, but your internet information indicates you are not a well known maker, possibly a hobbyist. To me the lion scrim is not very representative. You don't show the full condition. That all together to me means the knife is worth no more than $100, probably less.

Thanks brownshoe, Since I had to pay over $65 just for the scales 35 years ago, if that's all I can get I'll just keep it. Thanks for your opinion, Bernie

 

[egally08]

If the blade is really made out of NiTi, than it is worthless as a functional knife. 35 years ago you probably didn't have the information about Nickel Ti like we do today. It is a very soft alloy, with a great deal of elasticity. It becomes very malleable at temperatures as low as 100 F.

It's a shame since it looks to be a fairly well made knife, and the time invested in the scrimshaw probably adds a greater value to you. Have you ever used it or tested the edge retention or Rc?

 

[Soda Pop Cowboy]

If the blade is really made out of NiTi, than it is worthless as a functional knife. 35 years ago you probably didn't have the information about Nickel Ti like we do today. It is a very soft alloy, with a great deal of elasticity. It becomes very malleable at temperatures as low as 100 F.

It's a shame since it looks to be a fairly well made knife, and the time invested in the scrimshaw probably adds a greater value to you. Have you ever used it or tested the edge retention or Rc?

No, but maybe I should. The way I came by the steel is a guy wanted me to make a bowie knife out of it. After playing with it a little I found it ate grinding belts like crazy. He told me it was nickel titanium (but now I'm not so sure). Anyway, I declined & he traded me the steel for a custom knife I had made. I sent it to a machinist that worked for El Paso Natural Gas. He cut it in half for me & said it was the hardest stuff he had ever worked with. To get the basic grind lines in it I turned a course 8" grinding wheel into a 4" & finished with grinding belts & buffers. One thing I did notice is that it is non magnetic. I thought that since it was so hard to work that it would hold an edge forever. Another thing I found is that when grinding it you would think it was the 4th of July (it sparked like crazy). I need more information on it, I may have wasted a lot of time & effort. But this didn't have elasticity & I'm sure that I got it over 100 F when grinding it. Egally08, thank you for your input, I really appreciate it. You raised a lot of questions that I need answers for. Thanks again, Bernie

 

[Bob W]

Just a rough guess given the materials, uncertainty of the steel, and the usual selling price of your knives, I'd say anywhere from $100-200.

Not sure what to say about the handle materials and ongoing legislative efforts. Some people may be wanting to buy ivory now while they still can, while others may be gun-shy about "holding the bag" that they may not be able to resell later.