Need help on a Parker

S

Stag & Steel

Joined
Nov 30, 2005
Messages
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Hope this is the correct place to ask these questions.
I have a Parker safety knife that is a replica of a Marbles safety knife. I have been told that it has real stag handles, was made in Japan by Tak Fukuta, is one of 1200 made and the 1997 value was $100.00. My question is it a collectible and what is it worth in todays dollars?
Thanks and God Bless!

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Yes, your knife is collectable. The stag scales make it more so. Not nearly as collectable or valuable as a real Marbles of the same type. The Parker and a real Marbles are in two different leagues in terms of collector value, the Marbles being much more desireable.

Parker knives have become somewhat more valuable since Jim Parkers death a year or so ago, some of the rarer, mint patterns go for decent prices these days on ebay. I have no idea of the "book" price for this model these days, but you should get your 100$ or more out of it if its mint or near mint condition.
 
OTguy just gave you the current value. Probably not more than 100. Other than that search e-bay. Personally, the knive appears used, with scratches on the blade and bolsters, drip marks on the blade, less than stellar stellar stag, and who or what is Tak Fukata and why should someone care if they made the knife and how does anyone know since it's not marked on the blade? My uneducated guess is you'd be lucky to get 100. Shouldn't it also have a sheath?
 
Stag & Steel, I would like to take a shot at this if you don't mind. :D

It is a collectable knife, and Brownshoe is correct IMO when he said you would be lucky to get 100.

There are many variables involved here that detemines your knifes value. The first thing is it does not appear to be a mint knife, it appears to have been either carried or played with which is what happens a lot of times with these type "moving part" patterns.

The good thing about your knife is IF it was a "Tak Fukata" design (not sure), and since he is a famous Japanese knife designer/maker, this could buffer the condition of your knife slightly, even though I think your knife is in good condition.

Another important factor to collectors I have learned is the knife in question needs to have a box, if not, it could decrease the value.

The golden rule I have heard for over thirty years is that if a potentially collectable knife has been sharpened, then it could decrease the collector value to at least half.

This of course depends on the brand of knife, the availability
of this model/year knife, and most importantly IMO is the demand/market, maker etc. (who made your knife).

Of course all that I am saying is my opinion, and since I am by no means an expert, (just a collector), this means I am guessing........but experience makes guessing pretty accurate sometimes..........:D

One other note, your handles do appear to be real stag, but they also appear to be what is known as second cut stag, which means that the top slab of deer horn was cut off and went to another knife for handles, this leaves the next layer of stag which is then jigged to make the handles appear more like the top original layer.



Robbie Roberson ;)
 
Thanks guys for your help! It was one of those deals where I took it in lew of money owed, something was better than nothing. I won't feel guilty since it's not worth much to disasemble so as to try and duplicate it.
Jim
 
Stag and Steel (Jim), sorry, I did not remember your forum name until now......:o (old age)

You already know all about handle materials and making knives so if anyone can duplicate it you can..........good luck. :D

It really is a neat knife. :D

Robbie Roberson ;)
 
Stag & Steel said:
My question is it a collectible and what is it worth in todays dollars?
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Parker knives are very collectable. They sold good when they were new and they are selling good now on Ebay. I do not know if it has gone up that much in value though. If they were selling for $100 in 97' then maybe they are worth around $120 now. Knives usually go up in value about 3% a year. If your name was James Parker, you would not have any trouble getting a good price for it. He seems to get a good price out of anything he sells on Ebay. I would not pay more then $60 or $80 for it. But then I only buy them to resell and try to make a little bit off of it. Something like that you would be doing good if you could buy it, resell it and make 20 bucks for your time and trouble.
 
I remember those! I bought one in the 80's paid $12.00 for it, second cut stag (bone jigged to appear like stag).

I would not bet on getting $100.00 for it. Realistically, if it is in mint, you might see $50.00 at best (and that's pressing it), that is if you have the box. Parker made a large amount of folders in japan in the second cut bone (second cut stag, and other materials, under the parker brand, parker-imai, parker-frost, etc.etc. etc.). His business practices were allot in question over the years. He did much though for helping to promote knife collecting, but also did allot of "shady" dealing. Such as the marbles knives he had made, that were almost exact replica's of marbles, except they were not licensed and were made in germany (and caused quite an uspet with marbles), I think this was in 1992? (but they were good looking knives).

Anyway, you will find a "plethra" of different parker knives out there. There are some "small" collector markets, so you may find a selling place for this, but for people like me, who remember paying next to nothing for his knives, it may not be a big sell.

Oh, by the way, tak fakuta was a custom maker (parker soemtimes used him in the sales, indirectly, or not?), I seriously doubt he made personally made that knife by hand. Nor could he have designed it, its marbles design!

If you check parkers books on knife on collecting you'll find that the prices of his knives are even higher than many collectable brands!

He always seemed to think allot (highly) of his knives (even if most did not).

Has anyone ever noticed that they (the parkers) are still selling the blue grass made winchester knives with the old utica bone from 88-87 (etc.etc. etc.) and there are suppose to be limited editions of these knives, and yet, after 18+ years they are still selling them? Mind boggling how some knife patterns (teardrop, gunstock, etc. etc. etc.) were only made in a limited run of around 1500-2600 knives apiece, but yet they've been selling them for over 18 years? I wonder when those will run out?
 
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