Need information on Ramon Pressburger Knives

[gdellamonica]

I need some information on Ramon Pressburger knives. I work for an auction house that does guns, knives, sporting goods, etc, and I get to see most of the stuff in the auction months before the auction. I also get to bid on the stuff, though I still have to pay the buyer’s premium.

The auctioneer took me on a trip to Cape Cod a couple of weeks ago to do some gun appraisals (which I know about), and the consignor surprised us by showing us a pool table covered in 40 to 50 Ramon Pressburger knives (which I do not know anything about).

I would love to bid on some of these for myself (and to resell some personally if I can get them at a decent price). The problem is that the consignor seems to think they are made of gold, and the ones I have seen on eBay and other sites sell for a quarter of what he wants as a reserve. I would love some advice on how high I should bid (remembering I still have to pay the buyer's premium).

I’m posting pictures of the four he gave to “test the waters.” I would really like to buy one or two of them. The skinner set and the drop point look like something I could use, and I wouldn’t mind picking up the others if I could resell them for more than I paid. (moderator note: The auctioneer lets me use the pics from the catalog, because he knows a good chunk of my paycheck goes back to him when I buy toys at the auction.)

There isn’t much on Ramon Pressburger on the internet, though I did find a few posts from people who like his work. I even found a picture of his gravesite on Google images, complete with the knife on the headstone, which I thought was cool.

Please don’t ask what the name of the auction house is unless you get permission from the forum moderator first. My employer doesn’t have an account here, and I’m inquiring about these for my own personal interest.

Thanks in advance for any information. I would also love to get information from Ramon owners on the durability and edge maintenance of these knives. The consignor may release some of his BG42 steel knives, and I want to know if these can be sharpened at home (very fine grit 1” belt sander or Lansky diamond system) or if they need to be sharpened professionally.

I looked up the DymondWood material that Ramon used for the scales on most of his knives, and it turned out to be the same pricey stuff I got from Woodcraft that I used for turning pens. I never thought about using it for knife handles when I made the few knives I have made over the years. Most of what I made I used as a docent in a living history program, so the fancy wood wouldn’t have fit, but I did make a few knives as gifts. I’ll remember that the next time I make one.

Glenn

 

[CWL]

I would love to bid on some of these for myself (and to resell some personally if I can get them at a decent price). The problem is that the consignor seems to think they are made of gold, and the ones I have seen on eBay and other sites sell for a quarter of what he wants as a reserve. I would love some advice on how high I should bid (remembering I still have to pay the buyer's premium).

I’m posting pictures of the four he gave to “test the waters.” I would really like to buy one or two of them. The skinner set and the drop point look like something I could use, and I wouldn’t mind picking up the others if I could resell them for more than I paid. (moderator note: The auctioneer lets me use the pics from the catalog, because he knows a good chunk of my paycheck goes back to him when I buy toys at the auction.)

Sounds kind of greedy to me.

Besides, Registered Users are not allowed to ask for pricing information specifically because they tend to abuse this site for personal gain. You should read the Terms if Use that you agreed to when you joined.

 

[gdellamonica]

As a Gold Member, I am allowed to sell items in the exchenage, am I not? That would often be for profit. I read the user agreement, but I may have missed somehting. I would appreciate it if you could point me to the terms of use to which you are referring (I'm not being facitious, I really want to comply with any rules I missed). You may note that I did read the rules enough to learn that I couldn't name the auction site (spamming rules) or use copyrighted material without the consent of the copyright holder (copyright rules). There were a LOT of rules, and I'm sorry if I missed one.

Yes, you are correct. It is greedy. None of the Gold, Platinum, Dealer or Knife Maker members sell on the Exchange with the idea that they will lose money, though that is not always the case with the sale of used sporting goods. If I can get a Ramon at fair market value for myself, I will be happy. If no one else is bidding on them and I can get some to sell at a really good price, I will be even happier.

I really would like to have one of those Ramon knives, but I don't want to bid on one without having a ballpark idea of the value. They are beautiful knives, but I don't know if they are worth $100 or $500. I had a friend who used to buy paintings at galleries on Newbury St in Boston. He always assumed that what the gallery owner said about value was good advice. The gallery owner told him that the artists were up-and-coming in the industry, and that ten years from then, the paintings would be worth 5 or 10 times the purchase price. 10 years later, he went to sell some of his "treasures" and found that they were worth 10% of what he paid! Because of stories like his, I always ask for advice when buying expensive things about which I know little. That's the reason I forked over the $25 to become a Gold member. If I was wrong, the other great stuff on this site is still worth the $25, and I don't regret paying it.

Thanks for any advice and for pointing me to the terms of use section I missed if I was wrong.

 

[gdellamonica]

CWL:

I posted a question on the tech board about asking values, and somone said I needed to update my usergroup status to gold. I didn't know that just paying the fee did not update the status on the discussion boards.

That being said, thank you for your post. Without it, I would have gone along with my status posted as a Registered user instead of a Gold user.

Glenn

 

[Rpknives]

Hi there... My name is Ramon Pressburger Jr, and I am the grandson of the original Ramon Pressburger who made these knives. He and I made knives together from the time I was 7 until he passed when I was 20. I am currently the owner, but have little time to dedicate to making knives these days so the business is on hold until I am able to settle my other career.

I am happy to help with the information on these knives. In fact, I remember that specific bowie and spear point and think I remember working on them myself.

These knives are likely D2 steel, which you can tell if there is a dot stamped in the blade above the brass on the opposite side of the name Ramon. This was our standard steel for almost all knives, with only 2 exceptions. Occasionally we used O1 on large bowies as it is good for hacking (no dot would be stamped on the blade side) or BG42, but this would be stamped with the letters BG in small letters. Your sander would work well on either, but I suggest a 220 grit belt and to be gentle with only a couple strokes each side to touch it up.

Those knives you pictured were likely made around 1998 give or take a few years. The bowie probably sold for around 350 or 425, the spear point around 250, and the skinner set around 200. Those are approximations as it's been quite some time, so memory is a little fuzzy and we changed styles semi frequently.

A little brass polish and some gun oil will clean those up nicely.

I hope this helps and I hope you get to enjoy the knives. They mean a lot to me personally and I hope to one day have the time to restart the business and put many more out on the market.

Regards,
Ray Pressburger

 

[Leonard Orser]

Hi Ramon Jr. I am sad to hear your Grandfather passed away. You probably don't remember me . My name is leonard Orser , son of Ralph Orser , late owner of Guimac Camps in New Brunswick Canada. I just wanted to say hi to you. How is your Dad? I have several of Ramon Knives ,some inherited ,some bought and a couple your grandfather gave me . Wow . I just looked at the date on this post 2014. Hopefully this msg makes it to you. Wishing you well