New Randall Knives

S

Safety Guy

Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Messages
1,794
Now my friend at work who asked me to post the Kershaw lockback question about a week ago has ANOTHER question.
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He collects old WWII blades of a "disreputable nature" (ie. Nazi), but now my showing him some modern stuff (my EDCs, plus the Mineral Mountain and Livesay websites, among others) had him going to the Randall website and viewing the big Randall bowies and Arkansas toothpicks. Unlike moi, he is mainly into collecting. Here is his question, which as an EDC/user type of knife knut I really can't answer:

If he orders himself a big Randall bowie knife and/or the pigsticker, will they go up in value? Yeah, he's prepared to wait for them and pay a hefty sum, but I gather he wants them primarily as investments. In other words, he probably ain't gonna take em whitewater rafting or cut up any deer.

Any ideas? Are current Randalls collectable? Snide or serious comments are appropriate. I like to kidddd him.
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Thanks,

Karl

P.S. I looked at that Randall site and now I'm wanting a #1 fighter. Dam him!

P.S.S. Can they subdue those bright aluminum endcaps? We don't have the catalog yet. Did I say "we?"

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"Celebrate the diversity of inclusive, self-esteem nurturing, multicultural weapons arts." Karl Spaulding, The Safety Guy

[This message has been edited by Safety Guy (edited 06-24-2001).]
 
I've got a buddy who has a couple of late 40s early 50s Randalls (no, he will not let go of them at any price, I've tried.) that he inherited from his Grandfather.
While these have significant collecter value, I don't think the modern Randalls will have any, but it's hard to say what people will think 50 years from now.

I had a Model 14 back in the early 80s that was "lost" due to some unfortunate circumstances (long story best left untold) but if I wanted to, I could buy an identical one today for a price VERY close to what I paid back then. I've always been amazed that Randalls haven't skyrocketed in price, (knocking on wood furiously.) but of course, that same static pricing policy keeps the current era blades from gaining much value.

There's always someone looking for a sucker though, so beware. I was recently in a shop that had a Randalls for about 675 bucks. (Despite the original owner electing for having his name stamped into the blade!) It was of current production, and just from curiousity, I went home, got online, and checked out what it would cost to buy the same model with the same options brand new. It totaled out to about 345 dollars as I recall.

I dunno about anybody else, but I don't care to pay double the price so I can carry a knife with someone elses name on it.
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Desenfundeme no sin la razón, envaineme no sin honor
Usual Suspect
MOLON LABE!
 
If your friend is looking to make a lot of profit, knives probably aren't all that fast a vehicle for it. Although Randalls seem to hold their value about as well as any blades. However, if you really love Randalls anyway and buy some, you get to drool over your collection and fondle them. That's the ongoing payoff until you sell them. FWIW, I heard somewhere that about 80% of Randalls get bought for collecting purposes, not as using blades. So your buddy will have plenty of company.

Tell your friend to get educated before he jumps into Randalls. There are already a bunch of very sharp people dealing in them. One way to educate himself would be to:
  1. Join the Randall Knife Society & read the newletter
  2. Drop by and participate in the RKS forum over at KnifeForums.com
  3. Stay in touch with Randall prices via Ebay and going to shows where there are lots of Randalls to look at and compare
    [/list=a]
    As with any education, there's a commitment of time and money to make.

    I check out Randalls on Ebay pretty much on a daily basis. I'd be inclined to say that the blades hold their value (relative to inflation), but you need something special to realize a huge profit in a short time. I've seen some recognizable blades get cycled through Ebay a couple or three times and the selling price usually doesn't jump up much. I have also seen some special rare ones go through at significantly higher prices than the last time through, though it is a relative rarity. I also see some that are put back out as the seller trys to get a HUGE price increase over the price they paid a week or a month before. These gambits usually draw little interest, i.e. low or no bids.

    For a blade in the more common (popular?) configurations in the mid-size models like #1-7 or -8, #2's, #5-5, #14-7.5, #15, #16, or #18 the price is usually in the $300-$400 range. (The number after the hyphen = blade length in inches.) This dollar figure doesn't seem to skew a lot for age, until you get into either old Randalls or Viet Nam era blades. Getting the blade in 01 or their stainless steel doesn't seem to impact the price a lot either, unless it's a model that is almost always seen in the other steel. Handle scale material or shape can make the config more unsual as well, which can impact price a bit.

    As with most collecting, there are factors that dictate the price someone is willing to pay for a given blade. But they aren't always apparent to anyone but the buyer. Rare configurations can go either way; very active bidding for it or a big yawn. Weird thing was once there were 2 identical knives for sale at the same time on Ebay. One of them had pretty quickly run up to over $400, while the other one remained solidly stuck around $250. Go figure.

    Rarity certainly counts. Randall's serial numbered editions serve to insure a level of rarity. If you can get a set of various models with matching serial numbers (or a given model with sequential serial numbers) you're likely to see a total value greater than the same blades with random serial numbers.

    If your friend gets a Randall custom made with a very unusual combination of features, it automatically becomes an unusual Randall. But it doesn't necessarily mean that other Randall collectors will like his chosen combination of features. It may draw a lot of interest or none at all. Putting together a very unusual Randall is a risky proposition, especially when you're going to wait about 3 years to get it in the first place. Putting your $$ into a custom built Randall is a long term investment that may or may not pay off. Be sure you get one you really, really like yourself. You may wind up being the only one who will buy it.

    Condition is another influencing factor. Most of the blades moving on Ebay are either mint (NIB) or very close to it. If the configuration is a very common one and there is much wear to the blade, the value seems to fall off sharply. Exceptions to this are blades from known conflicts (WWII, Korea, VietNam) where the wear indicates usage in a theater of war or old blades. An old blade that is mint is sort of the holy grail of Randalls, from what I can tell.

    Another factor is provenance (supporting documentation). If there are photos of the original owner in the military with the blade, letters or paperwork from the Randall factory pertaining to this blade, or some evidence that can place the blade in a certain theater or battle, the value can get a boost from it.

    Presentation at sale time can make a lot of difference in the selling price. On Ebay not having a picture seems to hurt. Too much hyperbole (used car saleman pitches) seems to work only rarely in jacking the price up. That being said, some sellers don't promote their wares enough. They withhold basic or relavent info on their Randall, including such basics as blade steel or length and handle material. The price often reflects that indifference on the part of the seller, especially if there is also no picture. Basically, the Randall crowd knows what a given knife should go for and the price will rise much above that only if someone has their own reason for pursuing the blade.

    So to recap: IMHO your friend should educate himself first, realize that knives as hot commodities probably aren't all that good, and get into it for the ongoing satisfaction of having the blades (profit comes second).

    Sorry for the long ramble,
    Greg
 
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