New to Collecting Question!

oxmav3rickxo

oxmav3rickxo

Joined
Mar 7, 2012
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Hey all, im fairly new to the knife collecting scene but this forum seems to be a wealth of information. I seem to lean towards the traditional type knives to be the majority of my collection especially GEC, from what I see on this forum and on videos, I really really like them and will probably focus on acquiring many of these GEC knives. Now my question is, I see that when looking to purchase a GEC knife, they come both serialized and non-serialized versions of the same knife and they are priced differently, so does it being serialized make it worth more than the same knife non-serialized or is that just not the case? Thank you.
 
Hi, and welcome :-)
I'm surely not the best advisor on the matter, but from what I've seen and heard, the serial number isn't really considered a sign of "collecting value"; I assume that production totals might be a more accurate sign when establishing the rarity/value of a GEC knife.
Sidenote: I'm no collector, but if I was, I'd focus my search more on a certain cathegory of knives that I like (whatever that might be), than on the collecting value...but that's just me.
Second sidenote: I often wonder why GEC still produces some knives with a serial number and others without it.
Anyway...posts and pics are always welcome here :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
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It's hard to say whether serialized GECs will be worth more or not. But I'll tell you this: don't plan on getting any monetary value out of your collection of knives, unless you're buying ones that are already worth more than when they were made.

It's funny you ask us as collectors, because I don't think a lot us see ourselves as such. Fausto is one example. When we think "collector", we think of a neatly catalogued collection that never sees use. But I think the majority of us USE these knives that we acquire.

Now that I think of it, I'm certainly a collector, as I have more knives than I could ever use to their fullest. But they're just sitting in a plastic box or in a drawer, with no thought toward future value.

The most I hope for is that certain knives will hold value better than others.
 
I don't think the serialized Great Eastern knives will become more valuable than the non-serialized knives. My guess, whatever model variations have the lowest production numbers will be the most valuable.

No one can predict the future though.
 
I think its too early to tell if a serialized knife would be worth more. I think it will depend on the model. Some GECs may have 100 serialized knives and 1 or 2 unserialized. The 1 or 2 are more rare and currently would command a higher price. I can see earlier serials priced higher than later ones but if a collector looking for the one knife missing in his collection, he'll buy it regardless of the number on the bolster. One thing to note is that you won't see knives with 01 serial numbers out there as those are kept by the factory. 02 would be the earliest (besides prototype which technically comes before 01). I personally do not like the serial numbers and normally only buy them when there is no other option or the handle covers speak to me. Non serialized ones look cleaner to me besides being less expensive. One thing that may be more important in the future for certain handle materials is the COA. Not for the serial number but as a way to document where it came from and when (important for ivory no?)
 
Collect the knives that 'speak' to you. Serial #'s are of no significance. None of the currently made knives will be worth much more than original price before at least 50 years from now and even then, most likely will be worth less. As an example, i have many 'new' 50 yr. old Schrade-Walden knives which i have bought for less than org. msrp adjusted for inflation.
It's impossible to predict if knife collecting will be a popular interest in the future. Value in collectibles is ALL supply vs. demand and a lot of knives are being made at present. Collect simply because you love knives and you enjoy the fellowship of the knife collecting community.
roland
 
Just speaking for myself I prefer the knives with out serial #s. To me it takes from the beauty of the bolster! I'll get one with it if I have to but prefer it wasn't on there!
 
Thank you for all the responses, and I not really looking for which would have more resale value or anything like that seeing that I won't really sell them, just wanted to know if there is any significance because I rather pay less for the knife being non serialized. Plus I agree with most of you guys that the non serialized ones look better anyways.
 
If you want to really "collect" knives (in the monetary sense), collect old ones. Find rare knives in great condition, or find old patterns that appeal to you (some may not be in great shape so you can use them). In my opinion, the only production knives that you can really buy that will go up in value are the scarce old patterns owned by someone that doesn't know what they have (i.e., the awesome garage sale or knife show find).

Otherwise, don't worry about serial numbers. They are just a marketing ploy by the knife manufacturers to charge more money for the same knife.
 
As Trand said, rarity (plus consumer demand) is what drives prices up. If there is only 1 of a certain model and you own it, it will only be worth more if someone else wants one too, and is willing to pay more to get it. I just posted in another thread a Tidioute without serial number which is only 1 of 5, but they made 125 with serial numbers. I think it will be worth more, in time. I have already seen such knives for sale on dealer websites which do carry a higher price tag than their more numerous serialized brothers.

I believe now that GEC is making an effort to make fewer serialized knives than they do without serial numbers in any given configuration. This is only right in order to justify the higher price of new serialized knives. This, in turn, may make the odd cases of non-numbered knives in far less production numbers than serialized ones even more rare, possibly effecting the price.
 
Plus I agree with most of you guys that the non serialized ones look better anyways.
Click to expand...
That alone should be reason enough. :thumbup:

And I agree, they do look better without.
 
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