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nightcrawler5

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Dec 26, 2009
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My son has an interest in starting a custom knife collection. He has a few production knives, but I'm thinking he may be better off spending his money on customs. I am huge into custom pool cue collecting, and the customs are almost always a much better investment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
That's opening a big can of worms, LOL.

My 2 cents:

If it's truly for investment, I'd advice you against knives and to look into something more...conventional.

There are way too many variables to go into much detail, but you need to know the market and take a guess at what patterns and handle materials will be in demand X number of years from now and plan accordingly.

For example, in the 80's the "American tanto" style was hot, but it's fallen somewhat out of favor today. So, someone who bought a bunch of customs back then in this style might be a little disappointed if they tried to unload their collection for huge profits in today's market.

Besides style, an even bigger dynamic is the knife's maker. A genuine Bob Loveless knife in poor condition and relatively unpopular handle finish, will still fetch more than a popular type made by Joe Unknown.

All that said, if you're collecting because you enjoy knives, not as an actual "investment," then just buy what you like and don't worry about what or who is popular.
 
I figured this would be a "big can of worms"....

As I go back and read my post, and then think about how I would respond if it was in a custom pool cue forum... my reply would probably be very similar to Tony's post.

So... to clear things up a bit... my son really enjoys knives. He is 12, and he understands the "custom" aspect from being around my cue collecting. so by "investment", I suppose what I meant is spending money on knives that will at least carry a large percentage of their value forward with the possibility of increasing in value. Maybe some knives by makers that may be considered "up and coming".

Thanks for the help so far.
 
Well first off you say he has an interest and then you say based on your experience he may be better off with customs. So I would ask - is it really his interest to collect customs? I'd recommend a person collects what he likes. Second to that you can minimize downside in a purchase by buying a knife that is almost new. Just look at the Exchange forum here and you'll see knives that were carried or used a couple times but never sharpened and selling for 20% less than the standard internet discount. So if you use it a little more, the value isn't really going to drop.
Investment should always be a secondary consideration, in my opinion. Otherwise you're probably better off investing in other things such as stocks or real estate.
 
Three production brands that get a lot of attention on BF are Benchmade, Kershaw, and Spyderco. Knives from those companies always seem to have a market so he shouldn't have any trouble selling or trading them. If he has any interest in traditional slipjoints then Buck and Case are two great brands to start with. Case in particular has a huge number of styles and handle materials to choose from.

There is a custom section on BF. Read some of the threads and look at some of the pictures. The custom makers on BF are among the best and they make incredibly beautiful knives, both fixed blade and folders. But they ain't cheap. If he were my son I think I would encourage him to start with production knives and develop his knowledge and interest.

BTW, there are quite a few teen members on BFC, with the exception of Whine & Cheese and the Pirates' Cove it's a pretty safe place to learn about his new interest.
 
How much money are you willing to spend on one knife? How long are you willing to wait before you snatch one up? I just paid $425 for a knife that goes for approx $600. Being "in" the right place at the right time has alot to do with it. I bought a Microtech Brend Nemesis (dagger logo) early this year for $400!
 
nightcrawler5 said:
My son has an interest in starting a custom knife collection. He has a few production knives, but I'm thinking he may be better off spending his money on customs. I am huge into custom pool cue collecting, and the customs are almost always a much better investment. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

nightcrawler5 said:
I figured this would be a "big can of worms"....

As I go back and read my post, and then think about how I would respond if it was in a custom pool cue forum... my reply would probably be very similar to Tony's post.

So... to clear things up a bit... my son really enjoys knives. He is 12, and he understands the "custom" aspect from being around my cue collecting. so by "investment", I suppose what I meant is spending money on knives that will at least carry a large percentage of their value forward with the possibility of increasing in value. Maybe some knives by makers that may be considered "up and coming".

Thanks for the help so far.
Click to expand...

umm... just how much money are you willing to spend on knives to be owned by a 12-year old? It's pretty easy to spend some serious cash for a custom knife. It's even easy to spend serious money for production knives.

My best recommendation would be to do your homework before putting out the green stuff. Get a feel for what is actually collectable and what knives have a better chance of retaining their value. There are some serious collectors that hang out in various forums here. I suggest that you
-start by buying a membership so that you can do searches. A one-year membership is as little as $10.
-Hang out and do some reading in the Custom and Handmade Knives Forum to find those up and coming makers.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=678
- Also hang out in Bernard Levine's Knife Collecting & Identification Forum to find out what brings money today.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=691

Good Luck with it, but you will be best served if you treat it as a hobby, not an investment.
 
customs can be tricky. i beleive that mint old knives are really a good way to go unless the bottom falls out of everything [ currency devaluation]. in really drastic economic times , intrinsic value is the only guidepost. gold is an example since it is unique & valued for beauty & critical for certain industrial applications. if we do'nt totally crash then old knives look better as an investment. knife collectors increase but there are a finite number of oldies. granted america has led the world the way to the beautiful custom knife. even our american katana makers have far surpassed [ in performance ] the old japanese masters. one example i remember is the marbles big folding hunters, in 1978 these knives near mint could be acquired for 650 to 700$. my collector buddy bid on one this year up to 2800$. he was outbid. this is a 450% increase in 30 yrs. almost kept up with inflation. all that aside my knowledge of economics is very limited, so go ahead & beat me up.
 
Knives are like cars for investment purposes. As soon as you drive it off the lot (take it out of the box and use it) it depreciates. If you find old classics in good shape-probably a decent investment. As for custom knives I have only ever had four and one of the four is now substantially more valuable than when it was purchased. This I believe is due as much to the maker's reputation as to the quality of the work and valuable materials. Buy what you like and use them because you like to use them and you will enjoy what you have regardless of it's value.
 
winbag338 said:
For the love of pete stop, run away while theres still a chance at a normal life.
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LOL... there's no chance of that. I got the custom pool cue collecting bug back in the early 90's and there is no way out now. I think my son is going to be the same way with knives.

I figured custom knife making was probably a lot like cue making. There are newer custom cue makers that have a lot of potential for becoming more sought after makers in the near future. I always encourage new cue collectors to look at those type of makers to get them started.

Since my son really likes the exotic woods in the cues, I figured he would gravitate to the Cocobolo and Burl handled knives, which I assumed would come from mainly custom makers. He is willing to spend anywhere from $50-$200 a few times a year to add to the collection he has already started. He takes very good care of the knives he already has.

Sounds like the best advice here is to let him look around and find what he likes in price range and start form there.

Oh and BTW... I hope it doesn't appear I'm pushing him in any direction here. He knows I have a lot of experience with the cue forums and asked me to do a little research for him here. Ultimately, it is up to him on what he decides to buy. But I must say, after looking around the forums, I may do a little buying myself...:D
 
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