NEwb question- Do blades appreciate in value?

A

atomicfear

Joined
Feb 2, 2024
Messages
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Sorry, I'm sure this is an obvious answer to some, but do Blades appreciate in value? Are they good investment or are they like cars, in that the moment they're "used" they go down in value. More specifically, are Japanese relic swords like fine art?
 
Absolutely, historical swords are collectible and appreciate in value, whether Japanese or European, basically up until WW2.

Knives that are historical also tend to go up in value. Unfortunately, by the time a knife is historical, it's too late to get them because, well, now they're historical.

Some knifemakers have persistently increased in value - think Bo Randall originals, Bob Loveless, Rudy Ruana, etc. But relatively few do.

Ironically, my theory is that some living, popular makers with presences on social media are in a lot of ways better 'investments' because they have a popular following and their knives are immediately worth way over table price. But older makers, even historically significant ones, gradually fade from the collective memory as no new knives or Blade Show prizes or viral InstaTwitFace posts are produced, until only diehard historical collectors (who are a minority compared to the InstaWhatsIt crowds) remain.

And the kicker of course is that you really never know who's going to be popular long-term. There's no way to predict early enough to get in on the ground floor of a maker who ends up being really popular, especially not historically popular. The odds of getting in early with the next Loveless are low. The only ones that reliably accrue value are ones that have already proven to accrue value. There will always be historical sword and knife collectors.

Example: I had a book order with Peter Carey back in the early 2000s when a full-dress Nitro would be $650. I had to pass when my spot came up. Now they're like $2,250, and his books are long closed. Who could have known? On the other hand... I won a great dagger from Matt Martin of Vehement Knives in a raffle. Spent like $200 on raffle tickets. Later on, sold the knife instantly in his Facebook group for $3,200.

Long and short of it: There's only one way to make a small fortune investing in knives. First, start with a large fortune, then start buying knives.
 
Sometimes there will be certain knives that are not being made anymore, and you will find that their value will go up as long as there aren't too many of them already in existence. If it's something that was in production for a long time and there are a lot of them, then it almost doesn't matter if they go out of production because there are so many of them already in existence that they will never stop circulating, so the availability will always be somewhat high. But there are certain knives that initially are relatively inexpensive compared to where the price eventually settles. but then they soon become quite valuable to collectors when they stop being made. Those knives are the exception and not the rule. You kind of have to know your way around to be able to get in on them, and luck also plays a role.
 
"Never invest more than you can afford to lose."

Knives purchased as "investments" should be customs from respected makers, or high quality production knives that are limited edition and kept new in box.

If you need to liquidate assets, expect to sell for considerably less than you paid, taking a loss. If you want them to increase in value, that can take years, even decades, but also consider the value of the USD dropping.

Overall, not the best investment. You'd need to spend thousands on knives and sit on them for years to see a significant return.

Better just to buy an expensive knife you like, keep it for as long as you want, then sell when it no longer makes you happy... just like with guns, books, or record albums. Once you focus on the money you lose track of what's important and it no longer becomes a hobby.
 
madcap_magician said:
Example: I had a book order with Peter Carey back in the early 2000s when a full-dress Nitro would be $650. I had to pass when my spot came up. Now they're like $2,250, and his books are long closed. Who could have known?
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You gotta remember though in 2000 the dollar was worth a lot more than it is today so that 650 would be like double that in 2024 money.

Still a nice profit but it didn't appreciate in value as much as you would think if you had bought it for 650.

Wish I would have bought so many over the years though 😂 😂

A gain is a gain.
 
atomicfear said:
are they like cars, in that the moment they're "used" they go down in value. More specifically, are Japanese relic swords like fine art?
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I’d say “yes” to both of the above questions.

A new knife, even from a desirable maker, will lose some value as soon as it’s used - just like a Ferarri. Like cars, there’s a better chance that a desirable maker/model will hold or increase in value over time.

“Relic swords”, or other highly valuable old/antique knives will likely have a relatively agreed-upon market value, making them much like fine art imho.

In general, I think it’s a bad idea to mix “investment knives” with knives that you plan to use.
 
Thanks for all the well-thought-out responses. I appreciate you all taking the time. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the thing I know, guitars, are experiencing rapid inflation of value, especially handmade in the U.S.A. and Japan. I wouldn't think of investing in knives or guitars, but it is nice to know what kind of value they hold if you buy for more personal reasons.
 
If you have to ask, no, knives are not investments. Even the most knowledgeable collectors won't be able to accurately predict which knives will go up in value and which will fall. Rarity, quality, and brand aren't failsafe indicators. But as a general rule, if a knife from a respected brand that offers a unique set of features gets discontinued and put on the clearance rack, those tend to be good buys. If no one else comes to market with something similar, it might gain a following only after it's gone. Also, Chinese brands struggle more to retain their value even if they're very high quality, although there are some exceptions.
 
Knives and ammunition will be good trade fodder in a post apocalyptic world. Worth more than gold and more than fine art.

Just pointing out that it is hard to predict what the future will hold.

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Buy what you like. Enjoy what you buy.
 
atomicfear said:
Sorry, I'm sure this is an obvious answer to some, but do Blades appreciate in value? Are they good investment or are they like cars, in that the moment they're "used" they go down in value. More specifically, are Japanese relic swords like fine art?
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Japanese sword collecting is an expensive hobby that requires a lot if study. I have seen Kantanas priced at USD 200,000.-
Those are highly recgnized historical pieces, and quite magnificent. For those who are into that world maybe some are good investments.
You can get into the game starting from about $5000 and upwards for good modern ones, if you're so inclined.

But you shouldn't be using Japanese swords as a basis for investment value for "blades" a very vague and all-encompassing term.

With knives a few appreciate, and some hold their value. But the vast vast majority do not.
 
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I will join the chorus here. Like many things knives are the subject of hype and fads. Not too many years ago Buses knives were the subject of highly focused (and partially deliberately produced) scarcity. Demand far outstripped supply and prices on the secondary market were absurd. Today there is still a reasonable guess following and they hold their value okay but it's not crazy like it was. Similarly with hinderer or Emerson. Today the flavor of the moment is GEC. A very limited supply leads to scarcity and perceived value. Prices on the secondary market are absurd. Collectors don't even take them out of the little tubes they ship in for fear of impacting the value. So they don't have a knife collection, they have a cardboard tube collection. Eventually these too will be replaced by the next fad and such collectors may find that their values have been significantly reduced. That's production knives. Not really good long term investments although short term flipping may bring a profit.

Custom knives tend to hold their value better if the maker is someone well known as having an impact on the knife industry. The previously mentioned scagel, loveless or Ruana would be good examples. I would submit however that these too may eventually decrease in value as their historical significance slides from! living memory.

Art knives can hold their value more, because they are pieces of art and often have more intrinsic value due to the materials used, things like precious metals and gemstones can keep a value up and identity the piece as something valuable. The downside is that the market is small. Did warenskis "King Tut" dagger ever realize its two million dollar asking price? We may never know, perhaps it did, but I do know that there was a 13,000 dollar warenski dagger offered for sale on this forum that never sold. The market was too small. If a sale cannot be quickly realized is it really a good investment?

Your original question was about Japanese swords. They and their European counterparts are valuable as antiques and art pieces. The really impressive ones tend to sell quickly and appreciate in value. The market is decent sized and you never have to worry about more of them being made. That said, you really have to know your stuff to avoid being duped on either the purchase or the sale. Study will take many years and even then you have to be extremely careful. Do you want to dedicate a good portion of your life to the study of antique weapons? If money is the object there are far better jobs that make far more.

In short, (I know it is far too late for that!) if you want to make money invest in stocks or bonds or real estate. Knives are fun but not typically all that lucrative.
 
Plenty of knives go up in value. But that’s in a very small collectors market.

Best not to think about it.
 
atomicfear said:
Sorry, I'm sure this is an obvious answer to some, but do Blades appreciate in value? Are they good investment or are they like cars, in that the moment they're "used" they go down in value. More specifically, are Japanese relic swords like fine art?
Click to expand...

Some knives increase in value. Some don't. 🤷‍♂️

Are they a good "investment"? Compared to stocks, real estate & other common investment commodities. No they aren't.

Will your knife collection increase in value over time? Probably . . .

At least enough to keep pace with inflation, but, unless you're buying at wholesale and selling at retail, you are still more likely to lose than make $ on your knife purchases.

But any possible increase in value of any knife (collection) REQUIRES that you NEVER use it and keep the box and any swag/papers that came with it. On top of this, whether you make any $ on any of your knives depends on how much you bought them for and how long you kept them.

Once you use a knife, cause any visible wear/damage to it & toss the box/swag/papers, it's value will drop substantially. How much it will drop in value will depend on the popularity/demand for the knife and the condition of the knife at the time of sale.
 
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