Old Opinels

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davek14

Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
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Well, I haven't been on here for years. I'm an older gentleman now and have given away most of my collection and only have 20 or 30 knives ;). All of them users.
I have a number of old Opinels.

Do old Opinels have any value? And, if they do, do they lose the value if modified?

I'm just trying to figure out if I should give away my old, modified, Opinels to whoever, or to a collector, or hang onto them and tell my kids about them.

Jackknife still around?
 
I would guess that the modified ones might be worth more as folk art than the unmodified ones are worth as classics.
 
screened porch said:
I would guess that the modified ones might be worth more as folk art than the unmodified ones are worth as classics.
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I'm not really looking to make money off these, just to not give them away to be used when they should maybe be preserved. A few are from the 1980's, so not that old I guess.

I'm hearing from your post that they don't have a huge value anyway and that modifying them has made them no value. Correct?

I've been giving my collection away over the years to anyone I think will use the knife. I haven't been giving Opi's since they are a bit quirky and have 10-15 I need to winnow down to about 3.

So, what I should do is try to find homes for them with people I think will use them and even abuse them. No?
 
davek14 said:
I'm not really looking to make money off these, just to not give them away to be used when they should maybe be preserved. A few are from the 1980's, so not that old I guess.

I'm hearing from your post that they don't have a huge value anyway and that modifying them has made them no value. Correct?

I've been giving my collection away over the years to anyone I think will use the knife. I haven't been giving Opi's since they are a bit quirky and have 10-15 I need to winnow down to about 3.

So, what I should do is try to find homes for them with people I think will use them and even abuse them. No?
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No, I mean your modifications have made the knives less ordinary, and seriously they might sell for more than plain ones.
And yes, if you want to move some of them on, I think giving them to people who will like them and use them is a great way to go.
Sorry to be unclear.
 
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Keep them or give them away. You won’t get much for selling them. I would not pay a premium for an art knife. Somebody might.

To my mind, the pre-1990 Opis are the most desirable because they have the original lock ring, unmolested by “improvements”. You can’t lock it closed, and you can turn it either way to hold the blade open, just as god intended. That doesn’t mean they are more valuable than new ones, they are just used knives. I can modify a new one to work just as well; it’s just half an hour of my time.

I have a couple of well-patinated Opis, a 7 and a 10, that I have had since the ‘70s. The patina on the lock rings matches the patina on the blades. I have left them alone for historical interest. I don’t carry them, not because they are safe queens, but because their unmodified handles create an uncomfortable lump in my pocket.
 
I'd hang on to them, or pass them on to your kids. It's not like you'll make a bunch of money selling them, and they're not taking up much room. I'm sure your kids will appreciate them more than anyone.
 
Henry Beige said:
To my mind, the pre-1990 Opis are the most desirable because they have the original lock ring, unmolested by “improvements”. You can’t lock it closed, and you can turn it either way to hold the blade open, just as god intended. That doesn’t mean they are more valuable than new ones, they are just used knives. I can modify a new one to work just as well; it’s just half an hour of my time.
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Well, I've modded the rings to lock closed in the older ones. And you are so right! I'm left handed and I always turned the ring opposite to how the newer opi's force you to turn them to lock open.
 
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