- Joined
- Mar 2, 2014
- Messages
- 808
I met Tony at a show and it was during a dead time. I joked about whether or not he'd sell out. He laughed and showed me the paper slips for the lottery, joyfully indicating that he did the knife lottery in order. You got picked for a knife, you didn't pick a knife.
He said it wasn't always that way. Once he was hard up and needed food for the family. He traded a knife for a dozen pizzas, one at a time over a few weeks. The guy tried to cheat him out of the last pizza, but he had kept track with hash marks by the phone he used to call in the orders, so it didn't work, since delivery of the knife came after the 12th pizza. I spend time in rural IN and it can be a hardscrabble state.
He encouraged me to go for the lottery, but I told him "I was a man of means by no means." He laughed and said if I won, to keep it for awhile, enjoy it and then sell it for more $. I told him that's why I buy his Case knives, so I could keep them. He then pulled out the Remington he rebladed with 440V that was the inspiration for the Wilfred lock back hunter. Guess what knife I bought next when the price dropped to $320
Here is the Remington knife you are referring to right next to the Remington reblade Tony made for me. Pretty epic pair of you ask me. Like you, I love this pattern so much that I ended up with the Wilfred lockback hunter prototype from Tony. I’ve really enjoyed reading all these posts and hearing the stories of Tony’s generosity and impact he made on all of us