Serious Question about Knife Collecting

This is part of who you are you're a knifenut. Sure sell off the knives you can live without and spend the money for vacations, have fun with the family. If you miss a certain knife then the hunt for a replacement can be fun and rewarding. In the end it is your decision, I know I could never stop collecting.

Best of luck,
Semper Fi
 
Doesn't really sound as if you are drawing a lot of enjoyment from collecting knifes anymore. Then there doesn't seem to be much of a reason to continue doing it, especially when the alternative seems to be spending quality time with your family.

I wouldn't through everything overboard though. Sell of one piece at a time, starting with the low priority items. A) you are getting much more money for the collection this way, B) You find out how you are actually feel about selling them off. Well the selling part may be painful no matter what but if you find that you don't really miss them once they are gone, it is another indication, that you've lost your passion for it.

Put all the money into a jar or a special account and save it for something special...like a really nice vacation with your familiy.
 
Fascinating thread. It seems to me that anything, including knives, can be a problem if they aren't kept in proper perspective. If you can be an enthusiast without it interfering with the more important things in life, then more power to you. If however, they become a substitute for meeting emotional needs that can only be truly fulfilled by God and family - there's a huge problem.

I suspect that there are many here who can own hundreds of knives and still keep things in proper perspective. I unfortunately am not one of them. Therefore, after getting my latest knife, I have made the decision never to buy another knife on my own. When my birthday or Christmas rolls around, I may ask for another knife, but only after weighing it against other things that I may want.
 
I've collected knives seriously for about 7 years. Initially I bought for investment but when I decided to sell them, well, the reality is, they are not a good investment. However, I do enjoy knives. I only really need 2 or 3 knives. I graduated to more expensive knives and I bought several. I still enjoy them but have come to the realization that it is becoming expensive, I will not use all of them and to be honest, nobody I personally know really appreciates a "good" knife. I've given some to my family as gifts and am currently selling off a few. I will keep some of my expensive knives because "I" truly enjoy having them. I will buy a few more knives to complete one of my serious collections but I do believe I will be "weaning" myself off from buying more. There are other things I should be spending (saving) my money for. I will never lose interest in knives just curtail my future expenditures.
 
Very good question. I guess one answer is what do you want to leave behind. In my family, I'd be surprised if knives beyond one or two would have any real meaning. I'm sure everyone would enjoy having a couple, but beyond that.....

I started collecting at the end of WWII when I could buy a surplus bayonet for a dollar or two. I've never felt that I had the surplus cash to buy "expensive knives", but I've mostly tried to buy working knives. Of course I now have more skinners than I'll ever use. I've sold most of my bayonets. I'll probably sell most of the rest and pass on my favorites to those who will use and appreciate them. I do get a lot of pleasure in giving the right knife to the right person.
 
Sell the excess, and Go for that vacation...............take lots of pictures. Ten years from now the pictures will be worth more then the knives ;)


I am also thinking of having a sell off............;) I was thinking of buying a few key pieces for turning the garage into a knife shop. :D
 
As long as our economy stays sound, some of the high dollar knives may be considered a good investment. However if the SHTF and out economy goes into a depression, only the things need to sustain life will have any real value. A old hickory will be worth as much as a Busse. That is, they are worth what any cutter is worth. I remember reading that during the depression, people traded land and cars and stuff for a bag of potatoes or other food items. My grandmother had a grocery store and took deeds to land for grocery bills. After the depression she did all she could to return thase farms. However many folks had left the area and never came back.
 
Thanks for the very thoughtful responses. I agree that the best course right now may be to sell off a few of them, use the money for "making memories," and then see if I want to continue down that road. Thanks for the advice everyone. And for you vultures out there, be sure to watch for the knives on the For Sale forums. LOL

- Mark (a fellow vulture :))
 
i collect knives but the $$ i use for that is my money for my stuff, doesnt effect my family one way or another.
 
SIFU1A said:
i collect knives but the $$ i use for that is my money for my stuff, doesnt effect my family one way or another.
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Same here - whether it's knives, guns, cars, wristwatches, pens, flashlights, etc. Until I read this thread, I never thought of it as an "either/or" situation.
 
udtjim said:
As long as our economy stays sound, some of the high dollar knives may be considered a good investment. However if the SHTF and out economy goes into a depression, only the things need to sustain life will have any real value. A old hickory will be worth as much as a Busse. That is, they are worth what any cutter is worth. I remember reading that during the depression, people traded land and cars and stuff for a bag of potatoes or other food items. My grandmother had a grocery store and took deeds to land for grocery bills. After the depression she did all she could to return thase farms. However many folks had left the area and never came back.
Click to expand...


Lol don't count on the recession being anywhere near this serious. We have a much better understanding of how the economy works and how to prevent serious problems these days.
 
I am asking myself a similar question except mine involves a straight razor collection and CPA review courses/tests. The answer that I have come up with is that I am going to sell of some of the less used ones in my collection even though they are valuable to me. If I have less razors then that means that I can get more use out of my favorites, and there will always be custom makers when I have more money someday. There is also somewhat of a cool factor in having just one (or just a few) razor (you can substitute knives here) that you use everyday. It is sort of like a companion. If you are into guitar playing then the coolest guitars are the ones that have seen hard use for over 50 years and are still going, not the brand spankin new ones. If I was in your position and could not afford to do both then I would definately sell off some of my least favorite knives to make more memories with my family. After you sell a few then it will get easier to do more later if necessary.
 
I think there is room for both in peoples lives.

After all, over doing any one thing, the odds are, it is bad thing.

Also keep in mind that building memories may sound good, in the long run can be a poor investment too.

Being around so many that have grown old and have passed away, those Memories can get fuzzy, fade and even go away altogether, from the parents to the children, when given enough time.
 
do you enjoy owning the knives, or buying them? If there are knives you don't care for in the long term, then get rid of them. A double feel good, you can help another knut get a knife they want more than you, and you can do something for the kids they want more than knives.
 
Look through your collection, determine the knives you "truly" want to keep, segregate them from the others. Wait a week or two. Repeat the exercise with the "others." Now immediately give (don't sell) the "others" away to your friends and family. If there are any that you haven't used, consider using them for some minor cutting chore before giving them away so you won't regret not every tried them.

The above works for me.
 
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