Strange knife making traditions? Like giving a coin with a knife as a gift

[rhino]

Here in Indiana, the way to avoid bad luck is to give knives to rhino.

 

[charlesbjr]

Yeah, my GF is sicilian and her mom was running for the coin when I gave her the knife, her brother as well. And I thougth it's a Slavic thing as well.. Would really like to know where does this custom come from and why it is considered such a bad luck to gift a knive.

LOL! I just stumbled across this thread while looking for pictures of Sicilian knives.

My ancestors are from Sicily and we always give a coin in return when someone gives us a knife. It's bad luck not to do so. As someone already said, you will become enemies with the person. So giving them a coin in return turns a gift into a purchase.

Apparently, your not supposed to give a knife or fork (i.e., BBQ set) as a gift. If you do, it means that you are wishing evil on the recipient of the gift.

But I love authentic Sicilian knives, aka Sicilian dueling knives. Not easy to find and there are a few custom makers in Italy, but they are expensive.

 

[i4Marc]

A guy who used to live down the street from me gave me a dirtbike that had been sitting for a long time. No strings attached, he just knew I was into bikes. So I made him a knife as a thank you. He gave me a coin in return.

 

[Tortuga Bladeworks]

When I gift a knife or do a giveaway, I also give a coin and an envelope with my addresses for the recipient to give back to me for this purpose. For me it honors some peoples traditions, and for others I feel it just honors our friendship. But I did gift a knife to someone who was genuinely offended by it once, so I have practiced this ever since.

 

[Dominick Maone]

One I learned about in late 2017/early 2018 about giving away knives. I would spend between 5-10 hours on a knife and then give it away. I’ve been doing it more and more since early 2020 when I got a 2x72 grinder. It’s a nice tradition. Including all the equipment and time, it probably cost me $300 per knife, and I just give them away. It’s become a tradition with me. I am trying to make one for everyone I know. I think a lot of us on here follow this tradition.