Talk About Ignorant...Let Me Tell You About When I First Started Collecting

[dogman]

I was tooling around the Florida Art Knife show about two years ago, checking out the goods, and I didn't know squat about custom knives. I had bought a Microtech D/A SOCOM a year before that and that was big time for me. So, anyway, I am walking around, looking at knives, looking at prices, when I come up to this table with some fixed blades...some are nice, some look really used. And there is this long-haired guy about my age hanging around the table. I finally pick up a knife (a simple drop point hunter) and the price tag said $2500. I looked at the guy and thought, what makes this young punk so special, some of these knives aren't even new. I asked the proper stupid question, "Why are your knives so expensive?" and he gave me the proper "poor misguided fool" look but was very polite. Now flash forward, I am at the next years show, I have a bit more subject knowledge (but not proper reverence, yet). I see the guy again and head right for his table to see if I could decipher what made him so special.

And as Paul Harvey says, "And now, the rest of the story..."

The table belonged to J.W. Denton, big time Loveless collector and purveyor. I had been ignorantly looking at a table full of Lovelesses and thinking the guy (I believe his name is John) was the maker.

This year, I had the proper amount of humble reverence. As soon as I entered the door, I headed right for Denton's table, asked permission, and picked up that Big Bear Sub-hilt. I was not worthy. Great guys to talk to, as well.

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"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
George Orwell

 

[Dr.Lathe]

Dogman,
Before I saw you that day at the show, I handled the same knife and drooled on several others. The Denton people are VERY nice to talk to even if you are not buying. If I EVER hit the lottery, I will be calling them

Neil

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Blackwood Knives
More knives in stock soon!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html

 

[PhilL]

Dogman, was John eating when you saw him?
I've seen him a bunch of times (drooled over the knives) and every single time he was eating something.

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"Will work 4 Knives!"

 

[TomW]

The guy is a bit on the lean side phil. He Can't be eating all that much.

 

[Les Robertson]

Bob,

The second knife show I ever set up at. NKCA Show, Louisville Kentucky, 1987.

A guy there had a big 10" carbon steel bowie with a wood handle. He had it on a stand and under glass. I couldnt belive it, he wanted $800.00 for that knife. Now who in their right mind would pay that kind of knife for just a big ol'bowie???

Wish I had known what W.F. Moran and Limekiln meant back then!

Les

 

[TomW]

Having grown up in a gun family being close to the business end of it for a lifetime I can think of many times that i say to myself
"I wish I got this or that back then" but nobody had any idea where the market would go.
It's the same for knives. Even when I felt sure that somethig would increase a lot in value, back in 1970 that was still a lot of money to lay out.
So for comfort i remind myself that the stock market outperformed the gun and knife market and always will.