The one that got away...

Not just one that got away but ten! Circa 1975 at a flea market in Littleton, Colo. Nine fixed blades and a hatchet with leather sheaths, all brand new
I said " How much for that one? He said I had to buy all ten for $200. It might as well have been $2,000,000 as I was only making $500 a month and saving for college, so, no, I didn't buy them. Here's the kicker...they were all Rudy Ruanas! If I only had that day to do over... oh, well, I won't make that mistake again! T-A
 
I sold this one right after I bought it. I think it was a little too pink for me under certain lighting. I have a deep red clip point TC Barlow that I liked better. Now I know not to compare two knives directly because one will always make the other look bad even though both are beautiful.
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glennbad said:
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I've always been attracted to those knives.
To me, they just scream 1950's coolness. Remind me of old ball point pens.
Hard to find in that condition though, and then the price can get up there a bit.
 
this thread brings up so many painful experiences - I can’t bring myself to confirm my bad choices by posting even one image here. But most knives I sell get pictures taken for the sale, which picture then sits in my Imgr library. It is a digital catalogue of my errors (albeit the occasional good decision).
 
77 NF Barlow single wharny in African Blackwood. Never seen another in 4 years.
 
I had a super nice single blade Case swayback jack wharncliffe - it had awesome mildly striped ebony wood sides. Blade centered perfect & had nice snap. Never seen another one like it. My buddy from TX was up for his dad's funeral & I was showing him my knife collection (he doesn't know anything about knives). I pulled out the swayback & said something like black is a good knife for a funeral (meaning it was the one I was going to carry that day) & showed it to him & he only said ... nice & slipped it into his pocket. It was one of those moments when your heart stops & you don't know what to say ... I didn't say anything, as I couldn't ask for it back on his dads funeral day. He had no idea how nice & unique it was. Oh well, I guess it's only a knife, but man I sure wish I had that one back...
 
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This one.

One off J. Oeser XL gunstock.


Bought a house...closed right before Christmas. Was worried about tight finances... sold it (without talking to wife...apparently had no need to sell it....all the christmas presents for the kids were done and paid for months earlier).

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(It changed hads a few times after I sold it....the buy it back price is almost 3x what I sold it for....).
 
Whilst out at the landfill on a task, I laid my CASE/BOSE dogleg stag jack on the fender of the trailer, and, being more or less of a distracted temperament anyway.... well... that was the last of that one. Me sad. Meanwhile I have three of those original post GEC mooses (meese?) looking for homes.
 
I've lost a few but one still bugs me. It was a sea green Case Swayback Jack with pen...lost to sands of a beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. My heart sunk when we got back in the car and I realized the knife was not in my pocket, and I had used it to cut some string while kite flying that day. That knife had gone with me on several Caribbean dive trips in the short years I owned it.
 
Lansky1 said:
I had a super nice single blade Case swayback jack wharncliffe - it had awesome mildly striped ebony wood sides. Blade centered perfect & had nice snap. Never seen another one like it. My buddy from TX was up for his dad's funeral & I was showing him my knife collection (he doesn't know anything about knives). I pulled out the swayback & said something like black is a good knife for a funeral (meaning it was the one I was going to carry that day) & showed it to him & he only said ... nice & slipped it into his pocket. It was one of those moments when your heart stops & you don't know what to say ... I didn't say anything, as I couldn't ask for it back on his dads funeral day. He had no idea how nice & unique it was. Oh well, I guess it's only a knife, but man I sure wish I had that one back...
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Sometimes doing the right thing can hurt...and you done good on that one.
 
I've given away a lot of knives. Sometimes I would like to have one of them again, but I don't regret giving the gift. Well, there is one exception, I regret a few that I gave to my ex (before she was ex-ed, of course). Insh a' Allah.
 
Bastler said:
I've given away a lot of knives. Sometimes I would like to have one of them again, but I don't regret giving the gift. Well, there is one exception, I regret a few that I gave to my ex (before she was ex-ed, of course). Insh a' Allah.
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I've given away about three dozen knives since I've been a member here.
The only ones I regret are the ones that were then sold for profit on eBay or the Exchange.
 
Ughh so many unfortunately. Stuff like a first run ebony clip charlow, ebony presidential, 79 micarta, ebony grinling the list goes on unfortunately.

The biggest one of all was one I gifted, I dont regret the act at all and I hope he uses it often but if I could have any back it would be this guy. It is rare and unreplacable so far but I hold out hope to find another of the 11 or so made. Or atleast another sweet viper to fill the void!

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Pomsbz said:
So much promise. So badly made I had to get rid of it, was like fingernails down a blackboard. I've wondered if there were others which were better made but I'm not spending good money trying out the theory.

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I know this is way late to the party, but are you still craving one of these?

edit almost 10 hrs later..... "apparently not".....
 
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Lost a 73 single blade liner lock with beautiful Cocobola Scales. Its been 18 months, but I still find my self looking for it when cleaning the truck, workshop, or gun room. Only carried it a few days a month for the couple of years I had it, but I really liked it. I search the secondary market regularly for one, but can never find the same blade / handle combination with the liner lock.
 
Stan Rose said:
Lost a 73 single blade liner lock with beautiful Cocobola Scales. Its been 18 months, but I still find my self looking for it when cleaning the truck, workshop, or gun room. Only carried it a few days a month for the couple of years I had it, but I really liked it. I search the secondary market regularly for one, but can never find the same blade / handle combination with the liner lock.
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I found it! Well the truth is my wife found it. It was in one of my rarely used upland hunting vest interior chest pockets, and she found while organizing one of the closets. I felt like a five year old on Christmas morning.
Have a great weekend everyone.
 
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