What makes a knife go up in value?

H

HiPlainsGrifter

Gold Member
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Jan 20, 2006
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Hi All,

I'm new to the forums. One thing I've noticed is that some folding / balisong knives seem to go up in value over time - even if used. I don't want to mention any specific examples so as not to run afoul of the rules, but besides being a limited production run, what makes a folder go up in value.

Thanks,
 
Hard to find grail knives, even then, it all depends on what someone is willing to pay for a rare/hard to find knife. Most everyone has a limit that they’re not willing to go over.
 
Business 101. Anything is worth what anyone will pay for it. As mentioned, an out of production knife is a scarcity of resources and thus more valuable to someone. A particular design or knife made by a well regarded maker who has retired or passed away will be worth more to someone. Even a "course correction" like a design being ahead of its time and not being adopted due to cost or perceived (or lack there of at the time) value will make it go up in price. Then their is good old supply and demand through publicity. Let's say in the next John Wick movie, John trades in his OTF knife for a very specific Benchmade Balisong and there is a very cool scene where he stabs 17 Dog-Murders in 23 seconds. Well, John Wick is a popular movie with people who are into guns and knives. More of these people are going to want "John Wick's Balisong". More people with cash in hand means that people with said knife for sale, for the short term, can name their price (to a degree) and get it as long as supply is scarce enough to be outpaced by demand.

Of course you can apply this to anything be it knives or guns or bananas...but I dunno how many of us would rush out to buy John Wick's banana;)
 
Ha! Good points, all.

I've noticed that the composite Kershaws like the Tilt are going for a lot on e-bay, but I get that because there are so few composite production knives on the market.

Old Benchmade 42 Balisongs also seem to go up even though you can buy a wide variety of newer models from BM. Anyone want to note any surprising knives that have gone up in the aftermarket?

kershaw-4001sw-tilt-knife-carbon_1_c01dd5db57d6230d3240769ac2aaef51.jpg
 
1st production run knives with the markings on the blade will possibly increase in value over time if kept in mint condition.
Knives decorated in gold or jewels will increase in value if the gold and jewels increase in value.
Old knife designs from reputable manufacturers sometimes increase in value over time if it is a desirable design in good condition.
 
KooKooforKukripuffs said:
Out of production, rarity in general and demand higher than supply.
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This.

Beyond that, some of my knives have only gone up in value because the maker raised their prices. Used Chris Reeve knives went up a little when he raised prices. The same thing happened when Benchmade went to MAP pricing.

Most of my collection just stayed the same or went down once I took it out of the box.

The exception is a couple of my discontinued Kershaw models. They are now starting at about double what I paid for them.
 
sabre cat said:
Beyond that, some of my knives have only gone up in value because the maker raised their prices. Used Chris Reeve knives went up a little when he raised prices. The same thing happened when Benchmade went to MAP pricing.
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For currently made knives, the current price certainly impacts the value of one you already own if you choose to sell. An example is my TA Davison slip joint. I suspect I could get more for it than I paid, but not a lot more.... He keeps making them..... at a rate of a hundred or so a year it seems.

Rarity with buyer demand impact the secondary market price the most.

Another factor that impacts value for folks that use them is the introduction of newer steels and folks just aren't as interested in the old ones unless they collect them.
 
Supply vs. demand.

I'd like to think I have an upper limit on what I'd pay. That theory was tested recently on a rare production knife and I folded faster than Superman on laundry day.
 
For some reason just about anything made with M390 will be worth more than the same knife made in cpm-20cv or cts-204p (even though the 3 are considered basically identical)
 
jill jackson said:
Spyderco Slysz Bowie was 300 and many thought it was too much. When it was discontinued it rapidly shot up to 400 and more.

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Thank Nick Shabazz for that.

Hinderers saw a huge price crash once they became available to non LEO/military. So alot of value seems to be circumstances around the knife as much as the knife itself.

It can be very hard to predict what models will go up in value. Some are easier to guess than others.
 
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