What's the "oldest" knife in your collection?

G

Grapevine

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Mar 5, 2002
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Oldest in quotes because I don't mean when the knife was made, but when it entered your collection, whether newly made or previously owned. Many of us get a bit bored with a knife and sell it to purchase another. Is the one in your collection the longest among the first that you bought and you've not tired of it, or is it one you got around the mid-point of your collecting years, etc?

If it's been in your collection for a long time while others have turned over, why do you keep it compared to the newer ones? Is it investment value, sentimental value, or did you use it and so its value isn't as great in reselling, or are you just still in love with it and want to keep it?

Feel free to post pics if you have them.

(I'm trying to remember which of mine has been with me the longest myself. I don't keep written records of when I bought them so there are two or three who were among the first that I collected and I don't quite remember their order).
 
This is the one I have had the longest. Made for me by the man himself in the early 80's...............

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It was the first real custom I ever owned so it has huge sentimental value. As for being an investment, it turns out that it is now worth a bob or two..........:o
 
The piece that I've had in my collection the longest is this Jerry Fisk English Spearpoint Bowie.
This is the first Fisk knife I ever purchased. I bought it from him at the 2004 Blade Show.
It has Jerry's 'Wolf-Tooth' Damascus and his 'Running Wheat' pattern engraved in it.
Old amber stag handle.
I've purchased quite a few of Jerry's knives since then.

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Steven65 said:
This is the one I have had the longest. Made for me by the man himself in the early 80's...............

IMG_3884.jpg


It was the first real custom I ever owned so it has huge sentimental value. As for being an investment, it turns out that it is now worth a bob or two..........:o
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I. WANT. ONE!!!!!! that is ineradicable, love the sheath, got to try that with my next knife.


my oldest knife is probably a old boulder CO. BSA fixed blade knife. Found it while hiking, it was there for quite a while but is still in excellent condition

found it when i was about 5
 
My oldest knife is a frame lock Assassin by Pat Crawford, picked it up at the NYCKS back in 1986 or so.

Now the frame lock we are talking about here was first designed and made in 1979. The handle is made from one piece of heat treated 440c hi-carbon stainless steel, 1/4" thick.

To unlock the knife you just lift up on the lock. With a little practice you can do this one handed. The tighter you grip it the tighter you are locking it in.

Mine is bead blasted, and has a sort of bayonet grind....they are really quite ingenious.

This photo is not of mine, but it is fairly close. It's just a really cool knife, from a time before "tactical" knives were selling for crazy money, and almost everyone could afford to buy a piece like this. I think I paid $200.00 dollars for mine.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Mine is this fancy fighter by Sam Cox. In 1988 I was at an art expo in Charleston and one venue had different crafts. I had always loved knives, had few a production, but this was my first custom. Still in my collection.

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1917 Landers, Frary and Clark US Army mess kit knife. Someone found it somewhere. don't remember if it was me or someone else, but I have had it for a couple of years. My oldest REAL knives are either a late 50's/early 60's Moran pilots knife style fighter or a crappy old aluminum handled balisong that was probably made in some little native shop in the Phillipines way back in the day. I also have a Gerber Mark 2 from around 1971.
 
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5" JD Smith 5 bar 1095xL6 Damascus linerlock folder. Mastadon with Mokume, Filework. This is my first custom folder & still my favorite.
 
It may not be my least recent knife (frankly, can't remember) - probably since 1981 - and about the only one I've been using for minor stuff for the last several decades - by Pierce Franklin Beck, Jr of Barnwell, SC - a Herron trainee. Ivory, amber, oosic and scratches.

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This knife will stay with me until my estate moves it along the line. It was built by Fred Carter in 1978 and I obtained it April 5, 1981.

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Over the years, many have wished to have me part with it but so far I have resisted all offers. It is rather unique and a wonderful knife to pick up and hold.
 
Steven65 said:
It was the first real custom I ever owned so it has huge sentimental value. As for being an investment, it turns out that it is now worth a bob or two..........:o
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That's quite an interesting knife! Does the number "4" mean that it was the 4th knife he made?

Kind regards,

Jos
 
Murray White said:
This knife will stay with me until my estate moves it along the line. It was built by Fred Carter in 1978 and I obtained it April 5, 1981.

Over the years, many have wished to have me part with it but so far I have resisted all offers. It is rather unique and a wonderful knife to pick up and hold.
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Dr Carter makes a beautiful knife and that one is gorgeous. He is such a icon amongst US makers. Thanks for sharing that...........


Jos said:
That's quite an interesting knife! Does the number "4" mean that it was the 4th knife he made?

Kind regards,

Jos
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No it was the 4th knife of this type/series that he made. I am fairly certain that this was the last one like this that he made.
This was made in '84 right at the beginning of his knife making career when he still worked out of a one car garage behind his apartment.
 
Kohai999 said:
My oldest knife is a frame lock Assassin by Pat Crawford, picked it up at the NYCKS back in 1986 or so.

Now the frame lock we are talking about here was first designed and made in 1979. The handle is made from one piece of heat treated 440c hi-carbon stainless steel, 1/4" thick.

To unlock the knife you just lift up on the lock. With a little practice you can do this one handed. The tighter you grip it the tighter you are locking it in.

Mine is bead blasted, and has a sort of bayonet grind....they are really quite ingenious.

This photo is not of mine, but it is fairly close. It's just a really cool knife, from a time before "tactical" knives were selling for crazy money, and almost everyone could afford to buy a piece like this. I think I paid $200.00 dollars for mine.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

I picked my Crawford up around the same time Steve, we probably passed each other at his table, I picked up this Crawford framelock and this Nealy Aikuchi, both my oldest Customs and both are still my main carry blades probably the two longest/most carried knives.

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Other than that my oldest/first knife, I really bought as my first work knife was my Schrade Old Timer 51OT and I still have it but it's retired retired keep it for the memories as the pivot has a lot of play and before it broke or bit me I took it outta service
 
ZT0200 - because it's a great knife.

Does not get edc duty very often but it's not going anywhere - except possibly to the grave with me.
 
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