Which knves are more desirable as collectibles; Customs Productions?

[dePaul]

Well, I myself are not sure.

Despite the fact that a custom may be designed to satisfy your personal taste, and therefore one of its kind, I feel that the real value is in favour of unusual production knives (on the long run basis).

What is your opinion?

 

[Dark Nemesis]

I would say that both are equally desirable. There are some wonder custom knife makers who are known for their imagination and excellet craftsmanship, and therefore are highly collectible. However some manufacturers have certain models that have become honest to god "Landmarks" for the knife community, and those are just as collectible, not only price wise, but personally for the collector.


One example of the production world would be the Gerber Mark II, when looking at this knife nothing special pops out at you. However Gerver defined an era with this knife, and for many that served in the armed forces during that time period, this knife represents a lot.

Another example on the custom side would be any Bob Terzuola knife. This man changed the knife community forever with his new blade & lock styles.

Guess in the end, both realms have a lot to offer as far as collectibles.

Dark Nemesis

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Crimson Horizon
Nothing but edge baby...
dark.nemesis@home.com

 

[Paracelsus]

I agree that custom and production knives can be equally desirable, but usually different people collect things for different reasons.

Some folks collect antique production pocketknives and are willing to pay large sums of money for items with rusting and broken blades.

Others, like me, seem to get fixated on custom knives for various reasons. BTW, I use 'custom' in the same sense that the KnifeMakers Guild defines the word: a knife made by one person for a customer (the customer may be the knifemaker himself). I am a fixed blade fan, but other people prefer folders. Some like tactical folders, some like bowies, some like hunters, some like really fancy gents folders. Some people like them All.

I collect knives from the perspective of art and craftsmanship; customs contain the heart, mind, and soul of the artist. So I like custom knives. But I know folks who get the same thrill from finding what looks to me like an old beat up pocketknife. Go figure

Some folks like older production pieces for their history and relative rarity. And some folks like modern production pieces because they are cheaper and new. But often, after collecting a lot of production knives, they find they could have spent the same money on fewer, but nicer 'custom' knives. So they start to sell their production pieces and switch to customs.

There is room for almost any type of knife collector in the knife world. I don't think you can break it down into the Custom vs. Production categories. It is more complex than that. In any case, remember that knives are Not good investments. Buy what You like and you will not be unhappy.

Then again, some people seem to enjoy buying, selling, and trading knives on a frequent basis. They might be production, or custom knives. I can't figure out the Why of this buy/sell/trade thing, but there are Lots of folks hanging out 'round these parts' that do...

Paracelsus

[This message has been edited by Paracelsus (edited 04-09-2001).]

 

[PhilL]

I'm a Sucker for Stag. It's not the only handle material I like, but it is what gets my attention first. It doesn't seem to matter if it's on a production or handmade knife, or the type of knife it is. Right now I have 15 knives with stag handles and 3 more on the way (a dagger, boot knife and a neck knife). It's starting to look like a collection. I have a couple of Bowies, one sub-hilt fighter, several hunters, daggers, a skinner, folders with slipjoints, lockbacks and one liner lock. Once I have the basic styles of knives covered my goal is to continue to add better knives to my collection. Customs with stag handles of course.

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[Brian_Turner]

If you're talking about resale, how are you supposed to make money on an item that exists in quantities numbered in the thousands, and has an original investment under $200? How are you going to make a profit when there might be 1000 other people trying to sell the same knife, including the manufacturer? Look at the new production knife market, with only a few hundred dealers - they cut each other to the bone!

Even with "series" type handmade knives, the numbers are much smaller, and the production run ends when the maker says it does. There's no way to crank the identical knife out again, like there is with production patterns. Also, as makers' lead times grow, the premium people will pay to receive their knife immediately grows.

I collect what appeals to me, production knives included. But if I ever look to get some money back out of them, I certainly won't bother with the time and effort it takes to make a $5 or $10 profit on a production knife, when I can make much more on a custom. My production knives are users and "quick fixes".

 

[Elvislives]

If you knew this answer for a time period in the future of collecting you could make a fortune!

Brandon

 

[Trevor Calder]

Which knives you find desirable as collectibles depends on what you collect...

Seriously, there's no right answer. A knife is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. I've been at an auction where a custom damascus bladed dagger sold for $50. I didn't buy it because it was - to me - not something I wanted (apart from anything else it was fscking ugly).
I bought an early 19th century bayonet (and how much more factory produced can you get?) for $165 instead.

So which was more valuable to me?

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"..it is foolishness and endless trouble to cast a
stone at every dog that barks at you.."