withdrawn

[Jamn]

withdrawn

 

[militaryknifeguy]

These were an AlMar and Benchmade collaboration, i.e. the knives were made by Benchmade for AlMar. THere were 500 total, 300 numbered, 200 unnumbered. No sheaths came with them, they were in boxes. They sold for $265 or $285 back in the early 90's. They were a hot ticket then, I sold some on Gunlist back then (1993)for $7-800 ea.. I think they are sleepers and worth your price....

 

[Balislinger]

Cool, you have an early AFO here. This knife is a version of the Benchmade model 9000 (AFO). Only difference is the Al-Mar logo and the numbers on the blade. Blade steel and the rest of the specs are the same. BM may have made this variation for Al-Mar. I can't tell if they made them before or after the regular production version came out. I don't have military catalogs from the early '90s, but the first evidence I have of the model 9000 is the 1995 Mil catalog. Street price for this knife was about $150 in 1995. In my opinion, the prices quoted are too high for this knife. It is no different than the other ATS-34 and anodized aluminum-handled autos of this period for BM like the Reflex. The numbers and Al-Mar logo definitely add to its collector value, but 200-300 is a pretty large run by BM limited edition standards. If you want more specific info, fell free to email me. I've seen other early AFO's sell on the market over the last few years.

 

[Brian_R170]

Balislinger, there are some other differences in the early AFOs. Most notably, as can be seen in 2nd photo, is that the blade pivot pin screws directly into the aluminum handle. Whereas the 9000 models had a barrel screw. Also, the blades on the early AFOs were true satin vs. the bead-blast of the 9000. There seem to be many variations of the blade markings on the early AFOs, too: completely sterile, only U.S.A., only Benchmade (Bali-Song logo) and U.S.A., with only Al Mar logo and U.S.A., and with both Al Mar and Benchmade logos like this one.

Jamn, if you want a reference on price, e-mail me. One of these sold on Sharperdeals.net auction about 3 months ago. The condition and configuration was identical to yours, it was also serial-numberd.