Your best find.

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Franciscomv

Joined
Feb 7, 2005
Messages
2,892
Every once in a while you can find a great knife at a very low price, or at a shop you wouldn't expect to have any knives or maybe at a flea market.
What was your best lucky find?

Mine was yesterday. I've been helping out some pals at a horse exibition for the last couple of days. Very fun work, besides being around horses all day, I got to show off some leatherworking techniques and meet some really skilled craftsmen. Around noon I was helping to get some horses ready for an obedience competition. One of the guys who was working with me had a big silver sheath hanging behind his back (big fixed blades are quite accepted in this kind of events), but the knife's handle didn't look like any of the traditional gaucho knives these guys usually carry. It wasn't long before he had to pull out his knife to cut some rope and fix a wooden pole, I looked closely (I had been waitting for an hour to see that blade!) and I almost die when the first part of the blade left the sheath and I read "I.XL" and later "G. Wostenholm & Son, Washington Knife Works, Sheffield".
Right there I begged him to sell me the knife. He said he wouldn't sell it but that he would trade it for a good quality traditional knife, because he didn't like the "gringo" look of the bowie, I told him it was a valuable blade, but he insisted on the exchange. He said that if it was valuable I could maybe throw in one of the stirrups or reins made by my teacher. I went running like a madman to a stand that offered excellent hand made traditional knives and I got him the best I could afford. It took little convincing to get Guillermo, my leatherworking teacher, to agree to make a piece for him.
Now I'm the proud owner of a beautiful knife with lots of history. It doesn't have the original sheath, but the silver "criollo" sheath made for it is beautiful and it adds a lot of character to the piece.


Let's hear your stories.
 
a large wegner and toad both for $70 they are in excellent condition.
 
I've had good luck on 2 of my Buck 110's.

1970 Buck 110 still NIB with original sheath and warranty papers, it even had the original hand written sales reciept from the sporting goods store that sold it. $40.00

A Buck 111 western engraved discontinued model, MINT never used or sharpened, with the original scrolled leather engraved sheath, that has never been put on a belt or had the knife pushed into it. $50.00

One just like it just sold on ebay for 100.00+
 
Quick list of some that come to mind:

Ek Bowie on closeout several years ago; $30.
Camillus CUDA, 6", CQB-3; closeout $30
Phrobis bayonet, second generation, friend found it; $0
Friedr Herder stag handled kitchen knife, "warehouse find", $30

I know there are quite a few of these available, but every time I find an unused Bruckmann, I shout "Score!"

-Bob
 
A Benchmade AFO for $60. There was a whole bunch of BM's mis-labled at a new store just last summer. It was a real dream! :eek:
 
My first Fixed Blade knife as a child, I found a Marbles (Woodsman?) Knife, the one that has the wide blade, for 50 cents. a little beat up, but a kid couldnt ask for a better knife. it still is as solid as the day I found it. :)

you gotta love yard sales. ;)
 
WOW 50 cents! Man, I love flea markets and yard sales, you can usually find great deals on EVERYTHING. Never did like paying full price...
 
The third knife Jim Rodebaugh ever made for a song here on Bladeforums.

He's an ABS Mastersmith now. When I showed him the knife he was very suprised to see it.
 
Mine was a couple of Schrade stag handled Uncle Henrys - 2 and 3 blade ones (stockmans??). Wally World was clearing out old inventory - got'em for $5.00 CDN each. Before that a CRKT/Mirage left handed PE on clearance at a local shop for $39.99 CDN - Mirage was actually what got me on this collection/accumulation thing :D

- gord
 
A large and small CR Sebenza, classic 2000 numbered set on e-bay. 1 of only 50 sets made. I was the only bidder and got them both, NIB with paperwork for $300 something. Was a good day indeed.

John...
 
I got a couple pretty killer deals on this forum. A MT SOCOM D/A ($400 at the few places you can find them) for $225 (thanks again Wolfman!), and a Benchmade 43MC (probably would go for $200+ on ebay) for $125 (thanks again Kimberholic!).

My other two great finds were both Woodard autos. A Pocket Pro for under $85 ($130 knife), and a Fer De Lance, one of which I'd previously purchased for $190 and sold for $150, but got a replacement for $130. The FDL is an incredible knife, even at $190 ($300 retail, and even that IMO is low).

The only knife I'd ever actually FOUND, worth mentioning, was a Leatherman Supertool in a drawer in a motel room.
 
For years my primary knife collecting focus was on military trench knives, daggers, and dirks. I talked to a guy at work about knives and he said he had an old commando dagger from some relative. He brought it in to show me and it was a rather early Sykes Fairbairn with the beads and ridges style handle. He offered to give it to me for free because he knew I really appreciated it. I told him it was valuable and that I couldn't afford to buy it and I wouldn't take it for free. He said he would trade it for something plus a little money. So I gave him a fairly decent Solingen imitation dagger (probably tougher than the original) with a shoulder sheath rig I had made for it and twenty dollars.

I got an even better deal at a Goodwill Thrift Store. I periodically go through their kitchen knives looking for good ones that I can add to my collection for my kitchen or for my church to use down at the downtown soup kitchen. I found a rather plain knife with micarta handle slabs and a 5" nonstainless blade that was too thick for a kitchen knife. It was a Randall Model 10 Utility Knife. A new one lists for $175.00 and there is a 4 year estimated delivery time. This was an older one with an O1 tool steel blade. I think that I paid 98 cents for it, but I might have paid up to $1.98.
 
My best find was my first knife, a Buck 102 woodsman that I found while snorkeling in the Icicle River.

My latest triumphs were from ebay..

A used SOG NW Forest Ranger for $35...

A used Buckmaster LT (185) for $45. :D
 
:D In 1999 I picked up a benchmade 710 at a shop in N.C. for $34.99. I told the clerk three times that I thought it was wrong and she said "do you want the knife or not"....I still have it...
 
I was lucky enough to get in on a couple of blow-outs - a Lum Chinese for $50 and a Buck 560 for $25.
 
My car was stolen out of my driveway by some teenagers who took it on a joyride. When I got it back, I discovered a Buck 110 in the glove compartment. I think it was a fair trade.
 
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