Edwin Jay value?

[Hobie]

Looking for a value and more information on a knife I have had in a desk for the last 20 years. Recently finding out that it has some significant potential value as a collectors piece, I am only now just learning this so I am here for your help please. It is a 9" dark horn red dot pick lock with "Edwin Jay" and "made in italy" marked on the blade. The bright finish on the blade is mostly gone, looks like it has been "sharpened", but it has been stored open and still has a fast opening spring to it, all works very well. Since I am not truly a knife collector I am interested in learning its history and true value so I can begin looking for a new home for it in the hands of someone who will appreciate it more than I have. I will work on getting pictures attached.

[Viking45]

Hello and welcome to the forum.
If possible post some photos of the knife open/closed ,front/back and this will help us give you an approximate value.
An Edwin Jay has potential to be worth a good chunk of change and are one of the most collectable Italian stilettos out there.

Good luck.

[Hobie]

Hopefully this link to photo bucket works


<div style="width:480px;text-align:right;"><embed width="480" height="360" src="http://pic2.pbsrc.com/flash/rss_slideshow.swf" flashvars="rssFeed=http://feed46.photobucket.com/albums/f1 ... s/feed.rss" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /><a href="javascript:void(0);" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/ ... geturs.gif" style="border:none;" /></a><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f130/ ... %20Uploads" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic.photobucket.com/share/icons/ ... iewall.gif" style="border:none;" alt="Hobie711'sMobile Uploads album on Photobucket" /></a></div>

[JimBrown257]

That's not the link for Photobucket you want to use. If you go to the image on your Photobucket page, you can see the four link options on the right (like in the attached shot). You want to copy and paste the one at the bottom (the one that says "IMG").

Or you can just attach the pic to the post with the "Upload attachment" option under the "Submit" button. Click that, then click "browse" then find the picture and click "Add the file".

[orangeboy]

Here you go. Nice knife!

[Viking45]

Good looking knife,no scale shrinkage,nice and straight and although there are some scratches from sharpening the blade looks at least 90% full.
A tiny bit of blade peek but still a highly collectable piece.

Someone will come along and give you an approx value,I don't know much about vintage knives.
If I were to guess I'd say close to 3 to 400 but I may be way off.

[JimBrown257]

I notice it has a brass pivot and the scale pins appear to be pretty flush with the scale surface.

It seems like all the vintage picklocks I have seen had steel pivots (brass on the bottom) and the scale pins weren't that flush. Of course, I haven't seen enough PLs to know if they were all like that. I hope someone with more experience with vintage PLs could weigh in on that.

[Bill DeShivs]

The brass pivot pin is correct. The scale pins have been filed flush.

[JimBrown257]

Did all of those ones have brass pivots or do some of them have steel and some have brass?

[Bill DeShivs]

The EJs all had brass pivots and rear pins.
Now that I have said that, there will be pictures of some with steel!

[JimBrown257]

And what about the filed scale pins? Is that something that would have been original to the knife?

[Bill DeShivs]

No.

[Viking45]

Does anyone know what the approximate value of this knife might be? Ball park?

[orangeboy]

I told the owner privately a few days ago about $500-$700 but with condition issues it may be on the lower side.

[Jackalope]

That sure is a bright red dot. That being said I would think the lower end with the market these days.