A Rare Pair

[button_man]

Okay, I'm pretty new here, so clue me in..... why is it Bad Form to discuss values here? Why should it "be avoided"? What harm is there?

For me, it's a useful indicator relating to collector demand, possible scarcity, and condition premium.
It's just data -- every bit as relevant as blade length or scale material. What am I missing here....?

[jim d,]

Button_man,

To me (and other please chime in) it is almost like asking someone how much money they make. What someone chose to pay for a knife (or any other personal information) is their business. In the event that someone chooses to share what they paid for a knife (or any other personal information), that is their option. Typically, people share things that have an interesting story; "my wife kept dragging me to flea markets in search of whatever, and I came across a junk dealer that had an original square button Latama for which he insisted he wouldn't take less than $40". Does this make sense?

Jim

[sammy the blade]

I don't mind telling anyone what I paid for a knife. I'm not buying anything expensive anyway.

[Quaero]

Okay, I'm pretty new here, so clue me in..... why is it Bad Form to discuss values here? Why should it "be avoided"? What harm is there?

For me, it's a useful indicator relating to collector demand, possible scarcity, and condition premium.
It's just data -- every bit as relevant as blade length or scale material. What am I missing here....?

It's certainly a fair question to ask which I believe has several different answers. Jim brought up a good point that some collectors would prefer to keep their dealings private which should be respected. Certainly no problem if some people wish to talk about what they paid, but many do not. Another issue is that like so many collectibles, the values of knives (switchblades in this case) are constantly going up and down over time, so a value today can be vastly different from one tomorrow. There is also the "what's hot factor" meaning that sometimes a craze takes over and certain knives spike in value, which we've all seen happen. And finally, condition and rarity means everything. Some serious collectors will pay a great deal for a knife in mint or near mint condition which can easily be double or more the cost of a similar model in excellent condition. The old adage that a knife (or anything else) is worth what ever someone is willing to pay for it is absolutely true.

[button_man]

Thanks to jim d. and Quaero for their explanations! I certainly don't want to offend anybody..... the biggest reason that I inquire about prices is not idle nosiness, but rather a desire to learn. There aren't big shows in my area and I don't have the opportunity to rub elbows with other collectors and pick up info through the grapevine. This forum has become my main source of learning about automatic cutlery.

When I see something unfamiliar to me.... whether it's a modern custom job, or an Italian piece made 70 years ago -- I always wonder about the value, in an attempt to obtain even a rough idea of how rare and/or desirable the piece is. No offense is intended.

I will try to be judicious with my questions, and ask politely and respectfully. If someone doesn't want to reveal a price, all he has to do is to tell me in a civil manner. Hopefully we can all get along.

[jim d,]

Button_man,

Thanks for your honesty and I empathize with your situation. Some years ago, during the Bladeauction and earlier Sharperdeal auctions days it was much easier to learn about relative values as there were pages and pages of old and new switchblades for sale every day. Such is not the case now, and I can imagine that as a relative newcomer it isn't obvious whether a given example is a $200 or $2,000 model. Honestly, I hadn't thought about this until I read your last post.

As Quaero mentioned, values fluctuate over time and assigning an approximate value is often a very inexact science. Quareo put it well with his comment about the old adage.

I appreciate the politeness of your last post and am certain the community will do what we can to help you along as you get further into the hobby. They certainly did for me.

Jim

[button_man]

jim ~ Do you have any idea WHY there are no longer "pages and pages of old and new switchblades for sale every day" ?

SharperDeals seems to be on life support. The few other sites that I visit usually have a very few knives available, followed by 38 pages of knife photos all marked "sold out". Is it hard to obtain new items from manufacturers? Are internet site managers cracking down on knives? Are people getting out of the business due to low sales? What exactly has changed? I hope to hear opinions on this from as many folks as possible....

[jim d,]

Quaero,

I was looking through The Art of the Switchblade and came across a "Swiss Army" version of your posted lever lock that has a bottle opener, screwdriver, corkscrew etc., but then you knew that

Jim

[Bill DeShivs]

Button man-
Look at gunbroker.com
It's like the old Bladeauction. Hundreds of Chinese knives-many being passed off as something else, and the occasional good piece.

[sammy the blade]

I heard there is alot for sale on Facebook, I don't Facebook but seemed like I heard it somewhere. Wouldn't hurt to look.

[Bill DeShivs]

Facebook generally has ridiculous prices.

[button_man]

I don't belong to any "social media" sites --um, unless this site counts? --due to the commonly-shared ulterior motive they all have: data mining.
People have told me that I am missing fantastic opportunities for networking and information and commerce and all the rest; that may all be true but I won't have any part of it.

I still feel puzzled as to why (quality) auto-knife listings on SharperDeals and BladeHQ and Grindworx etc. all seem to be going downhill - - I guess it could be due to the virus situation..... but I also wonder whether this hobby is losing general public interest, like coins and stamps and a lot of other things.
Younger people don't seem to have the same interest in collecting that was robust in the 1970s and 1980s. All they want to do is gape slackjawed at a vid screen every waking moment. *shakes cane angrily at invisible adversaries* ....Impudent whippersnappers....!

[sammy the blade]

I don't do the social media thing either, I don't want the world to know what I had for breakfast or what I got for Christmas. Guess I just don't get it. One reason why the autos on auctions going down hill are laws are changing and they are now legal in many states and online stores selling at a fixed price.

[Fishtail Picklock]

I don't do the social media thing either, I don't want the world to know what I had for breakfast or what I got for Christmas. Guess I just don't get it. One reason why the autos on auctions going downhill are laws are changing and they are now legal in many states and online stores selling at a fixed price.

I agree. It is "noneya". (Noneya darned business)! I love being friendly and open... but not that open!

[whippersnapper]

shakes cane angrily at invisible adversaries* ....Impudent whippersnappers....!

Hey now!