gsmith7158 wrote:Roland, here's one w/sheath. Sold for $10,300.
that one must have had a history as that is about twice what I have seen them sell for. I might want to think about putting a new handle on mine.It came with an incorrect handle and for some reason the pommel didn't have the skull crusher point.
Yes Ray, that one had provenance from its issue date to a certain Sgt.until the date of auction. Still wouldn't be a bad idea to fix yours up.
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Greg
IF YOU AIN'T BUYING OR LOOKING AT A KNIFE THEN YOU AIN'T LIVING.
Always looking to buy good quality Empire knives.
The one shown by G Smith is a rare "navy" or marine version and the sheath it is in is the rarest sheath for those knives. I have seen several V 42s in the original "long" sheath sell for in the ten grand range on ebay over the last two years. Condition is the thing as usual. A mint V 42 can go for ten grand and a sheath for a grand, that makes 10% and that is for a rare sheath for a rare knife. Regarding the value of sheaths to knives, Levine states "add 20% for original sheath" in his fourth edition book. I don't know what he is referring to in the blade forum thread Roland refers to, and Levine is not a god, he really knows little about old hunting knives. As one of the foremost fixed blade collectors in the country I can attest that nobody pays 50% for a knife sheath unless it is a very rich eccentric collector. I have bought knives in poor condition just for a good sheath and thrown away the knife and I have never paid the same for a sheath as for the knife it went in (I have collected near 2,000 fixed blades in the last 58 or so years). One of my good friends wrote the Case hunting knife section in Sargent's books and he is a huge fixed blade collector and he tries to stay with the 20% value or less also. Roland says he needs to hear from a fixed blade expert, now he has.
Gunsil, i have now amended my view on relative value of original sheath. I know that some of things said by BRL are incorrect but in general he is a reliable reference. Hence i use what he says until someone with specific knowledge explains otherwise.
kj
