My knife appraisal

[DataBank74]

Can anyone give me a appraisal for my knife? It's a Robeson MasterCraft limited edition 1 of 500 Painted Pony limited edition 3 of 5 knife with 4 blades. It has certificate of authenticity signed by Michael Prater.

[Quick Steel]

DB24: Now that is impressive. Talk about bling! The handles look like they might be the stone, lapis. The color certainly is tho it may carry some other name.

[DataBank74]

Can anyone tell me how much my knife is worth and what I might actually get when selling?

[gsmith7158]

Can anyone tell me how much my knife is worth and what I might actually get when selling?

That is a very difficult question to answer simply because the knife only appeals to a niche market. If you find a rabid painted pony collector you might sell it for $1000 but to a general knife collector it is not very valuable because it has been altered from its original state. Maybe $150-200 although I wouldn't give that for it.

[QTCut5]

I agree 100% with Greg. Although I don't personally collect that particular knife (brand or pattern), I have seen enough like it to have a basic idea of what they generally sell for on eBay. My best estimate would be somewhere in the $100 - $175 range assuming it's in good working order (fit & finish, walk & talk, etc.). Obviously, Michael Prater does good work, but many collectors prefer original factory condition knives. Also, the excessive 'bling' factor is a turn off to many collectors because it's just too overwrought. But, that's all a matter of individual tastes, which means you're marketing to a very narrow niche demographic. I have a Painted Pony modified Case 107W that I paid top dollar for because it was a brand, pattern and handle material that I collect (I believe I paid around $160 for my abalone mini trapper).

Hope this helps to give you a general idea of what to expect if/when you sell it.

~Q~

[philco]

I would suggest you log onto ebay and do an advanced search for SOLD listings under the title "Painted Pony knives". I just did a quick search and found numerous knives and their selling price. I didn't spot one identical to yours but I did find a few that were similarly ornate. The prices ran from about $125 upwards to $400 plus.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

I do appreciate the cutler's skill, however, that does not appeal to me at all

[terryl308]

I would have to agree with everyone so far, not my cup of tea. It might appeal to "Art Knife" collectors but not so much for the normal knife collector. However , if you find the right person who collects such items it might have some value, good luck Terry

[RobesonsRme.com]

No offense to you, to each his own, as they say, but I've been an avid vintage Robeson collector since 1988 and I wouldn't own it.

Here is a list of "Completed Auctions" from Ebay for "Michael Prater Knife".

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R ... nife&rt=nc

Only the ones with the dollar amount in green actually sold and several of those sold for a "Best Offer", not the green price that's been crossed out.

It appears that sellers ask for, but do not receive high prices. The lone exception is that Buck 110 that sold for almost $500.00.

Charlie Noyes

[DataBank74]

Thank you everyone for you information, comments and opinions. I will try to find a collector who likes this type of knife not sure how to but maybe there's a forum or group for these type of knife collectors. I have thought of eBay but not didn't won't to get a eBay account and deal with fees and membership costs. I'm trying to sell this for my father who knows nothing about selling online and he sure won't make a eBay account. But anyway thanks again for your help.

[kootenay joe]

As you can see most knife collectors do not want knives that have been altered. However some do and there are collectors who specifically collect 'Painted Pony' knives. The advantage of ebay is that all you need are 2 bidders who want the knife and the final selling price can be in the hundreds of dollars. The downside is that if the 'PP' collectors are not knife shopping that week, the knife can end up selling for a very low amount unless you set a reserve or high opening bid.
There are numerous members here who also sell on ebay and one of them might list your knife for a reasonable commission.
kj

[QTCut5]

In addition to what kootenay joe said...selling online nowadays is almost always done through PayPal because it offers good protections for both buyer and seller when it comes to transferring money and goods between complete strangers. If you're not interested in getting a PayPal account (which is totally free), that's going to be yet another obstacle to selling your knife online. But, there are always pawn shops (which usually charge a much higher percentage) and flea markets or garage/yard sales (which generally attract people looking for bargain basement prices). The point is...you do have options. You just have to decide how much work you're willing to invest into selling a knife that's not likely to fetch a high return. Hopefully, your father wasn't expecting to sell this knife to fund his retirement or anything.

~Q~

[DataBank74]

I have a PayPal account so selling the knife through a member might be a option. I'm not that familiar with eBay or selling by commission. How exactly would selling through a member and their eBay account work? How much could the commission possibly be?

[QTCut5]

You would have to send your knife to a member who has an eBay account so they could photograph it and post a listing on eBay. When it sells, the member would then send you the money using PayPal Friends & Family after subtracting whatever amount you previously agreed upon as a commission. Ebay charges the seller about 10% of the final sale price, PayPal charges another 3% for the transaction and then the member who did all the work to sell it should get something for his trouble (unless he chooses to do it as a favor to you out of the goodness of his heart), but that is something you would have to work out with him in advance. So, in the end, you might actually end up making just as much selling it to a local pawn shop. About the only advantage to selling on eBay is the massive exposure your knife has and, therefore, a greater possibility of being seen by interested buyers who may or may not be willing to pay what you feel it's worth, and there's no guarantee it will even sell at all.

Personally, I won't sell anything for anybody else using my eBay account because of the potential for undesireable and unforeseen issues, such as if the buyer decides to return the item and it comes back damaged or, even worse, it gets lost in shipping, etc. Too much hassle when I sell my own knives, so I'm not keen to take on that burden for someone else (except perhaps a close friend who I know and trust). But, there are plenty of people who do that sort of thing as long as you're willing to share enough of the proceeds with them to make it worth their while.

~Q~

[Mumbleypeg]

eBay will sell it for you. Do an Internet search for "eBay valet". I don't know any more about it than that so you're on your own from here!

Ken

[kootenay joe]

When an ebay seller sells a knife for someone else, the finances often go like this: selling price minus 15% (for PP & ebay fees) is split 35% to ebay seller, 65% to knife owner. Sometimes split is 40:60.
kj

[ea42]

Personally if I were you I'd just open an Ebay account myself. You've already got Paypal and some decent pictures, everything else is easy. Listing an item is very straightforward, just be sure to cover all the important keywords in your title: Robeson, Painted Pony, etc. Offer to ship Priority Mail small box to minimize the chance of damage and you're good to go. I don't like the pawn shop route since you'll only get a fraction of what it's worth.

Eric