GEC Auctions of Note

[Doc B]

Wow...these just keep commanding more and more $$$...

[WillyCamaro]

Head bang .

[Tsar Bomba]

If Charlie's intention is for his TC Barlows to be carried by everybody who buys one, he may have to rethink the quantities.

Things like this are why I've put my ebony and ancient TCs in the safe.

[kootenay joe]

If Charlie's intention is for his TC Barlows to be carried by everybody who buys one, he may have to rethink the quantities.

Things like this are why I've put my ebony and ancient TCs in the safe.

For those who bought these in the hope of selling for a profit, i think now is a good time to cash in. It might not the absolute top of the market, but i do not see these high prices being maintained for more than another 2-3 years. When some of the dedicated GEC collectors move on to new interests, the very highly price GEC's will begin to drop in price. It will be sudden and precipitous.
The knife 'market' has a history of swings in popularity and therefore prices because collector interests change regularly.
Although i believe this, i have also believed things in the past and with things that involved money, i have so far always been wrong.
kj

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Wow...these just keep commanding more and more $$$...tc.png

I could find 3 or maybe 4 really nice old bone schrades on ebay for around the same price that one TC sold (spread out of course). Lol.

[Onearmbladejunkie]

In November 2018 ,I bought a #48 mini slim trapper in blueberry wavy jigged bone. I paid $146 total for it. A week later one was sold for $120 plus shipping. In 2019 another #48 blueberry was sold for $175 and then another one after that one was sold for $200. Only 20 were made.

488117-bjb.jpg (11.83 KiB) Viewed 4603 times

[Onearmbladejunkie]

In late 2018 , I bought a 2011 GEC#65 Ben Hogan in Gold Autumn jigged bone. 24 made with no # --- The poor guy lost his job and he had about 15 GEC knives for sale in Evil-bay. He listed it for $150 plus shipping and that is what I paid for it. He made money on every knife he sold , he had some good ones too.. I ended up with a true keeper !

[Doc B]

I don't remotely understand this one. Two drunk guys, watching the Superbowl, in a bidding war?!?!

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Here is one that went for 460. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-GREAT-EAS ... 3814617184
Burnt stag 73.

[kootenay joe]

Here is one that went for 460. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-GREAT-EAS ... 3814617184
Burnt stag 73.

This auction is a surprise: 2015 #73 with burnt stag handles. Nice GEC but nothing special or unique about it. The 73 pattern was one of the first GEC's, made in 2006, and there have been many #73 releases since then, both 2 blade & single blade.
Is there something here that could explain the $460 selling price ?
kj

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Here is one that went for 460. https://www.ebay.com/itm/2015-GREAT-EAS ... 3814617184
Burnt stag 73.

This auction is a surprise: 2015 #73 with burnt stag handles. Nice GEC but nothing special or unique about it. The 73 pattern was one of the first GEC's, made in 2006, and there have been many #73 releases since then, both 2 blade & single blade.
Is there something here that could explain the $460 selling price ?
kj

Other than the stag being exceptionally nice, I didn’t see anything that would give someone a hint that this would go this high. It’s a head scratcher for sure.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

This Cattle knife just sold for 515!!! That hurts the wallet, I don’t care where you’re from. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GREAT-EASTERN- ... fresh=true

[kootenay joe]

Quote: "This Cattle knife just sold for 515!!! That hurts the wallet"

Yes, but what a fine knife ! Only topped by the Texas Camp knife.
kj

[RalphAlsip]

I was watching this even though I already have one - if one is good 2 is better . Early in the auction there didn't seem to be much interest and then it jumped up quickly. So far it would seem that knife values are not taking a hit as a result of the Covid economic situation. If anything, it seems like valuations have risen since this all started.

[edge213]

This Cattle knife just sold for 515!!! That hurts the wallet, I don’t care where you’re from. https://www.ebay.com/itm/GREAT-EASTERN- ... fresh=true

Straight up crazy!!

[FarSide]

If you thought that Cattle knife was crazy; here's one to watch. A Campagna 98 Camp Knife. These don't show up very often
This should fetch a pretty penny.

Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/GREAT-EASTERN- ... 1438.l2649

[Trouts]

I was also watching the cattle knife and early on thought it might sell for around $200. Boy was I wrong. I can only imagine what the camp knife will sell for. Glad I got my 98 American Whittler when I did. I think it's the nicest made GEC I have handled.

[Doc B]

Time to start cashing in on some of that stuff in the safe? ...unfortunately, not in my safe.

[kootenay joe]

I don't get it. Why are so many collectors willing to spend such large sums of money for a pocket knife ? $775 is about 7 times the original price. As this was an auction there are other bidders who were willing to pay almost as much.
When will the bubble burst ? I keep thinking this is it, $500, cannot go any higher, and then a different GEC sells at $600 and i think this must be the peak. But they still keep going up. Not all GEC's, just certain patterns.
I still think that prices are going to come down and the last buyer will take a loss when he comes to sell.
I can see continued appreciation for the GEC's with mammoth or ivory handles because no more will be made. For all the rest it is risky business paying so many times the original price.
I have never made good business/investment decisions so i would really like to hear what others think about these very high GEC prices. Maybe there is still room for further 'growth' ?
kj

[schradefan27]

I got seriously into knives around 1996-97. At that time "tactical" was big. I bought a bunch of customs in the $350-$1,000 range.

Brend and Emerson appreciated and I sold one a couple years ago for about 10X what I paid for it.

Crawford, Elishewitz, Nealy and Ryan not so much - though I still love the Ryans!

Started buying traditional styles around 2004. I think that GEC represents the quality, scarcity and "cool" factor that some of the custom tactical guys had (for me at that time) in the late 1990's early 2000's.

Old Schrades currently "speak" to me and I would probably pay "too much" for same. For me they would be a good value.

But I buy for fun not investment.

[kootenay joe]

Quote: "But I buy for fun not investment"
me too but with some GEC's in the over $700 range most of us having fun can no longer play.
If you have sufficient funds and you buy at $700 and then decide to sell in a few years and the price is $300, the $400 loss is no big deal. But for most 'regular' guys it is a big deal.
Each of has has a price point at which we say 'no' not buying it at that price. I think the most popular GEC's have passed this price point for many GEC collectors.
I would like to hear how the very high prices are affecting other GEC collectors. Does $775 put you on the side lines ?
kj

[Doc B]

Last week, on another Facebook group...I stated, that GEC collecting had become a spectator sport.

[Rotten]

$775 would definitely put me out of the running for any knife. I did go over $400 for a grail GEC (1 down, 1 to go) but all the rest of my GEC's have been off the dealers shelf or reserved at regular retail.

I think the earlier small batch knives will only appreciate. It's the craziness over large runs of recent production that baffles me.

[Quick Steel]

It's the craziness over large runs of recent production that baffles me.

I think the GEC investment mania is part of the same mania affecting the investors in the stock market. Many companies are soaring even tho they are not profitable. Every bubble eventually pops.

[Rotten]

Up for less than 24 hours and already at $365, this one could get crazy. I don't get the craziness over these, if you total up all the handle varieties there are nearly 4000 on the planet which is a monstrous GEC run.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Great-Eastern- ... Swq6hfOAvP