The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States with roots dating back to 1876. The company manufactured Camillus branded knives and was a prolific contractor for other knife brands up until its last days in 2007 when the company filed for bankruptcy.
Has anyone else noticed that Camillus knives suddenly seem to have become very valuable?? I have not searched eBay for a while and got a nasty shock when I did - sanity only seems to return from about item number 600 on wards. The first listings are really something - $198 for a USMC utility??
Granted, there are some really nice, collectable fixed blades there, but even on those I think the prices are unrealistic. There also suddenly seems to be a whole flood of them available - has someone unearthed a cache or are the counterfeiters at work.....?
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water.
Latin Proverb
i think the increase started back in 2007, right after camillus went out of business-thank goodness, i bought most of mine before this happened!!!!!..........
Smoke, knife prices in general were depressed for a few years but I've noticed an upward trend during the past three years or so. I believe, during that time, prices have rebounded and then some.
In addition to that, sellers don't seem to be willing to take their chances with an auction. Of the 200,000+ knives now on eBay, 3/4 of them are Buy It Now.
What I'm trying to say in my convoluted way, is Camillus prices have gone up but so have the prices of most other knives. I'm also noticing a price rise in Chinese made knives. I think that $198 USMC Utility knife is just one of those anomalies that's a spike in the graph.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.
"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
Maybe it is just me, and I agree that the USMC utility for almost 200 bucks is a spike, but for the first few pages I am sure the prices have gone way up - other US military utilities that used to sell for $20 and $25 not more than a month ago are now advertised for between $65 and $85. Electricians knives that sold for between $10 and $20 until recently for as much as $60, same with Hawkbills. Cub scout knives that used to be between $20 and $30 are now going for double that, and more.
There always used to be those with the very high prices - there is one #23 on there for $125 that has been sitting at that price for at least 6 months, maybe closer to a year - but they used to be the odd one out - now it is nearly half the knives.
Granted, a little lower down on the list those same knives are still to be had for the sort of prices we have seen over the last while, but there seems to be a definite trend up, and very strongly so. And you are right - a lot of those high prices are "Buy it now" situations, rather than auctions.
On the one hand, I don't mind the prices going up, as it makes my little collection more valuable, and I think Camillus has been undervalued for a long time; on the other hand, it puts a dampener on my further collecting.... Difficult one!
"The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good."
- Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)
Be on your guard against a silent dog and still water.
Latin Proverb
smokepole wrote:Maybe it is just me, and I agree that the USMC utility for almost 200 bucks is a spike, but for the first few pages I am sure the prices have gone way up - other US military utilities that used to sell for $20 and $25 not more than a month ago are now advertised for between $65 and $85.
From what I am seeing ALL military knife brands are on the rise not just Camillus, especially WWII era pocket and fixed blade knives. There seems to be a collecting craze on WWII stuff right now with knives included.
T.J. everybody and his (or her) brother (or sister) are selling knives now. The seller will have one or two knives and the rest are teapots and doilies. They look 'em up in one of the many books that show horribly inflated prices, (if they do any research at all) and think that's what it's worth even though the blade is tipped and the handle is cracked. 80% can't tell the difference between Delrin and bone so they just go with bone. Because it's not knife people selling knives sometimes you get a bargain but sometimes it's priced right off the charts. Drives me nuts when a knife is listed for a bunch of money and the picture is so dark and/or out of focus you can't tell if it has blades or worse yet, there's one dark out of focus picture with the blades closed.
I recently asked a seller, "Do the blades have good snap?"
He replied, "They close like they ought to." What the devil does that mean?
Alright. Gonna stop whinin' now and step down off my soap box.
Shuttin' up now boss.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.
This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.
"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
I have not searched eBay for a while and got a nasty shock when I did - sanity only seems to return from about item number 600 on wards. The first listings are really something - $198 for a USMC utility??
Just keep shakin' Jerry!! 