ebay knife questions

[semroc]

Hello all. Really enjoying this forum. I'm new to vintage knife collectiing. Whats the protocol for asking questions about a knife that is currently up for bid on ebay? I'd like to know if some are legitimate or not. Are they made in the U.S.A. or not? Year made? Things like that. Is private messaging preferred? Thank you. Much appreciated.

[Gunsil]

EBay is a can of worms when it comes to collectable antique knives. There are several sellers one needs to steer clear of, they regularly sell cobbled or counterfeit knives. I don't know where you are located but going to some knife shows and getting some hands on experience might be in order. Maybe a knife club in your area? Another problem is a lot of folks sell knives on ebay who know nothing about knives so they can't tell you whether a knife has good snap or not and have no idea what original finish looks like compared to a cleaned or buffed knife. Of course there will be knives at knife or gun shows that are not right either, but there are many times more of these on the net. One nice thing about this site is that you can post links to any ebay knife and ask what folks here think. You may get different answers but you will get answered. There are many here who will help with knowledgeable advice. Of course if you post a link to a good one you will also be alerting others who may bid against you, but generally it is better to ask than go in blind. If you happen to be in New England there is a knife show next Sunday Sept 15th in Marlborough, MA, come on by!!

[semroc]

Thank you for the response Gunsil. I live in Washington state. There are knife shows around every once in awhile. I will check them out. It sounds like buying from this forum is the way to go till I learn a bit more. Appreciate the insight.

[Mumbleypeg]

Welcome to AAPK semroc. Gene (gunsil) has given you good advice - there is no substitute for hands-on examination of the real thing. Go to some shows where you can do that, and talk to the dealers and other collectors you'll meet. Ask questions, especially when the dealers aren't busy with customers.

Collecting knives is not an inexpensive hobby. Invest a little of your money in some good reference books. Read and study the pictures of knives in them. This site is a great resource also. Check out the "Research" section (access it from the link way up at the very top of the page). Another good place here to learn is the "Counterfeit Watch" subforum here. https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... m.php?f=17

There is a "search" capability here, accessible through "Quick links" on the left toward the top of the page. Recommend you learn how to use it so you can find posts about and pictures of just about any kind of knife you see for sale on eBay. And if you have any questions post them and any links to eBay here and someone knowledgeable will give you their opinion.

Ken

[RobesonsRme.com]

How accessible is Eugene, OR to you? There are a couple of small OKCA shows there each year and their big show, probably the best in the country, in April.

Cannot recommend that show more highly.

Also, if you have not already done so, figure out what your focus will be. Collecting everything you see or like is not reasonable for most. You could collect a particular brand, a particular pattern, a particular handle material or even a particular era or time period.

Develop a narrow focus and learn everything you can re' that.

Charlie Noyes

[TripleF]

Yes, all I do is ebay,

Send any question you have before you bid/purchase.
Very simple operation....been doing ebay for 10+ years.

[Gunsil]

Ken's advice on getting a decent reference library going is a really good one although some of the best knife books are out of print and getting harder to find. There are still many good books available. Charlie's advice to determine a collecting area has merits too and will help you avoid being a nut like me who collected everything with an edge except maybe scissors. I collected all brands, all patterns, fixed blades, pocket knives, military knives, bowie knives, straight razors, hatchets and axes, just have an all over the place collection. The big Oregon show is on all serious knife collectors radar and you should definitely go there if possible. It is 3,000 miles from me and I have never been but have friends who have and they do rave about it. Once you get educated some gun shows, flea markets and antique shops sometimes give up really good deals on antique knives. No offense to anybody here but I have never bought a knife from the sales section here, I get better deals at shows. Many intrepid knife collectors don't bother with any online sales, they prefer to handle and personally inspect any old knife they buy. I hope you get into and enjoy the field of antique cutlery, it is a fun collecting category and can be very satisfying to folks with the collector "bug".

[ea42]

Semroc if you have a question about an Ebay knife you can post it right here in Q&A too. If you don't want to post a link you could just paste a picture or two along with your question and I'm sure someone here can help you out.

Eric

[semroc]

Thanks for the informative responses everyone. It's nice to know i can get the lowdown on a knife before i purchase it. I'm mainly interested in Colonial knives, and Hammer brand knives. That research library here is really cool. It's helped a ton. Was colonials top of the line the old cutler, and the ranger series knives? Was there a top of the line for hammer brand? Much appreciated everyone. Eli.

[semroc]

Woops. I asked that on the wrong forum. Ill ask on the colonial thread forum.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Don’t hesitate to use the “ contact seller” feature on EBay to ask questions of the seller. I know I always respond as soon as possible to any questions. Buying from the sellers here on AAPK is, in my opinion, safer than eBay. We sellers here are held to a pretty high standard. If a seller is pulling a fast one on people, they won’t last long here and they won’t get away with it more than once. I don’t know a seller here that wants to trash their reputation. But on eBay it’s not quite the same standard. It’s like dealing with small town businesses compared to big city businesses, one cares a whole lot more about reputation than the other.