All About Pocket Knives

I clearly remember when Charlie and I opened a dialogue about one knife in his collection that I needed badly for mine. When I asked Charlie if he'd be willing to part with it he wasn't ready at the time. A year or so later I checked-in again with Charlie and this time he was ready to make a transaction and move the knife from his museum to mine. When he stated the price I didn't even haggle - I knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I was blessed to be considered to be the new caretaker.

I'm fortunate that I have a son who is equally as passionate about vintage knives as I am and having a line of succession for my collection. I can't imagine going through a lifetime of collecting and have to part it out at point in life where you have the time to fully appreciate what you had collected all those years. It takes a special kind of man to give-up his worldly possessions so that those left behind don't have to. Charlie is a good man and I will always cherish our sole transaction.

You guys are too kind.

Thank you.

Charlie

Charlie, thank you for giving this a bump. I had not seen your collection before. Very Impressive ! and an almost frightening amount of work. Saying 'never used' instead of 'near mint', about what percentage of these display knives are 'never used' ?
Are you wanting to downsize and part with some knives ?
kj

Roland, ballpark figure without doing an actual count would be 75 - 80% are unused, maybe more.

When I first started, I would buy a cleaned knife and I had a few cleaned myself by an elderly gentleman, Herb Aycock, a master technician.

After a while, I stopped buying such knives and limited myself to mint, near mint or excellent-plus, if the pattern was very rare and a better example unlikely.

And yes, I have been selling some knives.

Charlie

Charlie,
Your Robeson collection is the best I've ever seen. They are some truly rare and beautiful pieces of history. I have somewhere around 75 to 80 vintage Robesons and I know how hard they are to come by, especially in excellent to mint condition. Most of mine came from Jim Sargent who you know very well. His shop is just around the corner from where I work so I've been fortunate to be able to handle literally hundreds of vintage knives. It is hard to imagine the time and resources you invested to build your collection. Thank you for sharing them with us here at AAPK and best wishes.
Ricky

I'm so Thankful that I don't work around the corner from Jim's store, I would be so broke I couldn't eat.

Harold

I haven't been in Jim Sargent's shop in many years.

I know he has turned the knife business over to his son, Jace, but Jim still deals in vintage pocketknives. I saw him at the Blade Show and he had just as nice an offering as ever. His selection of Case and Remington knives was very impressive.

I know he misses Jean and he is looking a bit older himself.

He's a fascinating man. As I recall, he was a pilot for The Oak Ridge Nuclear Research Facility.

Probably has some great stories, some of which he cannot tell.

Charlie