Whittler With New Grind On All Blades

[Trader]

I recently purchased a 1983 Model 6308 Whittler. All blades have the new grind. First time I have seen the new grind on the large clip. Any idea of it's rarity or value? Thanks for any information.

[Trader]

I'm new here and do not know if I was out of line by asking about value. If so, my apologies.

[QTCut5]

You're not out of line, it's just that your question is so frequently asked by new members and has been answered so many times with basically the same response that it gets tiresome and tedious for others to keep repeating the same thing over and over. But, that's not your fault.

Here's the standard reply to the most often asked question, "What is my knife worth?"

The short answer: It's worth whatever someone else is willing to pay for it. There is no inherent value (to any knife) because the concept of "value" is so subjective and relative.

The longer answer to your question is more complicated because "value" is subjective, particularly when determining the value of a piece of art or a collectible. It's virtually impossible for someone, even an experienced collector, to simply tell you a dollar amount that your knife is worth, although there will undoubtedly always be some "expert" who will try to do just that (especially if he wants to purchase it for his own collection). Safer value judgements can be obtained from others who have purchased a similar knife.

The first thing you can do to to determine it's value is look at the receipt from when you bought it (assuming you bought it instead of acquiring it some other way), that will give you a baseline idea of how much it is worth to at least one person (you). It's safe to assume that if you were willing to pay that much for it, there are others who would as well. Of course, some might be willing to pay even more, but others would not pay anywhere near that much...all highly subjective.

You can research dealer sites to see what dealers are asking for similar knives. But, that only tells you what the value is according to a dealer (which is usually inflated for obvious reasons).

Another thing you can do that may help you determine a "value range" for your knife is to do a search of similar knives that have sold on eBay and see how much they sold for. Make sure to search "sold listings" not just "completed listings" and focus mostly on the knives that sold at auction vs for a seller's listed Buy It Now asking price, especially on BIN listings where a Best Offer option was also available. Here is a helpful site for searching sold listings on eBay.

http://www.watchcount.com/completed.php

The surest way to know the value of your knife is to put it up for sale and see how much it sells for. Of course, that is kind of a last resort since then you'll no longer have the knife. But, at least you will have found its value.

~Q~

[gsmith7158]

Hey trader! Welcome to AAPK. No worries about asking about value here but bear in mind most post 1980 Case knives really haven't had enough time to build a vintage valuation so likely not more than original retail value and probably less. I had a 1983 improved copperhead with the new grind blades on both the spey and the master clip blade. That knife was in mint condition and I sold it for about $55 if I recall.

[Trader]

You're not out of line, it's just that your question is so frequently asked by new members and has been answered so many times with basically the same response that it gets tiresome and tedious for others to keep repeating the same thing over and over. But, that's not your fault.

Here's the standard reply to the most often asked question, "What is my knife worth?"

The short answer: It's worth whatever someone else is willing to pay for it. There is no inherent value (to any knife) because the concept of "value" is so subjective and relative.

The longer answer to your question is more complicated because "value" is subjective, particularly when determining the value of a piece of art or a collectible. It's virtually impossible for someone, even an experienced collector, to simply tell you a dollar amount that your knife is worth, although there will undoubtedly always be some "expert" who will try to do just that (especially if he wants to purchase it for his own collection). Safer value judgements can be obtained from others who have purchased a similar knife.

The first thing you can do to to determine it's value is look at the receipt from when you bought it (assuming you bought it instead of acquiring it some other way), that will give you a baseline idea of how much it is worth to at least one person (you). It's safe to assume that if you were willing to pay that much for it, there are others who would as well. Of course, some might be willing to pay even more, but others would not pay anywhere near that much...all highly subjective.

You can research dealer sites to see what dealers are asking for similar knives. But, that only tells you what the value is according to a dealer (which is usually inflated for obvious reasons).

Another thing you can do that may help you determine a "value range" for your knife is to do a search of similar knives that have sold on eBay and see how much they sold for. Make sure to search "sold listings" not just "completed listings" and focus mostly on the knives that sold at auction vs for a seller's listed Buy It Now asking price, especially on BIN listings where a Best Offer option was also available. Here is a helpful site for searching sold listings on eBay.

http://www.watchcount.com/completed.php

The surest way to know the value of your knife is to put it up for sale and see how much it sells for. Of course, that is kind of a last resort since then you'll no longer have the knife. But, at least you will have found its value.

~Q~

Thanks for the advice. I will more than likely make more newbie mistakes but, I will do my best to keep them to a minimum. Thanks again.

[gsmith7158]

Trader don't be discouraged by not receiving an answer to your question right away and even more so don't stop asking questions or you will never learn. Although there are several questions that when asked may get an eye roll or two, you've got to ask them if you don't know. The thing about being a newbie is that that you don't know things that will become second nature after a little experience and knowledge come your way. New guys often ask about value , cleaning knives and rarity. Hang around, soak up all the knowledge you can and ask questions. Someone will get around to answering.

[QTCut5]

And, BTW...Your knife appears to be in fairly good condition, not necessarily "mint" though...and condition obviously has a significant affect on value. Some things that are impossible to determine from a photo which are important conditions in determining value include the walk & talk, or how well the blades snap when opening and closing, as well as blade wobble--are all the blades nice and tight with no side-to-side or up-down movement both in the open and closed positions? You might also use a magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe to check the handle for any chips or hairline cracks in the bone scales, particularly around the pins.

Every little detail, no matter how small, affects the value of a knife. Remember, knife collectors are generally a very picky species who are usually inordinately obsessive in their attention to minutia (not to mention sometimes notoriously tight-fisted when it comes to money matters).

~Q~

[Old Hunter]

Trader, I like new grind blades myself but only have a few knives with them (I tend to collect pre-83 in Case) - your knife looks pretty good. If the blades and bolsters were mint - high polished - sellers would ask around $100 (maybe a bit more) for that knife on ebay and some would get that for it. I would pay about $50 for one in that condition (near mint) if I wanted it for my collection - others might pay a little more, and some a little less. New Grind collectors are specialists within Case collecting, most established Case collectors want pre-1980 and some cut it at the mid 1970's - whatever a particular collector finds appeals to him/her. Welcome to AAPK, there are some very knowledgeable folks on this website - hang around, read old threads, learn much! OH

[QTCut5]

Personally, I am a big fan of the look of New Grind blades with the smooth,, graceful curve instead of a straight perpendicular line. I wish Case had continued using the new grind style beyond the mid 1980s, and I wish they had put new grind blades on the mini trapper pattern #07.

~Q~