Does anybody answer a price question?

[44mag]

Hey Folks,
Does anyone around these parts ever directly answer a price question? I've read a little bit that has been written requesting what a knife might be worth and haven't found an answer yet. I am not being critical and I do understand the variability of the market, etc, but what does a guy do to figure out what a knife he isn't familiar with should bring? Any thoughts appreciated.
Bruce

[jerryd6818]

Completed auctions on eBay is one of the best indicators of what the market is currently paying for a particular knife. Throw out the high, throw out the low and average what's left.

[bestgear]

Hi Bruce and welcome to AAPK. I would say that many of the forum members here have been quite accommodating in responding to price questions. Many of the members that join AAPK are only here to find out the value of their inherited or found knife and never intend to be a part of the forum community, and that's perfectly fine. The most common place to look for a knives current value is recently SOLD eBay auctions which is probably the broadest knife marketplace in the world. That said, you could see a wide range of knife prices which can be driven by condition, rarity, collect-ability and buyer interest.

We've seen $20 knives sell for over $100 because 2 bidders got into a bidders-war. On the other hand, we've also seen $100 knives sell for $20 because the title was incorrect and buyers couldn't find the knife. It all depends on time and circumstance.

What knife do you have that you have a price question about?

<<UPDATE>> I see my friend Jerry responded as well....also great advise!

[bestgear]

Many of the members that join AAPK are only here to find out the value of their inherited or found knife and never intend to be a part of the forum community, and that's perfectly fine.

In my humble opinion that's perfectly fine is what I meant to say.

[44mag]

Thanks to the two of you, so far, who have posted thoughts. My question is what the two knives I have posted pictures of recently might be worth. They are under the posting Hotchkissville Knife Co. I did research the two knives on Ebay with no result for either. Thought maybe there would be a close guess on value here. Yes, I will be reselling them, but don't want to ask too much and don't want to give them away, either. I'm sure most folks on this website feel the same way. From what I have read so far, this group is similar in membership to an old tools group I also belong to. Just a really good bunch of folks that enjoy others of like mind and more than willing to help when possible. That said, I have very little to add to the knowledge base, but will try when I have something to add. If anybody has any ideas as to value on these two knives, I will be seriously grateful. They are apparently too old or scarce to be listed in the old book I have. Also am going to try to find a newer book that will help with pricing, and realize books are only a guide and are not gospel.

Hope I didn't rant too much.... I really look forward to learning and hopefully contributing. Thanks, again
Bruce
Who only has humble opinions....

[Paladin]

Many of the members that join AAPK are only here to find out the value of their inherited or found knife and never intend to be a part of the forum community, and that's perfectly fine.

In my humble opinion that's perfectly fine is what I meant to say.

Tom,
You can make corrections or changes to a post for 24 hrs (I believe it is for that long). All you need to do is click on the pencil icon in the upper right area of the window. Also, by clicking on the 'X' in that same area of the window, a post can be deleted for about that same period of time so long as another post has not been entered.
Just for what it is worth...

Ray

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

I think the main issue is that the knives you posted are not very common. I'm certainly not an expert, but I've never heard of either of those old brands. It's hard to give estimates when there have been no recent sales, or even knives offered for sale.

[doglegg]

Hey Bruce you might consider listing your Hotchkissville and A Field knives on Ebay auction and let the market set the price. I have never sold anything on ebay but as the H in particular is on the scarce side it could cause some excitement. I have enjoyed looking at them.

[RalphAlsip]

I'm speaking only for myself with these comments. (rant alert)

For the person asking the "how much is my knife worth?" question, their perception likely is that it is only one simple question why doesn't one of these experts respond? The reality is this question typically gets asked several times per week on AAPK so the people who can answer get fatigued with the question, especially because there is typically no appreciation offered for the free appraisal. There are many friendly, knowledgeable people on AAPK who might be able to provide an appraisal off the top of their head (i.e., quick and easy to respond). However, many times a knife in question may be undocumented and not popular so it would require a lot of time and effort to research, even for the experts.

When folks show up with the "how much is this knife worth question?", I would appreciate some information from the requester that explains what they already know about knives, the research they have already performed, what they have already learned about the knives they are asking about, and why they are interested in determining a knife's value. Here are a couple of made up scenarios and the kind of response I might provide.

Scenario 1: I'm an eBay seller who doesn't know anything about knives and I happened to pick up a knife (via yard sale, inheritance, etc.). I have no desire to learn anything about knives and don't care to participate in AAPK beyond getting my question answered as fast as possible. I'll never come back to AAPK again unless I end up with another knife I want to sell for the highest price possible.
Scenario 1 Response: In my opinion, if an answer is not readily available, the most appropriate response to this person would be for them to list the knife on eBay starting at $0.99 to run for 7 days ending on Sunday evening between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM Central time. This ending time window seems to be the prime window for knife auctions ending and there will be lots of "knife eyes" on eBay at this time. If the knife has value, it will attract bids.

Scenario 2: My dearly loved grandfather recently passed and left me his knife/knives which I treasure. I don't know anything about knives, but I want to use this opportunity to start collecting knives as a way to honor the memory of my grandfather and carry on a family tradition and pass the collection on to my children someday. I'm looking for advice to understand how to complement the collection my grandfather started as well as define my own interests in what I would like to collect. I want to make sure I invest my time and money wisely during this pursuit and would be very grateful for any advice. I look forward to active participation in AAPK.
Scenario 2 Response: I would be happy to help this person any way that I could.

A focus on knife collecting, traditions, and heritage is why many of us collect knives and there will be much support provided to assist someone in accomplishing those objectives. There likely won't be as much support available from folks on AAPK to assist someone in meeting their profit motives. In short collectors will get more attention than profiteers.

[kootenay joe]

Deciding what would be a fair price for a vintage knife is not easy. For any knife there will be differences in assigned value among experienced collectors. One guy might believe it to be worth 2-3x what the next guy values it at, etc. The more rare the knife is the harder to assign value because you likely have never seen one like it sell. Extreme rarity often decreases value. A threshold number of knives are needed to create collector interest.
Current value is not connected to original price or quality of workmanship. Price with collectibles is decided by supply vs. demand.
I think no one posted price suggestions because of the knife rarity, no one has a firm idea of market value.
kj

[Sharpnshinyknives]

I agree w/ Roland. I would be very reticent to tell someone a price, especially on a knife I know nothing about. Everyone on here has had a different experience w/ old knives. Some love them and others could care less. To the person that loves old knives they might be willing to shell out a lot of money for an old knife. But to others, and I’m in this category, mint condition, authentic and desirable is more important, they would not pay much.
I don’t buy older knives for my own collection for numerous reasons. 1) too many variables that I don’t know enough about. 2) too many fakes out there. 3) I just prefer shiny and new to old and worn.
So those two knives you have might be worth 20 bucks to someone like me and worth 200 to the aficionado.
If you bought those at a flea market and only paid a little for them, it’s highly unlikely that you found an undiscovered gold mine. They are probably worth what you gave for them.

[Dinadan]

I almost never respond to a request for a value because:

1) I do not consider myself an expert on value.

2) Even if I were an expert, the person requesting the value often does not provide enough information for anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, to answer the question. I would say that it is quite unusual for anyone requesting a value to provide a good set of photos of the whole knife from both sides and top and bottom, open and closed.



I agree that the best possible way to determine value is to search Ebay for completed auctions of similar knives.

[Colonel26]

Agree on the eBay and research thing. I don’t give opinions anymore personally, not that I’m any kind of exert at all, but I know a little bit about a couple of brands and patterns as most of us do.

Case in point #1: A friend of mine in another part of the country inherited a large number of knives when his dad passed. The father had been a big time collector and trader and had some VERY nice knives, a lot of old HOK’s, and some junk as most of us who “collect” tend to have. My friend kept some very nice knives, and some sentimental ones too, but wanted to move the rest. He sent me pictures, I looked around the internet and eBay, and gave him a realistic range of value for each knife and why. He was pleased, sold some knives and made money. For my efforts he gave me choice of a knife from a group he knew I liked, and I ended up buying two more from him. He was happy, I was grateful, and everyone left the deal pleased.

Case in point #2: On more than one occasion I’ve helped folks with brands or patterns I know, received a thank you, and when I inquired about buying the knife was told in essence it was going to eBay and they hoped I won it. That kind of struck me the wrong way. So after getting that response a time or two I just stopped for the most part.

If a guy is going to help you out, the least you can do IMO is show some appreciation shoot him a fair price before you go through the trouble of eBay. I may be off base, but that’s my opinion. YMMV

[44mag]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I do appreciate the info provided. You have given a good overall set of reasons in response to my question. I did pay a good amount for these two knives and hope to do well with them. Honestly, I just hope I didn't pay too much. The suggestion of timing the Ebay end time makes a lot of sense. I do a little Ebay and Sunday end times seem to help.

My sincere hope is that I did not offend anyone with my initial question. Looking forward to a good rapport with the assembled knife lovers.
For now, thanks and best wishes.
Bruce

[44mag]

In response to Colonel 126; I agree fully with your comment on the second situation. I think the guy was rude to you and if I were in your shoes would not consider even viewing his auction, let alone bid on it. There are indeed an abundance of people out there that need a lesson in manners. Of course, I have let my mouth overload other body parts a time or two in my life.... (Chuckling at self)
Bruce