All About Pocket Knives

Can anyone recommend a good and current knife pricing book? Searching online, I see Levine’s but the publishing date is years behind.
I’d appreciate any and all recommendations. I recently purchased Goin’s and it is a terrific source but more for identifying obscure cutlery. Thanks. Oscar

My personal belief is books are out as far as pricing is concerned.
Completed auctions on ebay is what the market will pay for.

Just MPO.

I agree with Scott. A search of sold listings for a particular knife on ebay will normally give you a clear picture of current prices being paid.

Triple F:
You’re probably right there. It’s just that sometimes a knife comes to auction on EBay that gets overlooked. Case in point, I bought a NOS mint Queen on EBay for $20.00 recently. I was the only bidder and the seller didn’t have a reserve price set. Just a weird fluke, but I made out like a bandit. I don’t think any book would be definitive. Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay. But it’s good to get an idea, if only a vague idea.

Totally agree with Scott and everyone above. It is not about intrinsic value. It is mainly about what the market will currently support and how well a knife is presented for sale. Sadly, for used, vintage knives, it seems that the bay is one of the best current sources of true market information.

OSCAR wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:12 am Triple F:
You’re probably right there. It’s just that sometimes a knife comes to auction on EBay that gets overlooked. Case in point, I bought a NOS mint Queen on EBay for $20.00 recently. I was the only bidder and the seller didn’t have a reserve price set. Just a weird fluke, but I made out like a bandit. I don’t think any book would be definitive. Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay. But it’s good to get an idea, if only a vague idea.

Yeah, many factors could have caused that fluke and you could probably pin it to one: listed in the wrong category.
If not that one, then listed with minimal info in the title, or listed to end at the wrong time of day when there are lesser viewers on ebay, or
bad photos,, or all of the above....but usually I find my flukes listed in the wrong category.

Thanks! I should probably look in different categories. That Queen is a winner. D2 steel, and mint condition. My luck usually would be to overpay on an item. Who knows? Maybe it will change for the better. Thanks again for your input.

OSCAR wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:41 am Thanks! I should probably look in different categories. That Queen is a winner. D2 steel, and mint condition. My luck usually would be to overpay on an item. Who knows? Maybe it will change for the better. Thanks again for your input.

Not particularly talking about your purchase but just sharing an observation.

In regards to the D2 queens I have seen popping up lately. I have seen many that do not have the blade etched. I am by no means an expert but I think that some of these were from the Queen auction and most likely would have been considered seconds. As much as I like the D2 offerings I am hesitant to buy without the blade etch.

I think the old Levine’s guides are good in the respect that the pricing is very relative. These guides will give you a value that may not be absolute but it will relate proportionately correct from knife to knife. For example if you have 20 knives you will be able to arrange them from low to high value correctly. This is not absolute but it is the best guide to help you understand how knives are valued and why.

herbva wrote: ↑Sun Nov 24, 2019 2:18 am . Sadly, for used, vintage knives, it seems that the bay is one of the best current sources of true market information.

Rarely does a good Vintage knife make it to eBay. Most of what I’ve seen are poor examples of what once was a good knife. I find Tony Fosters’s Case price list, Jim Sargents Books and Tom McCandless new book come in handy when dealing in Vintage knives especially older Case knives. It’s a must at Knives show when you find that soon to be grail knife.

Rotten: I agree. Mine is etched. It isn’t the most desirable collectible from Queen, but rather a great EDC. “Country Cousin “ a sodbuster patern. At 20 bucks there was no way I’d let that go. Blade is etched Country Cousin.

The problem with using books to establish a selling price is by the time the book is researched, assembled and printed, it's out of date. Since I don't sell, I'm a poor source for advice. I agree with the eBay recommendations (search sold listings, throw out the two or three high prices and the two or three low prices, then average the rest) and would add the folks here at AAPK and the AAPK store as good sources. In the end, the right price is what an individual is willing to pay.

Find a copy of Bruce Voyle’s’ American Blade Collector’s Guide to Antique Knives.

He priced the knives from Poor to Pristine.

Of course, it’s out of date, but if you have any sense at all of the market, you can make the appropriate changes.

At the very least, the book will inform you as to the rarity of certain patterns and brands.

It’s out of print, but findable.

As to Levine’s Guide, he stated many years ago that the value derived from using his system were the prices one might expect to be offered by a dealer, i.e., wholesale.

Charlie