All About Pocket Knives

zzyzzogeton wrote: ↑Sun Jun 20, 2021 11:35 pm Vintage is in the eye of the beholder.

Some folks think if it is older than they are, it's vintage. That could be 1995 for some sellers.

Some think it is because the item in question was made by a company that is no longer in business. A lot of Western and Camillus, among other companies, fall into that category. Yes, I know "Western" and "Camillus" are still on store shelves due to the Acme Inc buying the name and having stuff made in China, but to me, they are still dead companies. The modern stuff did not perform a Lazarus miracle.

Some call it vintage if it is a discontinued model. The company may still be around, the product may as well, but something has changed' An example of this is the Becker BK-2. Any of these made by Ethan himself in his garage, or made by Cincinnati Tool, or Blackjack Knives or Camillus are "vintage", while the Kabar versions are not.

And then you have the fools who call anything "vintage" because they think it will bring more money with such a label.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:20 pm I agree with what Cal and others said. The term originated with wine, and ALWAYS had a year associated with it. For example “Vintage 1932”, “Vintage 2012”, “Vintage 2020”, etc. If applied to knives or other items it should still have the appropriate timeframe attached. “Vintage WWII”, “Vintage 1920’s”, “Vintage 2016”, whatever. “Vintage” doesn’t mean old, antique or any such. It means from a time period, and when used correctly should have that time period included. Simply saying ‘vintage” is worthless. JMO. Unfortunately like so many other things, the ignorant have abused it to the point of it being meaningless - yet another failure of our dismal education system.

Ken

RobesonsRme.com wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:33 am Somewhere in the distant past, I read that "Vintage" was defined as anything evocative of the time in which it was made.

Thus, a Model A Ford is a vintage automobile because it evokes, in the minds of the observers, the time in which it was manufactured. Pretty much probably always will.

If that is true for most collectible items, then a seventeenth, eighteenth or nineteenth century knife certainly evokes the times in which they were made.

Is that also true of twentieth or twenty first century knives? Technically speaking, I suppose so, but the methods of manufacture, the patterns and styles of knives seem to remain steady now, as opposed to centuries ago.

Is a modern tactical folder "Vintage"? It certainly evokes images of the current time in which it was manufactured, but it isn't a term I would use to describe a modern knife, at least not for several more decades and I will probably not live that long.

How far back do I have to go to find "vintage"knives? 1940's and before and to a certain extent, the 1950's.

Charlie

wiseguy wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 4:13 am Ya that’s a loosely used description, if I sell a knife as “ vintage” it’s followed by the decade the knife was made.. example adjective “vintage 60s Queen cutlery “ .

kris_kross wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:42 pm It seems like everybody has their own personal definition of what it means to them, there ya go The term has been used heavily in secondhand markets for decades. I remember the term becoming popular in the 1980's in reference to guitars, cars, toys, etc. Back then it was often used to refer to stuff from the 50's and 60's that wasn't old enough to be antique but still old enough to be long out of production, "vintage" Beatles memorabilia for example. But like I say, everybody seems to have their own definition.

OSCAR wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:47 pm It’s the use of the word I object to but it’s misuse. I’ve seen absolute garbage marked with the descriptor vintage and the seller offering it at a ridiculous price. Let the buyer beware.

Dinadan wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 10:12 pm

OSCAR wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:47 pm It’s the use of the word I object to but it’s misuse. I’ve seen absolute garbage marked with the descriptor vintage and the seller offering it at a ridiculous price. Let the buyer beware.

And yet, as others pointed out, the term is perfectly correct if a date is attached (i.e. vintage 2020). The cheapest, worst made knife out of China in 2020 is still vintage 2020. Just like the worst made wine made in 2020 is still vintage 2020. If no time frame is attached, the word vintage is essentially meaningless. Just my opinion.