Case 6172L

[iDroolT]

A friend of mine revealed to me today that she is in possession of one of these rarities. Just wanted to show some pictures and let the drooling begin.

[Miller Bro's]

[djknife13]

Yeah, my laptop is definitely getting wet.____Dave

[wiseguy]

I want it

[iDroolT]

Me too!

[stockman]

Nice knife, I would like to own it. From what I can see is nice looking bone and a blade that is setting proud. Be nice to see the back and blade. Very desirable knife. Harold

[iDroolT]

i'll get some more pictures today.

good eye... unfortunately, the action is non functioning. one of the many things that will be discussed with you all. i'll be asking for advice on several points, one of which will be whether or not an attempt should be made to disassemble and repair. i should probably let you all know that my friend is a motivated seller and an online auction is probably going to happen at some point.

[stockman]

I noticed at first that the pattern number should also start with a “6” as the picture on the OP is bone so something is funny there. Harold

[iDroolT]

is that right? so 5 is what, stag? that's on me then. the reason i'm on here is to take advantage of your keen eyes. one of the reasons i have to take more pictures is because upon first inspection i didn't notice the backside markings on the blade. so, it should be xx over 6172L then?

[stockman]

Go to research on AAPK go to Case numbering will be at the start. Lots of good info. Harold

[iDroolT]

excellent! yeah, i was surprised how little information is online about these. a google search doesn't come up with much more than hits on this forum. thanks for the help!

[Mumbleypeg]

Aside from the obvious blade peek, since you say its mechanism is nonfunctional it needs a qualified experienced mechanic. I wouldn’t even think of trying to repair a knife like that myself. It’s a job for Bill DeShivs, or Kaleb (Muskratman), or equivalent competent knife repair person. JMO. Both are members here.

Ken

[iDroolT]

Here comes the photo bomb. I'm not seeing an xx over 6172L and it doesn't look to me like the wear or pitting is bad enough to eliminate all of it. What are the chances that it wasn't stamped? Are there examples like that out there? Maybe an early one? The blade looks original to me but i'm no expert. What do you guys think?

[wiseguy]

Looks tampered with & suspicious to me, i’m no expert but can’t wait to hear from the others here.

[BestVintageKnives]

Aside from the obvious blade peek, since you say its mechanism is nonfunctional it needs a qualified experienced mechanic. I wouldn’t even think of trying to repair a knife like that myself. It’s a job for Bill DeShivs, or Kaleb (Muskratman), or equivalent competent knife repair person. JMO. Both are members here.

Ken

Muskrat man is the authority on repairing American autos. I would start communicating with him. You want the best doing this one so try him. Some guys will end up accidentally cracking the handles more or God forbid replacing the handles without asking you or it will come back and we’ll still have peak that happens all the time.Thank me now, thank me later

[iDroolT]

Looks tampered with & suspicious to me, i’m no expert but can’t wait to hear from the others here.

i hope not. all the history i know is how my friend acquired it. her ex husband traded some guy out of it back in the 90s and she took the knife when they divorced. said she's been carrying it in her purse wrapped up in a bandana for 20 years or more. said it was in the same condition when they got it that it's in now. asked a few people over the years about it, but no in depth information was given by anyone really. said she was offered 2k once. one guy at a pawn shop said the blade had been replaced and another OG knife collector told her he'd been collecting since he was 14 and had never seen one. told her i'd do my best to find out what i could.

[iDroolT]

Muskrat man is the authority on repairing American autos. I would start communicating with him. You want the best doing this one so try him. Some guys will end up accidentally cracking the handles more or God forbid replacing the handles without asking you or it will come back and we’ll still have peak that happens all the time.Thank me now, thank me later

if she has it worked on we'll be sitting there while it's being done. i don't trust people enough to hand something like this over.
[as pointed out by a thoughtful member, and in retrospect, this was a bit over the top. i failed to consider the other party's perspective in this scenario.]

[BestVintageKnives]

Muskrat man is the authority on repairing American autos. I would start communicating with him. You want the best doing this one so try him. Some guys will end up accidentally cracking the handles more or God forbid replacing the handles without asking you or it will come back and we’ll still have peak that happens all the time.Thank me now, thank me later

if she has it worked on we'll be sitting there while it's being done. i don't trust people enough to hand something like this over.

MuskratMan is honest and trustworthy.

But I understand other people in life are hard to trust. Many are just internet hero’s and we’ll all know what they say about the internet.

[iDroolT]

i wouldn't want to send it in the mail anyway. road trip! it'd be worth it to get it back into working condition, if it's authentic. sigh...

[BestVintageKnives]

i wouldn't want to send it in the mail anyway. road trip! it'd be worth it to get it back into working condition, if it's authentic. sigh...

The new trend these days is to not bother with repairs. They display really well and no one ever fires their knives much so leaving it as original as possible is a good idea. You send it to the wrong guy he would damage it even worse or they decide to not mail it back.

[iDroolT]

The new trend these days is to not bother with repairs. They display really well and no one ever fires their knives much so leaving it as original as possible is a good idea. You send it to the wrong guy he would damage it even worse or they decide to not mail it back.

makes sense, but... if a person is wanting to put it on the market, condition matters.

[Killgar]

I'd say Mumbleypeg gave you good advice. Both Muskratman and Bill DeShivs are well-known, highly skilled and highly respected switchblade repairmen.

if she has it worked on we'll be sitting there while it's being done. i don't trust people enough to hand something like this over.

As far as this^, I don't think you're going to find any professional willing to meet your conditions. First of all, there is the issue of scheduling. I don't think any professional is going to let a customer dictate their work schedule. And I seriously doubt that they would allow people in their shop while they are working, not the least of reasons would be liability issues. But perhaps most importantly of all, you're flat out telling them that you don't trust them. I'm quite sure that no one who does professional switchblade repair needs work bad enough to work for someone who says "I need to be there because I don't trust you".

So you're in a catch-22, take the risk of shipping the knife to a professional to have it fixed, or, leave it the way it is and sell it for less. It's always been my observation that fully functional switchblades are worth more than broken ones, including vintage switchblades. I haven't seen any trend of collectors preferring to buy broken, non-functional switchblades.

Of course if the knife is not authentic, like a blade from a different knife, then you're screwed value-wise.

.

[BestVintageKnives]

Many serious collectors like to buy them as is so they can orchestrate any type of repair necessary or none at all.

[iDroolT]

Of course if the knife is not authentic, like a blade from a different knife, then you're screwed value-wise.

you're right. my comment was a bit presumptuous of a person's willingness to agree to such an expectation. i'd be more polite than just trying to barge my way in and start making demands. probably not the best first impression to make. lol

valid points, all, however, we are getting a little ahead of ourselves since we don't even know if it's authentic.

that being said, i'd have no problem treating a professional knife mechanic just as i would a jeweler or any other specialist, but if i'm hiring someone out of state and wanting to drive as a precaution with a special piece, i don't understand why a professional wouldn't be willing to schedule enough time to do the job while i'm in town. i don't think that's unreasonable at all. i'm not some jerk that would try to force themselves into their work area so i can hover over their shoulder. i don't like people doing that to me either. i'm the type of person that would like to nerd out on the process and watch, unfortunately and understandably, not everyone is comfortable with that. i will say though, would be nice to have it all video documented, for the knife provenance as well as the future owner(s). hope that clears up any miscommunication.

[iDroolT]

Many serious collectors like to buy them as is so they can orchestrate any type of repair necessary or none at all.

also a good point!