Blackie Collins

[Harryo]

I have a set of 4, individually cased knives made for S&W by Blackie Collins. There isn't much info on these here or anywhere on the web. The History of S&W has a picture and small write up. Supposedly there are 800 numbered sets somewhere but you don't see many pics or references to them. Are they that rare or just not much interest in these knives? I'll try and get some pics of the set over the weekend. Hard to put a value on something that you can't find for sale anywhere. Just curious as to what they may be worth. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[opoefc]

Harryo, There's quite a bit of info. on the late Blackie Collins and his S&W knives in the "Journals of the S&WCA" and the book " The Knives of Smith & Wesson" by Clarence Rinke. Too much to repeat here. These knives are very collectable and in minty condition, can bring good prices whenever they appear in auctions, etc. Ed.

 

[Harryo]

Thanks! I didn't know there was a book on S&W knives. I'll try to find a copy.

 

[Harryo]

Wow. Looks like the book is as rare as the knives. Thanks for the reference though as there is some info from this on the web.

 

[gjamison]

The books are numbered and very hard to find. The knifes are very collectible if that mint.

 

[Harryo]

Added some pics but my camera skills aren't that good. You can at least make out the different styles of knives in the collection. The blades all shine like new but the handles show a little tarnish. Should I treat these like a gun and not attempt to clean them? Anybody know how the liners are attached to the boxes? The top corner of the Eagle box is pulling away from the lid slightly. Thinking of just gluing it back up but don't want to ruin it's value. Thanks again for all the great info and knowledge that you guys share on here.
Harryo

 

[loc n load]

Knives

IMO you are best served to leave the knives as is.....brass will tarnish over a period of time as will other metals and collector's expect that. At least I do. With the detail work that is evident on those knives....I would leave them be.

 

[navihawk]

Blackie Collins was a custom knife maker and he did collaborations with shops like Schrade, and Gerber to name a few. Those look like Shrade made knives. You have a couple of things going for you. Schrade is now made in China, and Blackie Collins has passed, so his name will not be associated with knives today. Value? probable a few hundred each, JMO.

 

[Harryo]

Loc n load, I think you're right. Sort of like the patina that you'd find on an older gun. As long as they don't rust. I like the ability to take the grips off of guns before cleaning them. That way the different cleaners for the wood and metal don't mix and cause a reactive mess. Probably should have stuck to collecting guns but it is a pretty cool set. Guess it was an impulse buy. Seeing a complete set with matching numbers usually gets my interest no matter what the product. I see guesstimates on the prices in a few references but not much for sales history.

 

[navihawk]

Not much of a sales history because he was a custom maker. He also contracted a few tactical knives. You can find more info on them and Blackie Collins at bladeforums. He was big in the eighties. I saw the for sale of these after I posted on this thread. $100 dollars each was a good price. I think HARRYO got a good price for them too. You can probably get the green off with soap and a sponge, but I would leave the patina of the brass alone. Nice knives made in the good old USA.

 

[Harryo]

I think I got an ok deal on them. Far from a $100. each, more like triple that, but nothing I had to remortgage for. Think I'll just wipe them down with a clean rag and store them in some pistol gun socks.

 

[navihawk]

A microfiber would probably take the green off as well. They will only increase in value over time.
They would look good hanging in a case too.