Miscellaneous knives - who do I take them to?

[ISCS Yoda]

This is a brief sample of an estate that was brought to me because "I know you like knives". Actually, there was jewelry, too, and 48 hours after this lady brought me this collection of hoarded knives and gold rings I delivered to her a check for $2400.00 for the gold. THAT was the easy part.

These are just some of the knives:

I'm not literally selling these knives, not yet, anyway, which is why I think I am in the proper Forum, because I need a modicum of adult guidance with respect to how, what, when, where - - meaning how to value them, good ideas on what to do with them, when or where to liquidate this collection, or whatever else anyone can think of.

As you can see, a considerable number of these knives are jigged bone folders and many of them are Boker, Case, Haenkel (sp?), etc. And the picture is not even 25% of the number of knives.

This guy WAS A HOARDER!!!!

Advice, comments, criticisms, witticisms are all solicited.

Thanks, y'all!

 

[Igiveup]

Strange how knives accumulate thru the years. If you want to sell some, try Ebay or other auction site. Seems like people tend to over pay on those sites and you might gain the most money there. For what it's worth.

 

[Willie McHobblin]

Well, you need to be sharp to price them correctly, my point being you'll be on the edge of wasting too much effort. Better to use someone who has honed their skills in the cutlery trade. My local mom & pop gun shop deals in a lot of knives, not a high margin, but they generate foot traffic after people see them online. Maybe you have an old fashioned gun store near you? Good luck.

 

[kev74]

You've got enough that it might be worth getting in touch with an auction house.

It would be a lot of work to sell them individually.

 

[glenwolde]

I'd just auction them off on "the auction site" one at a time. Yeah, a few may go cheaper than they should, but some will go for more than they should and you won't spend a lifetime trying to value each and every one.

 

[ken158]

Itemize by make and then by folding or fixed. Note any model numbers and or names. Do some internet cruising and compare against your stash. Rent a table at a gun show and let the lookers determine the final values. Might take you a few shows and be prepared to bundle to other dealers. Knives have at least a 50% mark up so be prepared to accept reasonable offers. Guys that buy knives I see in your pics rarely have any high end valuable knives.

 

[StrawHat]

Might be worth joining this site,

All About Pocket Knives - Knife Forum

Kevin

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Maybe you have an old fashioned gun store near you?

Hmmmmm! I do, actually. That's a good idea.

Thanks for all of those ideas!

 

[otis24]

Vintage Knife Forum on Facebook.

 

[Narragansett]

I could not tell you about several of the brands, but I think there is a whole world dedicated to collecting case knives. See if you can find a book on grading and understanding case collectibles.

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Collecting-Case-Knives-Identification-Price/dp/1440202389[/ame]

 

[Marshal Tom]

I sent you a private message about this issue and what I did to liquidate a huge collection of both commercial and full custom knives left to me by my brother. Tom

 

[jeffrefrig]

Just that little box of folders looks pretty interesting, but I suppose knife guys are like revolver guys: some of those tins/boxes may bring in a few bucks. Almost a nice problem to have, but not a busy person.

 

[s&wchad]

You should figure out what's there, before deciding how to dispose of them. It's easy enough to research completed listings on ebay.

You'll also want to look up the various logos to properly identify the timeframe. Some patterns were made for decades, but earlier examples can bring 3-4X the price. You may have some treasures hidden in there that would be worth selling on ebay. Knives that will only bring $10-$20 probably aren't worth the effort to list individually.

 

[pharman]

Right here on the Forum...

Why not sell them right here on the Forum?

 

[Marshwheeling]

Check out bladeforums.com. You will have to get a premium membership to inquire about value, but they have a lot of knowledgeable members to help you with identification and valuation, and an active marketplace.

 

[Drm50]

Ten year back I helped a family by selling a gun collection. They had a suit case full of new Case Pocket knives, most in original boxes/ tins ect. Also a couple Crown Royal bags of used pocket knives. They wanted me to sell the knives but I declined because I'm not into them and seems they are hard to get book out of , NIB. In fact most you would be lucky to recover purchase price. I'm sure there are exceptions.
The kicker on this was they let a knife "expert" have them on consignment and they took a beating. I know of a couple other similar stories. If it were me I would figure a price I wanted for entire batch and only sell as a lot.

 

[NYlakesider]

Most gun shows I go to have a booth with a fellow that does knife sharpening. Talk to him and perhaps he can give you some names, phone numbers, email of people that are into the knives you are holding!

 

[Xfuzz]

Do some research on-line.
The info your seeking is readily available.
Ton of info on many of the blade forums.

Compare values on some of the auction sites.
Gain some knowledge and have some fun.
If you have an ebay account that maybe you best selling
format.

You may have a couple that are worth more than you think.
Arrange them in 3-4 "lots" and run them with a penny start.

Good luck...nice blades.

 

[clang444]

It looks like those knives may be about 20 years old. Probably not real high value, but still worth money.

If I had the time, I would start putting some of them on *bay and start the auction at $0.01. Mention you are auctioning off several from an estate so people interested start looking for your other auctions.

For the more common knives, bundle 2-3 or more together in one auction. You will probably get less money, but make your life easier if you have a lot to get rid of.

Also mention you will combine shipping so people are enticed to bid on more than one auction.

FYI - most Made in China knives don't bring much money no matter what brand is stamped on them. USA, Germany, and some Japan is where the best money is.

 

[Rpg]

I've purchased several lots of pocket knives at farm auctions over the years.

I've used them to sweeten a deal when I'm selling something else.

I like to have some at my table at gun shows. They attract people to come stand in front of my table. Those folks attract more people etc.

I'm sure I've sold most of the knives at the gun show rather than anywhere else.