Would it be foolish?

[Sharpnshinyknives]

After reading many of the posts on this forum, I realize that the Boker knives that have the “Tree Brand” on the blade and simply Boker on the tang are sourced in China and finished in Germany. I think they are the “traditional series”, if I am not mistaken. So would it be foolish to collect these? I am very impressed w/ the quality of these knives and the prices are very reasonable. But looking at future value, which I know a lot of you will jump on me about collecting being a “money losing proposition”, I’m afraid it doesn’t make sense since these aren’t likely to appreciate or maybe not hold their value.
I have made some money on Bokers I have bought and sold in the past, but they were mostly made in Germany. I have avoided the Boker Magnum and Boker Plus for the fact that they are made in China and won’t hold value over time. But what about these “traditional series”, what’s the educated guess on collectablility of these?
I hope I have gotten my facts straight on these, please correct me if I am wrong and I would appreciate hearing from you all.
Thanks,
SSk

[Eye Brand Man]

I've always had the mind set collect what makes you happy But as far as down the road these be collectible and sought after I doubt it. These are made in such great numbers. I do believe the Solingen one's would be a good bet. Now these are a little harder to find and cost more but down the road i'd be worth it. my2cents take for what its worth.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

I've always had the mind set collect what makes you happy But as far as down the road these be collectible and sought after I doubt it. These are made in such great numbers. I do believe the Solingen one's would be a good bet. Now these are a little harder to find and cost more but down the road i'd be worth it. my2cents take for what its worth.

Much appreciated. It is hard to imagine a knife produced in these quantities being as valuable or more valuable in the future. Except, I find the quality to be much higher than most mass produced knives. I had about 6 in the past year and sold 3 and made out okay, but I bought them well below retail on eBay. Hard to replicate that experience. The ones that I kept impress the heck out of me. In fact I sent a white bone lockback to Muskrat Man to rehandle w/ some exotic wood. I think it will be a knock out.
It’s the superior quality that has me thinking along this line. But it’s not a “smart” thing to do.
SSk

[kootenay joe]

Mark can you post a picture to show an example of the knife & markings you are referring to ?
thanks, kj

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Mark can you post a picture to show an example of the knife & markings you are referring to ?
thanks, kj

Sure can. Here are a couple of examples.
Mark

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Here is one of the white gentlemen’s lockback that I have.

[kootenay joe]

Thanks for pictures. I had thought these were some of their Arbolito" line made in their Argentina factory ?
kj

[XX Case XX]

I feel like the others do Mark. As long as you buy what appeals to you, you can't go wrong, whatever it is. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes, brands they prefer, patterns they like, and so forth. What's that old saying: Be true to thyself or something?

This is supposed to be about fun and enjoyment. Buy and collect whatever your heart desires my friend...

__________
Mike

[jerryd6818]

BUT if you buy, thinking you are investing in your future, then that qualifies as foolish.

[Quick Steel]

A few random thoughts Mark. Since you are considering future worth, then whatever happens your best bet is to stick with Solingen marked Bokers. The mark of Germany is not enough as I think you understand. Solingen is the key for a totallyGerman product. I believe the Solingen stamp will enjoy its cache into the future.

It may well be that a given Boker from another country is equal to or even better than a particular Solingen knife. But for value retention I think the Solingen mark is the way to go.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

A few random thoughts Mark. Since you are considering future worth, then whatever happens your best bet is to stick with Solingen marked Bokers. The mark of Germany is not enough as I think you understand. Solingen is the key for a totallyGerman product. I believe the Solingen stamp will enjoy its cache into the future.

It may well be that a given Boker from another country is equal to or even better than a particular Solingen knife. But for value retention I think the Solingen mark is the way to go.

Jerry, point taken.
Mike, I agree it should be fun. In my line of work I am always looking at future value, what can go wrong, risks, return on investment, etc. Can’t not think about that when I buy a knife. Especially when it isn’t one I am going to or likely to use.
Many years ago I use to watch and purchase knives from the Chris Kirk knife show, which later became Knives Live run by SMKW. While I was steered right on many a purchase, I dabbled in a few Rough Riders that Chris was so found of and thought would be a good for collecting. Ten years later I decided to sell all the China made knives from my collection, glad I didn’t have very many, maybe 15 or so. I could hardly give those away. I sold them all and lost a little money. So what was the point of having them? I didn’t use them. They weren’t a good investment and they were hard to sell.
So that experience has tainted my view and I have to ask if it’s foolish?
I think I will wait and just sit on this for awhile, revisit it later and see if it makes any more sense.
QS, I think that you are right about the Solingen knives. I know “Solingen” is the key because they ARE made in Germany and not just assembled there from Chinese made parts.
Boker does have a life time warranty on these traditional knives as well as all the other knives they have their name on, so for a quality knife to use, I don’t think you could go wrong w/ them if a person wanted a knife to use.
SSk

[philco]

Bokers are not the primary focus of my collecting efforts, but I have managed to accumulate several over the years. I have already noted an upswing in the prices asked for the Solingen made Bokers and I expect that trend to continue for a while, especially if the production of Solingen made Bokers continues to decline or stay at the modest current level. I certainly think the Solingen made knives would be a better investment than the ones marked "Germany" on the shield. Just my opinion for whatever that may be worth.

[kootenay joe]

Knife collecting now might be foolish unless you expect to loose money. There are an awful lot of collectible knives 'out there'. Many are in the collections of seniors, mostly men, who will not be here much longer. So expect the number of available good collectible knives to steadily increase for the next 10-20 years.
Now, who is going to buy them ? Hordes of new collectors are needed to maintain today's prices. Future always brings surprises. Maybe collecting will become the new 'hot thing' to do ?
The 'problem' with collecting knives from China is the huge number of every run. It will take 100 years for these to become a bit rare.
kj