Vintage Stiletto - $11K Winning Bid - HUH???

[LongBlade]

I have no idea what drove the price on this knife but saw it as the largest end bid for a knife last week... The best I can see enlarging the tang stamp is Japan on bottom and there is what I think says CSC (not sure about S??) over a name I can't decipher over Steel over Japan (see photos from auction)... Bidding started at $14.99 and ended over $11K... Was this knife made by Hattori Honzo - guess you needed to watch the movie "Kill Bill" to understand that one.. I just don't get this one but maybe someone can educate me - thanks!!

Ebay Listing (and this is all that was on the complete listing):

Title: Vintage Stiletto Knife

Description: Beautiful stiletto knife. It’s 11” long open and 6” closed w/ wooden handle. Nice knife

Ebay# 113156695457

Here's some photos:

[robbobus]

Some kind of shenanigans. Could be a groupod fake bidding and then use a new account to "win" . No one's paying 11k for that. I wouldn't give a tenner personally.

[KnifeSlinger#81]

That's mighty strange.

[OLDE CUTLER]

Must be money laundering or something.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Either the high bidder did not proof read his bid or the bidder is a child or some other immature person who has no intention whatsoever of buying the knife.

And I can not find the auction using that item number.

Charlie Noyes

[TwoFlowersLuggage]

Charlie - you have click "Completed Listings" after you search for that item #.

The seller has another knife listed that looks very similar (might be the same knife).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-stilet ... 3156695457

Really curious bid history on the $11K knife. Clearly it didn't end with a valid sale.

[knife7knut]

Maybe the bid was in Zimbabwean dollars which would equal about 3 cents maybe. I would venture that the posted knife is a non automatic stiletto complete with fake button that was made shortly after the 1958 ban on real switchblades. PIC(Pacific International Cutlery)and several other Japanese makers flooded the market with them. I have a couple smaller ones kicking around somewhere. If the buyer was bidding in Zimbabwean dollars then he probably got a good deal.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Looking at that bid history, everybody from the 5th bidder from the bottom up was over-bidding.

Charlie

[kootenay joe]

Why would so many bidders (6 or 7) bid ridiculous amounts for a rather ordinary, often seen, $50 knife ? This is more than just 2 bidders placing ridiculously high bids.
The only thing that could give this knife a high value is provenance: previously owned by someone famous or used in committing a nefarious act; e.g. O.J. Simpson's knife.
However there is no indication of any interesting connections, so what is going on ?
kj

[RobesonsRme.com]

I suspect some genuinely interested bidders place ridiculously high bids to ensure they win the item and are trusting that no one is going to come along and raise their bids to that level. They expect the item to seek its true value.

I know one very deeply pocketed man that does that. He doesn't even do his own bidding, he pays someone to do it for him. I'm sure he tells the guy what he's interested in, though.

To my knowledge, he has never lost an item he wanted. And he doesn't bid on just pocketknives, he has two or three other interests.

If that is the case with the OP auction, the idiot Unregistered User came along, slammed down that 11,000 dollar bid and jacked everybody else's high bids to their max. But, when he doesn't pay, the bid falls to the second highest bidder. I'm not sure he would be obligated to pay, however.

Just a theory.

Charlie Noyes

[knife7knut]

"Auction Fever" carried to a ridiculous level. "Be careful what you wish for".

[kootenay joe]

Quote Charlie: "the idiot Unregistered User came along, slammed down that 11,000 dollar bid and jacked everybody else's high bids to their max."
If you look at the bidding it was at $319 from July 18 until a few minutes before closing on July 24 when 3 bidders showed up and drove the price to $11,767. The winning bidder was first to bid and that showed the previous max bid to be $1000. Then 2 other bidders piled on bidding a total of 6 times to drive price to $11,767. So the winning bid was over $11,767 and was placed when knife was at $319.
I see this as shill bidding.
kj

[glennbad]

I also noticed that 3 of those bidders have very little bid activity in the last 30 days, and nearly all those bids are with this seller.

[slimtrap48]

I've accidentally bid over $1,000 on $20 items because of my fat fingers ....luckily I didn't pay that much.