All About Pocket Knives

In a recent marketing memo about Schatt & Morgan, it was stated that the new line must match the quality of GEC in order to succeed. That is a tough standard but I hope they can do it.

I agree IM! They are the best by far.

2008 GEC Tidioute #235108L OH-04 Jagged Spiral Cut Buffalo Horn

This is not my knife...it was purchased by a friend who brought it over to show me and ask if I thought he made a good purchase or if he got taken for a ride. Honestly, I didn't know what to tell him since I'm not a GEC collector and have never even heard of an "Open House" GEC knife; however, considering the rarity of the knife I can only assume it would probably hold a great deal of interest (if not high dollar value) among GEC collectors. He says he bought it to "collect" by which I believe he means as an investment that he plans to hang onto for a while then try and sell for a profit (i.e., flip...a practice which he knows I am not a fan of but since this is an older model, not a new release, he felt that maybe it's not the same as flipping. Hmmmm.... I don't know...maybe it's not ).

I found it interesting that the seller included the original sales receipt & dealer's invoice. Even more interesting to me is the fact that the Distributor, Dealer and MSRP price is exactly the same for the "Open House" knives...all the other knives from 2008 show different amounts in each column. I don't understand exactly what this means, but it would seem as though no profit was expected over the original GEC Distributor price for these knives...very strange.

My friend paid $542 + tax & s/h...so, the seller made a handsome profit off his $76.00 investment (although he did have to hold onto it for nearly 14 years).

This is the sellers ad copy that I cut & pasted from his eBay listing (used without permission---my italics):

RARE GEC Spiral cut Buffalo horn this is an open house knife I hand-picked this one out of a group of 30 absolutely gorgeous knives, now they only did two of the spiral cut, very desirable, very thick, truly an awesome knife. I have a video of me purchasing this knife on YouTube and all the receipts and production numbers from 2008 which are included in this purchase. I except all returns no questions asked, I do want to draw your attention to the patina on the back spring this is not corrosion but discoloration that I have noticed on a few of the 23‘s not a huge issue for me but worth mentioning at this price point, the micro scratching you see is because my camera picks up absolutely everything the knife is in collector grade condition , it has been kept in a knife roll never used and or sharpened. OK so what do I think I am a fan of the smooth bone but I got to say the way this feels in your hand, the thickness of it and admiring how the scales we’re finished this is an incredible knife for your collection. Very rare open house knives are famous for their fit and finish because they knew everybody was going to be looking at them very close, show pieces the best of the best. 2008

My photos:
Seller's eBay photos (also used without permission ):

The paperwork (my photos):
So, I'm curious what the GEC collectors on the forum would say in response to my friend's question as to whether or not he made a "good" purchase.

BTW--I happen to know from personal experience that the seller is a great guy (honest and extremely generous) from whom I recently purchased a custom T.A. Davison knife. (He's also an AAPK member.)

It's not a knife I would buy. Just because something is collectable might appeal to some but I just don't like the looks of the knife.

gsmith7158 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 11:16 pm It's not a knife I would buy. Just because something is collectable might appeal to some but I just don't like the looks of the knife.

Not my taste either, Greg, and not a knife I would purchase (at any price). Nevertheless, I am curious if any GEC collectors have ever heard of GEC "Open House" knives and what the deal with them is. The seller suggests they were superior to the regular production GEC knives ("open house knives are famous for their fit and finish because they knew everybody was going to be looking at them very close"), but my personal examination of this particular Open House knife did not reveal anything significant that would make me think it was superior in any way. As far as the fit & finish, it looks pretty much exactly the same as every other GEC knife I have ever owned.

I'm also wondering what the difference is between "Spiral Cut" and "Jagged Spiral Cut" Buffalo Horn...and which one this really is ??

Yeah Monk could probably shed some light on this subject but if I recall the history of their first runs I believe some of those 73's are pretty sought after knives, but I never heard that term open house knives until recently and as a matter of fact it was one of these knives that I saw on ebay. Maybe the same knife.

The knife was sold for about 700 % of original cost. IMHO I would say that constitues some pretty good appreciation so far and a damn good investment. That's about 50% per year. How many of your stocks or other investments go up that much? Probably few. Who knows how much more it will do, but my experience is that ANY GEC knife seems to be going up in price these days, especially those from early years and low number runs like this. I haven't seen one of any pattern lose value lately. How can you go wrong? I also see many people here on these forums say they are not flippers but they also say they buy GEC knives and have sold some eventually some time later for more than they paid. I don't think there is an objective time table to differenciate flippers from collectors. One is the same as the other to me. Just semantics and people trying to feel morally justified about profiting off GECs reputation and demand. Objectively GECs are going up so unless you are going to keep it until death and make it an heirloom, we're all flippers if we ever sell one. Nothing wrong with that either. Every knife dealer does it and we don't hold it against them or call them flippers or look down on them. Fact of the market place. GEC is about as good of an investment as any knife I've seen around. Let me know if there are other brands that appreciate more than GREAT Eastern Cutlery. I could be wrong but it's hard to go wrong buying anything they make. I have not regretted buying any one of the number I have bought and many have blown me away by how much they have appreciated. That makes them a good investment to me, your results may vary. But the more people buy knives like this, at this price point, the more demand they help create and the more the prices will rise. That means you're probably going to be able to sell it for more than you paid in the future because they ain't making any more 2008 year releases and as more and more knife buyers get in to GEC, the more they will rise in price accordingly. I see some selling for near or around $1000 these days and NEVER would have guessed that was possible just five years ago. The sky is the limit, the time is on the buyers side, the supply of these old knives available is shrinking and the demand is growing. That makes them all a good investment and I doubt this one or very many others will go down in value any time soon. All of us GEC fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill Howard and all the employees of GEC for making this all possible and providing the knives I love and lust after. God bless the GEC employees and management for their gift to the knife world!

Ivoryman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 5:04 am All of us GEC fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill Howard and all the employees of GEC for making this all possible

And, despite what some people may think, let's not forget that Ken & Ryan Daniels were also instrumental in getting GEC established. Both of their names appear on the paperwork that was included with this knife (Ken was VP and Ryan was Director of Marketing, IIRC, although I did not take a photo of the paper that showed their names and respective positions).

gsmith7158 wrote: ↑Fri Dec 31, 2021 11:55 pm if I recall the history of their first runs I believe some of those 73's are pretty sought after knives

This one is actually a #23 not a #73. (see third listing from the bottom: 235108L)

I think $542 for this knife is a very high price. If he tried to sell it i wonder how close he could come to recouping his money ?
I bought my first GEC in late 2006 (or early 2007), a stag #73 with "2006" on the tang, and was an avid GEC collector for the next about 12 years. But now i have lost interest in acquiring any more new ones. I really like the GEC's & Northwoods that i have but no longer feel the need to get any more examples.
Is this just me, or are there others whose interest has also declined ?
kj

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 5:14 pm I think $542 for this knife is a very high price. If he tried to sell it i wonder how close he could come to recouping his money ?
I bought my first GEC in late 2006 (or early 2007), a stag #73 with "2006" on the tang, and was an avid GEC collector for the next about 12 years. But now i have lost interest in acquiring any more new ones. I really like the GEC's & Northwoods that i have but no longer feel the need to get any more examples.
Is this just me, or are there others whose interest has also declined ?
kj

Maybe we're just getting old Roland. I'm the same way. One really has to speak to me these days before I'll jump in to that lolly scramble to get one. There is no question though that they are the high bar mark of the knife industry.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 6:17 am

Ivoryman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 5:04 am All of us GEC fans owe a huge debt of gratitude to Bill Howard and all the employees of GEC for making this all possible

And, despite what some people may think, let's not forget that Ken & Ryan Daniels were also instrumental in getting GEC established. Both of their names appear on the paperwork that was included with this knife (Ken was VP and Ryan was Director of Marketing, IIRC, although I did not take a photo of the paper that showed their names and respective positions).

Yup, them too, and all GEC employees and collaborators as well. Thanks for mentioning that.

kootenay joe wrote: ↑Sat Jan 01, 2022 5:14 pm i have lost interest in acquiring any more new ones. I really like the GEC's & Northwoods that i have but no longer feel the need to get any more examples.
Is this just me, or are there others whose interest has also declined ?
kj

I think those of us who were able to browse new releases at our leisure and select the one we wanted before purchasing were spoiled; we didn't realize how good we had it. The growing popularity of GEC knives has caused the end of that era and clearly lost GEC some otherwise loyal customers (myself included), but has gained way more followers than it has lost over the years. Like Roland, I still like the GEC knives in my collection (wish I hadn't sold so many before the prices took off into the stratosphere), but I no longer participate in the lolly scramble for the new releases unless it's for a model I would really like to have (although I never manage to get one), and I simply cannot justify paying the absurd prices they sell for on the secondary market...for about the same amount, I prefer to spend my money on a custom, made-to-order knife that is one-of-a-kind. YMMV

Latest mail call, two-blade New Day in Copperhead Pick Bone. I've had two of the single New Day's in these exact covers pass through my hands, but not the two-blade. We'll see if this one sticks

prairie.dog wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:44 pm Latest mail call, two-blade New Day in Copperhead Pick Bone. I've had two of the single New Day's in these exact covers pass through my hands, but not the two-blade. We'll see if this one sticks

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Congrats. That's very nice. Don't see many two-blade ones. I have a Evergreen single. Some of my favorite jigging by GEC.

prairie.dog wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:44 pm Latest mail call, two-blade New Day in Copperhead Pick Bone. I've had two of the single New Day's in these exact covers pass through my hands, but not the two-blade. We'll see if this one sticks

PXL_20211229_211821538.jpg

Beautiful piece. Love those bones and color. Congrats, that is a fabulous looking knife. Love it. And always in demand.

prairie.dog wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:44 pm Latest mail call, two-blade New Day in Copperhead Pick Bone. I've had two of the single New Day's in these exact covers pass through my hands, but not the two-blade. We'll see if this one sticks

PXL_20211229_211821538.jpg

Beautiful barlow!!

prairie.dog wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:44 pm Latest mail call, two-blade New Day in Copperhead Pick Bone. I've had two of the single New Day's in these exact covers pass through my hands, but not the two-blade. We'll see if this one sticks

PXL_20211229_211821538.jpg

Nice one!

Beautiful knife. Every knife GEC makes is attractive with perfect fit, finish and sharpness. They cannot make a bad knife.
kj

Just picked up this gently used 66. Taking it for its first outing today.

Beautiful blue Camel bones Jokr.
Your bones too Steamboat W.
Congrats the both of ya on two beauties.

Coke Bottle with Gabon Ebony handle.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 10:52 am Coke Bottle with Gabon Ebony handle.


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Good looking Coke Bottle

Northfield 77 Yankee Barlow with Mount of Olive wood covers.