All About Pocket Knives

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 4:11 am From now on whenever someone asks about the value of a knife, they should be directed to this post.

The only thing I would add is the same thing many of us keep repeating over and over: Try the "Advanced, Sold Listings" search feature on eBay to get a ballpark idea of value for the same brand/pattern...keeping in mind that CONDITION IS EVERYTHING WHEN ASSESSING VALUE!

btrwtr wrote: ↑Tue Nov 29, 2022 5:08 pm What's it worth is a question that comes up often here on AAPK. There is not always a simple answer available to what can be a very complicated question. For knives that are commonly seen and sold the answer is often easier. As we know condition is a major factor that must still be applied to get a decent ballpark value for any given knife.

A simple answer for any value in a completed sale is that the knife was worth the price paid by the buyer at the time of the transaction. That knife was worth that price to that buyer at that time. This certainly does not mean that knife is now worth that price to everyone under the sun. This variable could have a plus or minus value to the next person. At times there can be a general consensus among collectors that a given knife was purchased at a bargain price or even labeled as a steal. The other side of the coin might be that the price paid was way more than most collectors would even consider.

A collector that specializes in a certain brand or pattern is likely to value a given knife higher than a collector that does not. Often people come to AAPK just to get the answer. Nothing at all wrong with that. At times they want to know value for a family heirloom, for a friend, or the purpose of flipping a knife they have. If trying to flip a to a dealer, knife dealers won't pay what might be considered as full retail value for a knife. Dealers can't buy at full retail and sell at full retail and still be profitable. A dealer interested in buying a knife may value a knife at XXX dollars but he won't buy it at that price.

Demand for the specific knife also must come into play. The difference between desirable and obscure are important. A specific knife might be considered scarce but if there is no market demand for the knife the value will not be commensurate to it's scarcity.

Placing value on knives that are not in hand is another topic altogether and this is often the case here at AAPK. Poor or inadequate pictures and descriptions won't and can't yield an accurate value.

I have seen cases here on AAPK where the question is asked and an informed opinion or consensus is given only to be scoffed at and denied by the asker. This is often a case involving a counterfeit knife or an uniformed buyer paying way more that what the consensus of value is.

There are times when people are seeking values for knives and they have found what they believe to be the exact knife they have in a reference book along with a value of XXX dollars assigned to the knife. First I would like to say that reference book prices can often be nothing more than pie in the sky. Outdated prices and prices that may have not been accurate to begin with can be found in reference. The knife may or may not be the same as pictured in the reference and condition has to be applied against the knife in question. This can also turn out to be a plus or minus variable.

Given all of this AAPK is still a great place to come and ask questions concerning knife value. There are people here that I would consider to be the best source to get an accurate value for a given knife. An informed answer to what can be a very complicated question. Rarely is it an exact science.

philco wrote: ↑Wed Nov 30, 2022 4:30 pm Wayne, I've made this thread a "sticky" so that anyone can easily locate it. You did a great job explaining value.