We all pass through significant events in life- Rites of Passage, they are called, by virtue of simply being alive. Examples include, a first kiss, turning 16, graduating from high school, getting married, having a child, the death of a parent, as well as our own eventual death (obviously, that's the last one), these are some of the passageways we must pass through as we travel along this road of life. The Rites of Passage are ceremonies that celebrate the natural transitions we humans all experience.

Eventually every knife collector must pass through the various Rites of Passage in the life cycle of collecting too. Today, I have officially passed through one of these phases of knife collecting. I agreed to sell a few knives that are a part of the heart of my collection. In the past, I have sold duplicates and knives I upgraded from, but never a true part of my collection before.

This particular rite is when a collector makes the conscious decision to sell knives from his collection. It occurs simply by virtue of being a collector.

The journey through the life of a knife collector eventually requires him/her to sell parts, or all, of his collection. It is a natural progression. Buy and then sell. It doesn't require a complete sell-out, just the decision to sell- that is the siginficant part. I'm not talking about simply selling less-than-collector-quality-knives or even duplicates- instead, I'm talking knives that are considered "part of the collection."

Even though I made the conscious decision, it is still bittersweet, like the Rite of Passage of one's life. The details, or even the "why," aren't significant, instead it is the rite of agreeing to part with knives that make up my collection. The fact I sold them to a knife friend, that the knives make a significant contribution to his collection, that I have first right of refusal if he ever decides to sell them (I'll be dead by then though, probably), didn't help much- but I knew this rite was inevitable, so the quicker I could pass through the better.

You may ask, "Why are you selling important parts of your collection, Scott?" The answser is because it is a Rite of Passage in my life as a collector. Nothing more. Nothing less.