Welcome Home...THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COMMUNITY

iKnife Collector

The online community of knife collectors, A Knife Family Forged in Steel

Thinning out the collection

Those words send a chill down each of our spines I know. BUT, we have all seen it happen and possibly had to do it ourselves.

How do you make the decision, what stays and what you are "willing" to part with? Is there a certain manufacture you are NOT willing to part with?

How do you decide??

Tags: Selling, knives

6 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by jeff on July 10, 2015 at 8:32

I hope someone comes up with the (holy grail) of answers, because i have a collection that needs thinning, badly, and cannot decide where to start ! possibly a mathematical answer or lay out and close eyes sort of thing...lol

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 10, 2015 at 12:44

http://iknifecollector.com/profiles/blogs/a-rite-of-passage-in-the-...

I have read this many times and thought you all would enjoy it

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mario on July 17, 2015 at 9:11

I am at the same point. Been collecting for many years and have many knives. I've made sure that my kids have all they'll need for hunting, camping etc. Unfortunately, they do not share my collector enthusiasm for all things pointy and sharp.

So, I am also dramatically 'thinning the heard'. Most will go; hopefully to still excited collectors or younger people who are just learning the joys of owning a piece of history or just having something unique. Hopefully, they will handle them with the same irrational and exceptional care that I have.

The selection of those few pieces that will remain with me until I am dust will be chosen through a careful and judicious process. Of course, I have not yet decided just what that process will be. Maybe the most valuable or the most attractive (this won’t work well, as I haven’t yet found an unattractive knife) or maybe. . .

Oh well, I guess I’ll just keep those that I like; regardless of value. Yeah, that’s the ticket (I think).

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 17, 2015 at 9:23

Mario,

Hey thanks for chiming in! That is what I see with many collectors, the process to thin them out is much harder than the "what do i want to collect" process. Just going by the old adage "buy what you like" means you like the better part of your collection LOL

▶ Reply

FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on July 17, 2015 at 19:41

Funny topic to come up here, at this time... I always knew I would have to let some knives go at some point. I intentionally have made some purchases knowing they were of low monetary value in hopes of discouraging me to sell them in the future! (Well that & they just looked cool.)

But in the last couple months, it's been occurring to me that I just cannot care for all of my collection, & I have some pieces that just have not lived up to my hopes once I got them in my hands after purchase. I sold my first knife about one month ago, & have since placed one knife up on eBay (a Landi CT-6 -- incredible blade shape, but the handle is just too small for my huge hands). It hasn't sold yet, but I'm hoping someone will pick it up soon (I'd really like to pick up a Spyderco Serrata with the proceeds!).

I've ruminated on some of the pieces in my collection & have gone through many of them to get a good bunch to sell. I've taken some photos of a lot of them & now just have to actually post them up on eBay. I am still curious how to handle the shipping when a good number of the knives I plan to sell are likely going to be in the $10's & $20's -- pretty low-priced stuff. But I guess that's just something to figure out.

There are definitely pieces I will not part with (gifts from my wife, my subcollections like tactical cleavers, & others that are really special for sentimental reasons or are just simply too awesome to let go).

All of this could change, & I'm sure at some point I'll sell something I regret selling. For example, my Entreks used to be in the "keep forever", but now I plan to sell all but one, again because the handles are just too small for me, & I'm really moving away from fighting knives at this point. In a few years, I might be flooding eBay with bushcrafters & regretting the sale of my Ontario Abaniko. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to see...

▶ Reply

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on August 16, 2015 at 23:31

I can see me selling my collection at some point if I can't get any of my family interested in the collection. At this time my only hope is my four year old (as of the 28th of this month) grandson. I hope to get him interested in knife collecting. My son and daughter might want a knife or two as a remembrance of me but not the entire collection.

If I did want or need to sell my collection I don't know if I would sell the whole collection to a company that buys knives or if I would go the eBay route. I suppose it would depend on my situation at the time.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on August 17, 2015 at 11:39

Maybe I should slow down before I buy too many ..... I have already done this to a point. I have started buying more expensive knives that are in mint condition, to have a nice knife and curb buying too many knives just to be buying them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on August 17, 2015 at 13:04

Ricky L McConnell said:

Maybe I should slow down before I buy too many ..... I have already done this to a point. I have started buying more expensive knives that are in mint condition, to have a nice knife and curb buying too many knives just to be buying them.

I'd love to be able to do this, as well. There's just times when the "New knife jonesing" hits...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 17, 2015 at 20:45

I soooo agree with you JJ !! Sometimes it is those cold sweats, the shakes.....I NEED A NEW KNIFE!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on August 17, 2015 at 20:46

I think that seems to be where we are also Ricky. One thing I can tell you is sometimes, Donnie will make one and when he brings it up I scream....IT IS MINE...all mine I tell you!!!

Ricky L McConnell said:

Maybe I should slow down before I buy too many ..... I have already done this to a point. I have started buying more expensive knives that are in mint condition, to have a nice knife and curb buying too many knives just to be buying them.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jim Kitchens on September 6, 2015 at 23:01

It's hard. I started thinning in March. I sent about 100 knives to Bruce Voyles to sell and took a few to local vendors. I just packaged about 100 to go to the the local County Fair for sale later this month. It's not so difficult selecting those you want to get rid of when you have a lot, especially when you haven't seen many in the last few years. I'm picking models that I don't currently collect, no sub-hilts, camp knives, doctor knives, or automatics. Only duplicate and low value trappers and pretty much any tactical that isn't special. I'm packaging hunters and skinners tomorrow. The person helping with this is a local gun store owner and a lot of hunters go to his shop before deer season. Good luck!