Since I began seriously collecting old knives, I repeatedly heard folks say the buying market for old knives would eventually die out, especially since the younger knife enthusiasts prefer the more modern knives to collect and carry. This speculation always caused concern, not simply because I had a fortune tied up in old knives, but because the older knives are our windows to the past, a glimpse into the life and times of early American cutlery history. And while not everyone is a history…