First of all let me state, the content of this blog is based simply on my observations over the past 30 years of collecting and dealing in vintage knives. Nothing written is based on statistical facts…just my observations and opinions.

Thirty years ago I started collecting knives. I collected most Case brand but I also collected Winchester, Remington, Cattaraugus, and a few others. I used to go to every gun and knife show around and even traveled out of state to attend NKCA and the smaller knife club shows. Back then there would be literally hundreds of serious knife collectors and dealers that would attend these shows. The buying, selling and trading was at an unbelievable pace. I was considered very young at the time in the eyes of most of the collectors and dealers. I learned a lot from the seasoned collectors and dealers…some times I learned the hard way. It seemed back then that everyone was interested in vintage knives. If you were collecting Case knives, Case Brothers, Tested, XX, and USA were the ones to collect back then (70’s dots were too new at the time).

As the years rolled on (20 years later), I became one of those “seasoned” collectors. In the last 3 years I have attended at least a dozen NKCA or smaller knife club shows. What I’m seeing at these shows is, attendance is way down and not as many dealers are setting up. My biggest concern/observation is the average age of collectors and dealers I see attending. I don’t see “young” people attending or collecting. I don’t see people younger (under 40 years old) than me coming to these shows. The collectors and dealers that are coming to these shows were all in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and older. The most recent NKCA show held in Louisville, KY. (Oct. 2, 3, & 4th 2009) had a terrible turn out as far as attendance and the number of dealers that were set up was about half of what is normally there. When I talked to the dealers what I was hearing was, “nobody is coming” and “nobody is buying”. Now some of this could be due to the economic condition this country is in, but I have to wonder how long the NKCA will continue having shows knowing they are having financial troubles.

Three years ago I decided I had enough working full time, so I closed my business and became “semi-retired”. I decided that I would start dealing in knives and start setting up at the shows. What a great way to spend my “free” time turning my hobby and passion into a small business on the weekends. When I started setting up at the shows I naturally wanted to deal with knives that I had a good knowledge of…this would be vintage knives. I had dozens and dozens of vintage knives to choose from in my inventory. Much to my surprise and disappointment, the first year setting up at shows, “vintage” knives just didn’t sell. Not only did they not sell, people very rarely even looked at them with the exception of the “older” collectors. A very large percentage of the people (all younger than me, from 15 to 40 years of age) that I talked to were asking for Kershaw, CRKT, Benchmade, SOG, Spyderco….ect. They were looking for the new EDC and the “cool” tactical knives. Well, I’m not a dummy (although some might argue this)…it didn’t take me long to start adding to my inventory all those manufactures mentioned above and then some. I have been setting up at the shows now for 3 years (this year I will do close to 40 shows) and I still carry a few vintage knives, but 98% of my inventory is the new EDC and tactical/survival knives. For every vintage knife I sell, I bet I sell 50 maybe more “new” EDC and the “cool” tactical knives.

So what is my point for all of this rambling? I’m concerned that the market for vintage knives might be dead or close to non-existent in 20 to 30 years. Today’s younger collectors don’t have any interest in vintage knives; they probably don’t even know the difference between a Case XX stamp verses a USA stamp. Oh, every once in awhile I will run into a younger collector that collects vintage knives (very rare). They tell me that they were introduced to knife collecting by their father or grandfather. Their interest in vintage knives seems to run parallel with the person that introduced them into collecting. With no new blood (younger collectors) coming into the vintage knife collecting arena who will be the buyers and collectors of vintage knives after us “older” collectors are no longer around?