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Government Confiscated knife Auctions-- Anybody ever bought from these??

I was surfing the web when I came across the site https://www.govdeals.com/ . Among other things, they auction bulk confiscated knives for sale, usually by weight. A typical auction might be 15 lbs of Victorinox/Wenger knives with a photo of the knives dumped in a pile.Other listings might be Gerber knives, Kershaw knives, Assorted, or Assorted Antique.Judging from some of these auctions, a discerning knowledgeable eye can find some real treasures for a steal of a price.Many of these knives are the ones confiscated by airport security, or by police,etc. in their daily dealings with lawbreakers. In addition to the site I previously mentioned, most states and many municipalities offer these auctions. Many of these auctions offer shipping, even if not in the same state.- Some require you pick up in person.Anyhow, if you Google confiscated item auctions (insert state name) these can be easily found. Just as an example, I just viewed an auction in Illinois for a lot of 12 vintage knives- Included in the 12- a vintage Case stockman,a vintage Ka-bar, a Sharp (a little known Co.) and 9 more..Current bid was $62.36 with a couple of days left in the auction.My point is, some of us may be missing some great opportunities to purchase some real deals. If anyone has experience with these auctions, share your experiences and comments.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on June 30, 2015 at 16:57

Just a little more info on the Sharp(TM) knife I referenced in my previous post-- Most were made in Japan and some by Colonial later on-- They were apparently a K-Mart exclusive in the 70's and early 80's.That being said, I was a K-Mart sporting goods manager at the time, and we also sold Case and Solingen made Pumas- The Sharp is a well made knife with great blade retention and sharpness- An inexpensive knife back then, but by no means cheap in quality.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on June 30, 2015 at 17:37

Never bought any from the auctions, John, but have seen some from them.

Kaylin picked up a nice Victorinox at a carving show, earlier this year.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on June 30, 2015 at 18:08

My point is, I have seen several of these, although not all, where 2 or 3 of the knives were more than likely worth the asking price, with another 15 to 30 unknown treasures--Yes, there is a risk, as many do not offer more than 1 or 2 pics, and often in low quality..However, that problem is also an asset. If--You can pick out the 1 or 2 that have a value close to the bid price, you also have a great many unsung treasures with little to no risk-- There is an opportunity to make a tidy sum of money off of these auctions.-- Remember- These Agencies are not individually valuing them-- They are just selling what cost them nothing for something. Just Saying~~~~