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Comment by J.J. Smith III 4 hours ago

Mike,  you mention covid as a turning point of sorts.

To me, the covid outbreak and subsequent lockdown forced the cancellation of many of the smaller, local, knife shows.  Prior to the covid outbreak I could plan on attending the Knife Roadshow in Dalton GA, the Palmetto Cutlery Club show (SC) and the Tarheels show (NC). 

I still have happy memories of my first Dalton trip.

My daughter came with me and we stayed for a couple days.  The iKC get together was the absolute highlight for us.  I still have the old CASE Seahorse whittler with the bent coping blade that I rescued there.  

I'm at a point in my life that my knife purchases come farther apart and are in some way made with the intention of being passed along to my daughters at some point. 

Merry Christmas to you also.

Comment by Mike Bryant 21 hours ago

Thanks Lars for your input . Yes reference materials appear to also be increasing in price. I will add their is a vast amount of information history and photos of different knives in those publications. Along with different Brands many don't even know about  Also the old catalogs have some great photos and information. Hanging with others that love the hobby is a very rewarding use of your time. You have turned your attention to your Holy Grail of knives. That is what makes this hobby so rewarding for many of us. Finally finding that long sought after knife be it a 1800 issue or even a newer SFO each one has their own Holy Grail knives they are in search for their collections.I must say I have learned a lot from this group and they have helped me with information when I asked. They are a great bunch of People.

Comment by Lars Ray yesterday

Great perspective Mike, and great discussion. You were able to increase your collection by 20? Wow...I considered myself lucky to grow mine by 6 knives, one sword, and one bayonet. Well done sir!

Quantity notwihstanding, I made the conscious decision early in 2024 to go for quality and true "heart's desire" this year. So much of my collection has been based on what I can afford for quantity sake, this year I went after some long-time Wish List quality items. I obtained a classic Smith & Wesson 6030 Survival Knife, the companion to both my S&W 6010 and 6020 knives in the same series. I was also able to add two 10Th century Slovic pouch knives from Poland, a Polish Military dress dagger, a Czech V52 folding bayonet, and an 1811 French briquet sword. All items listed here have been on my "oh golly, if only I could" wish list - so this year I made it happen. 

More than the obtaining the blades though, I have increased my knowledge base on many of my collectible pieces simply by showing interest in everyone else's collections. I have also added richly to my reference library (which we all know can be as much or more expensive than the knife itself!), Hanging out with you, Kevin Drummond, Dead Left, Dennis Hilbar, Andy Larrison, and several others this year has exposed me to knives and brands I had no idea existed - adding to my own knowledge base. While I think I know a lot about this hobby, I am shown time and time again how much I really don't know.

That has been the fun part of collecting this year - learning more than acquiring. Getting the history, the back story, the piece's provenance...these to me are as important as the piece itself. For me, these things add value to the piece and to the collection - even if the the story starts with me on a new item. 

I like your questions Mike - Will fit an finish improve? How will the Hobby insure the quality improves? Can the Hobby stand even higher prices? I gues that depends on what we settle for or demand going forward. If one collects vintage or historical pieces, then higher prices are inevitable...even for those considered junk knives thirty years ago. 

As with you, I wish to everyone here all the best this Holiday Season has to offer. 

Wesołych świąt Bożego Narodzenia i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku. Na Zdrowie!