Here is an ended auction for a Schrade 165OT sample knife. I had bid what I considered to be it's value, excluding the value of the unassociated box and sheath, and the seller's story. The final selling price ($355.00) was nearly treble my idea of value of $140.00 +/-.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190166994914&ssPageName=STRK:MEDW:IT&ih=009
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/showphoto.php/photo/133829/ppuser/16597
I am not disparaging the seller. He only did what sellers do. Fabricate facts to enlarge his profit margin on a knife bought when ISC was auctioned back in October of 2004. Given his longevity in the cutlery retail business, I would think he would know the difference between a prototype and a sample, but spinning yarns is nothing new.
This is a sample of a production pattern. The only difference between it and the regular production knife is the handle material color molded in blue Delrin instead of the stock cream Delrin with brown top dye. It was the color not chosen when SMKW ordered the orange Delrin fixed blades for their "Father and Son" hunting knife sets back when. Nope, not in pre-1973 as the box suggests, but in 1992. And the sample request order was for several of the blue handled knives, not one. So it is definately not a unique one-of-a-kind knife.
My question is...did I grossly underestimate the value of this knife, or were the higher bidders willing to grossly overpay for the story?
Codger