- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
- Messages
- 26,427
Off topic...I met and handled a Ray l(not Ron) Appleton folder in 1998 at the NY custom knife show. He called it his "tulip" folder. I believe it was one of a kind. On the table, it looked like a beautiful, glistening metal tulip. Like an ornate decoration on a table. When he said it was a knife, I didn't believe him. When he opened it, my jaw dropped. You familiar with the second Harry Potter movie? Remember how the tunnel door unlocked to the home of the Basilisk? That's how it opened.
I was with my dad. We are both engineers. We were mesmerized by his engineering genius and his skill as an artisan. Price in 1998 was over $20k. Between the two of us, we still couldn't afford it.
I've been collecting for over 30 years and that knife still stands out as the finest hand made item I've ever seen.
If given a second chance, I'd sell all my collectibles to be able to purchase that knife.
Sorry to digress...but I just wanted to thank Coop for mentioning an Appleton as #1. I've not handled a Ron Appleton, but Ray was something special.
I met Ron in 2011, and he showed me a couple knives he'd made. Whether or not they'd cut would have no bearing on whether or not I'd want to have one around at all times