Buck nighthawk Tanto--trying to determine value

F

fortyacres

Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Messages
3
My first post...

So, I have this knife and am wondering if it collectible or if I should just hold onto it for a bit more. I am strongly considering selling it. Never used.

"buck 653 upside down U USA"

What is this thing worth?

81po30y.jpg
 
Value is relative to what someone will pay...
I bought mine like that while fishin' "thE BAY" for 16.00.
I would say it should be worth $40.00 or so.
There weren't alot made like that compared to the 650 and 655 nighthwak, but the tanto blade is pretty user specific. (not so popular I guess???)
Anyway good luck with it. I hope I helped a little...
 
I'd tend to agree with wh4f on the $40 range. There is an online retailer (lost the link) that still has some remaining stock for sale. As I recall their price was the same as the 650 & 655.
 
that sucks. I think I paid $45 for it five or so years ago. Guess I will hold onto it or turn it into a tackle box knife. Thanks!
 
Hadn't someone once wrote that Buck (before Camillus?) did OEM work for Cold Steel?
Could this have been a by product of that venture?
All ways did wonder if the tanto products back then were a result of mounting consumer pressures (due to the "Emerson tanto folder period") or simply just hopes for a possible military tender?
 
The revival of this ancient thread also brings up the question...What happened to Messersmith?
 
Somebody wanted one bad...saw a slightly used Buck 653 sell on the Bay for $140+ today with quite a few bidders on it too...that one surprised me.....:eek::eek:
 
taddster21 said:
Hey, I know this is a super old post, but I was wondering, did you ever sell that Buck 653? :)
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fortyacres.... Last Activity: 12-04-2007 12:34 PM

He also only posted these 3 times in this thread and that was it. I doubt he'll be back ;)

Oh, and welcome to the Buck knives forum Taddster!!!!!! :thumbup: Keep an eye out you can find those tantos occassionally. I bought mine online for $16.00 in 2010
 
I have one...It's my E;bay trophy Buck $3.75 plus $2.25 shipping [but just a little ratty]..They ARE rare very, very, few are NIB..and have serrations.I don't think that $140.00 is to out of line.If you collect Nighthawks,well try and buy one NIB,you might have to wait a looooong time.
 
postfallsidaho said:
fortyacres.... Last Activity: 12-04-2007 12:34 PM

He also only posted these 3 times in this thread and that was it. I doubt he'll be back ;)

Oh, and welcome to the Buck knives forum Taddster!!!!!! :thumbup: Keep an eye out you can find those tantos occassionally. I bought mine online for $16.00 in 2010
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Wow! haha Nice buy, I am jealous. I have been trying to get my hands on one of these for a long time, I bid on that last on on eBay, but had to work at the end of the auction. They are really hard to find! Thanks a lot for the welcome! :)
 
taddster21 said:
Wow! haha Nice buy, I am jealous. I have been trying to get my hands on one of these for a long time, I bid on that last on on eBay, but had to work at the end of the auction. They are really hard to find! Thanks a lot for the welcome! :)
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Anytime! Keep your eyes peeled, they do appear when you least expect it!
 
I got one off the bay and I picked it up cheap. After I got it I found out why, the blade was painted to cover it up. I removed the paint and now have a silver bladed tanto. I like it because it is different.

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edbeau said:
I got one off the bay and I picked it up cheap. After I got it I found out why, the blade was painted to cover it up. I removed the paint and now have a silver bladed tanto. I like it because it is different.

100-2438.jpg
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I found this forum when I was searching for info on a Buck 653 knife that I had just bought. I like Buck and Tanto, so that's why I bought the knife, and the price seemed about right for what I was paying for other Buck large fixed blade knives. It was until afterward that I thought more about the cost, that ?maybe I was paying too much. But with Ebay and GunBroker and Amazon and Google searches, I found very few out there available for comparison, although there are some Nighthawks and Nighthawk sheaths (the other models of this knife, slightly different from mine) for sale. So the one I got was $50 plus $5 shipping, and is the same as the third from the top in the picture above this, except that the grey paint or coating (or whatever is on the blade) is still there and the handle is grey. Pretty dull edge, though, especially the beveled tip area, so I've been working on it, but it's a bit tough to sharpen with a simple metal/ceramic rough/fine $3 sharpener--pretty tough metal, I guess. Here is the Ebay listing for mine, plus the Ebay seller's picture of it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...witem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

It's a nice heavy knife, but the balance is a little too far forward for full comfort, I keep worrying that if I let my grip go loose, the knife will fall out forward. Now the balance I really love is on the Buck 124 I bought.
 
JBubba57 said:
I found this forum when I was searching for info on a Buck 653 knife that I had just bought. I like Buck and Tanto, so that's why I bought the knife, and the price seemed about right for what I was paying for other Buck large fixed blade knives. It was until afterward that I thought more about the cost, that ?maybe I was paying too much. But with Ebay and GunBroker and Amazon and Google searches, I found very few out there available for comparison, although there are some Nighthawks and Nighthawk sheaths (the other models of this knife, slightly different from mine) for sale. So the one I got was $50 plus $5 shipping, and is the same as the third from the top in the picture above this, except that the grey paint or coating (or whatever is on the blade) is still there and the handle is grey. Pretty dull edge, though, especially the beveled tip area, so I've been working on it, but it's a bit tough to sharpen with a simple metal/ceramic rough/fine $3 sharpener--pretty tough metal, I guess. Here is the Ebay listing for mine, plus the Ebay seller's picture of it:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...witem=&sspagename=STRK:MEWNX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

It's a nice heavy knife, but the balance is a little too far forward for full comfort, I keep worrying that if I let my grip go loose, the knife will fall out forward. Now the balance I really love is on the Buck 124 I bought.
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JBubba,
Welcome to the Buck forum! Post a few photos of your Buck knives. Not everyone is in love with the 653 (cool knife), Everyone loves a 124 though!
jb4570
 
JBubba57, the NightHawks had two style handles. The earlier all black and the newer black and green. My 653 was a beater that I got on the bay for $32 with shipping. When I got it I found out the blade was dipped in paint. I used some paint remover to get off the paint and either the coating was already gone or the paint remover took it off. I was now the proud owner of a silver bladed 653. I have checked in the past and the blade is .238 inches at its thickest point. I also had a very hard time getting an edge on it because it was completely rounded.
 
edbeau said:
JBubba57, the NightHawks had two style handles. The earlier all black and the newer black and green. My 653 was a beater that I got on the bay for $32 with shipping. When I got it I found out the blade was dipped in paint. I used some paint remover to get off the paint and either the coating was already gone or the paint remover took it off. I was now the proud owner of a silver bladed 653. I have checked in the past and the blade is .238 inches at its thickest point. I also had a very hard time getting an edge on it because it was completely rounded.
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Whoa, I got my 653 out and you're right, it's not grey at all, it's black! The ebay listing I gave above has decent pictures but the color in the pix is off and made it look grey. The pix also show the top spine of the blade where some of the paint/coating has worn or been scratched away. I figured the coating was a good thing, to help with rust, especially with salt water--I'm at the First Coast area of Florida, and having a metal object in your vehicle here for extended periods of time means it's exposed to lots of humidity and salt water and sand (if you do anything at all outside with the beach or intracoastal waterways, such as fish and hunt or scout, even). Mine has Buck 653 (upside down horseshoe date code) U.S.A. on the blade. (1997).
 
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