GEC Value

[black mamba]

With so many of the GEC knives going up, up, up in secondary pricing, I'd like to pose some questions to those of you who have ones that have gone up so dramatically.

1) If you have a knife that has gone up 300% + over your initial purchase price, do you use the knife or is it a safe queen?
2) If you do use it, would you have paid the 300% higher price initially?
3) If not, why not?

I would like some discussion of these and any other pertinent questions about GEC pricing. I don't think of my knife collecting as a business or an investment, but I can't afford to waste money either. Some of my GECs have gone up so much that I would never use them, in order to maximize their value in the future, should I need the money. And I have sold quite a few that have gone up several hundred percent in order to fund other knives or guns which I would get more use out of. I really don't need 3-4 hundred knives, and I'm a lot closer to the graveyard than the birth canal. I would hate to have my wife have to dispose of them after I'm gone.

 

[Norcaldude]

I figure not selling for a price is sort of the same as buying for that price and those prices have gotten pretty crazy. I sold most of my GECs earlier this year. I especially sold off the ones that I never used because they were too valuable, like the Grinling Whittler and a few others.

 

[huntnfishin]

I sold three grinling whittlers a couple years back. Wish I would have kept the one in green kryptonite. I have a rule. If I won’t carry it I sell it. It works for me. But man I would have done well to keep the whittlers a few years...so it goes. Can’t collect knives or guns because you want to make money on them. You will do better in real estate or and s&p 500. Knives are toys to be enjoyed. That’s just me. Though I did just buy a few case/Bose collabs because I have always wanted certain patterns and I am worried they will go up now with Tony’s passing and I didn’t want to miss the boat on trying a couple out.

 

[JohnDF]

1) If you have a knife that has gone up 300% + over your initial purchase price, do you use the knife or is it a safe queen?

I have a Waynorth Lambsfoot and a TC Barlow...
Both were gifts, so I'd never sell them, even though they meet that 300% rise in value... worth more for me to keep and use them.

2) If you do use it, would you have paid the 300% higher price initially?

I would never pay that kind of money for a production knife I was going to use. I can use the ones I already have or find another brand that will work just as well.
It's one of the main reasons I haven't pulled the trigger on a Case/Bose, probably not worth the price to me as a user.
The Knife Knut in me wants one, but the practical side of me wins out every time.

3) If not, why not?

It simply comes down to what I think a knife is worth.
A GEC carbon steel knife that I'm going to use... retail price only... maybe a few dollars more.
Now if I could find a #76 Krack-a-Jack, I'd pay 300% for it to sit on my mantel... but that's the only one I'd do that for.

 

[DavidABQ]

I have a Bladeforums GEC knife that I do not use simply because it is too difficult to replace so it sits new-in-the-tube. I have a GEC model 78 that I have carried bit because of the value has increased, even for a GEC user knife, I keep it in it tube.

I use an old Queen knife that I have modified as my EDC. It has no real value except to me. To me it is an old friend.

 

[Arathol]

With so many of the GEC knives going up, up, up in secondary pricing, I'd like to pose some questions to those of you who have ones that have gone up so dramatically.

1) If you have a knife that has gone up 300% + over your initial purchase price, do you use the knife or is it a safe queen?

What was the reason you bought it in the first place? If as a safe queen with no intentions of using it then continue with that. If you bought a $100 to use and have done so, its not worth the $300 that a mint boxed exampled would be anymore so use it....

2) If you do use it, would you have paid the 300% higher price initially?

Probably not, but depends on the knife. I use knives that cost more. Again, depends on your priorities.

3) If not, why not?

I don't think that any GEC production knife is worth what is being asked on the secondary market. Its just a knife, and prices are driven by collector demand more than anything else.

 

[Peregrin]

I know there are many posts in this sub forum regarding pricing etc, that have slipped by, been ignored or otherwise. I'm afraid since this thread is primarily about buying, selling and pricing it needs to be moved to Feedback. Sorry about that.

@knarfeng

 

[Will Power]

It's all very fickle, just now seems like boom time but that could just as quickly disappear. Is there ANY GEC that's not costing 300% mark up after a year or more? All those users I've used for a bit and then not found so satisfying Should've left them to mature in the tube

 

[sXePhenomenal]

The only GEC I’ve had that the price I could have sold it for is more than I paid was the #82 natural stag first run you sold me at a very fair price. I don’t think it went up 300% but the price did go up after the new run for some reason.
I did carry it a few times but sold it for what I gave for it in favor of The Case/Bose premium stockman being the same size and all.

Only gec I’d pay that much of an increase for is a stag #81 or maybe one of the lockback hunters in stag. Not a collector just like certain patterns

 

[rje58]

As crazy as this sounds, I own probably at least 7 or 8 (maybe more) GEC knives, and the price increases and popularity of the knives have actually REDUCED my interest in them. I don't buy knives as investments, and I don't enjoy the scalping and the chaos and rush of trying to get my hands on knives as they are announced/released.

I have all the knives I need if all I want to do is cut something. It's a hobby for me, and as such, it needs to be enjoyable. All the scalping and chaos around trying to obtain one - especially if you want a certain color, version, etc. - GECs just aren't fun to me anymore. I have a few, like forum knives, that I will keep, and the users I enjoy and carry, but the remaining NIB examples I own, I will probably cash out soon. Not because I bought them for profit, just because I don't enjoy them anymore. My interests have changed...

 

[Duper]

As crazy as this sounds, I own probably at least 7 or 8 (maybe more) GEC knives, and the price increases and popularity of the knives have actually REDUCED my interest in them. I don't buy knives as investments, and I don't enjoy the scalping and the chaos and rush of trying to get my hands on knives as they are announced/released.

I have all the knives I need if all I want to do is cut something. It's a hobby for me, and as such, it needs to be enjoyable. All the scalping and chaos around trying to obtain one - especially if you want a certain color, version, etc. - GECs just aren't fun to me anymore. I have a few, like forum knives, that I will keep, and the users I enjoy and carry, but the remaining NIB examples I own, I will probably cash out soon. Not because I bought them for profit, just because I don't enjoy them anymore. My interests have changed...

I have felt the same about the KSF SFOs Northwoods the last year or two. They are beautiful, well made and somewhat unique. Just not worth the scramble and extra costs. I have a couple and I carry the Freemont sometimes but the Bear Lake( Steve ) just sits in the case.

I also have six 78s from the last run. Only ever carry one of them. Maybe time to move a few of them down the road.

I am afraid we are our own worst enemies these days and I envy those who got in on the ground floor of collecting from GEC sooner than me.

If I was in the USA maybe the free shipping would encourage me to purchase more. But $25 shipping plus the poor exchange rates on my Canadian dollar sort of takes it some of the shine off collecting them.

,,,Mike in Canada

 

[B.F.U]

With so many of the GEC knives going up, up, up in secondary pricing, I'd like to pose some questions to those of you who have ones that have gone up so dramatically.

1) If you have a knife that has gone up 300% + over your initial purchase price, do you use the knife or is it a safe queen?
2) If you do use it, would you have paid the 300% higher price initially?
3) If not, why not?

I would like some discussion of these and any other pertinent questions about GEC pricing. I don't think of my knife collecting as a business or an investment, but I can't afford to waste money either. Some of my GECs have gone up so much that I would never use them, in order to maximize their value in the future, should I need the money. And I have sold quite a few that have gone up several hundred percent in order to fund other knives or guns which I would get more use out of. I really don't need 3-4 hundred knives, and I'm a lot closer to the graveyard than the birth canal. I would hate to have my wife have to dispose of them after I'm gone.

1) Most of my knives that would be worth 3x or more the initial price (if unused) are ones that are used. I think the main reason for that is that if I didn't connect with them enough to keep them I usually sell them, and if I connect with them enough to keep them I usually end up using them (though I'm doing less of that now).

2) I wouldn't have paid the 3x+ price, as I just don't have that kind of money (and honestly, due to that, they're not worth those prices to me).

3) I can often get the knives I want from dealers, and I've been interested long enough that almost all of the patterns I missed before getting into them have been re-run. Recently I've missed a couple I wanted, but mostly due to my own laziness or forgetfulness.

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

Aside from last year's forum knife I have only bought one GEC from a dealer, that being my 21 Bullbuster. The rest were bought on the exchange or was gifted. I have no idea what their secondary value would be if unused, I use all of mine anyways. None of mine are any of the highly coveted ones anyways,well except maybe my stag 44 but it was a gift from @r redden so it aint ever going anywhere no how. I could never justify paying a 300% markup on any knife to myself. And any GEC I buy I only buy because it looks like something I would like to carry and use.

 

[BDubbs]

I’ve got a bunch I haven’t used and the value is certainly one of those considerations. I guess in my mind I might sell them at some point so I’m not willing to use them. The ones I carry regularly were all bought used. I carry my 15 jigged bone most days to work and the BF TC less frequently and my 93 is my weekend knife that actually gets used around the house. I’m a little conflicted about my knife collection.

 

[HEMI 49]

My GEC knives are 99% safe queens...... I didn't buy them to gain from the rise in value....... I bought them with the hope that the value wouldn't tumble..... 99% were bought from dealers at dealer prices.... My long range plan is when I kick the bucket my wife can peddle them for $.75 on the dollar and then pay to bury me.....

I own them because it is a hobby an old geezer can enjoy........ I can't do physical hobbies like I could when I was a youngster...... And yes, I'd shell out $300.00 for a $100.00 GEC knife if it was something I wanted....... A person can't be reckless all the time, but every now and then it is fun to stick your foot in the carburetor and do what you want to.....

 

[JPD1998]

I used to enjoy buying GEC knives to collect, mostly stag. It wasn't complicated, go to a dealer's site, pick one out and buy it.
About 5 ( or more) years ago I bought a 4 blade congress in stag that was discounted 10% because of a tiny black stain on one blade.

Then they became hot commodities, sell out in minutes , never in stock and the prices shot up. When the increased demand started, I actually thought GEC was going out of business.
Every dealer that used to have pages of them , suddenly had none. So I stopped actively shopping for them.

The last GEC I bought was a large coke bottle in ebony.
That was about 6 months ago, I just stumbled on it. It's probably not a popular pattern, dealer still had them in stock for a few weeks.

I still have all the GECS I bought, about a dozen or so. No plans on selling and I use a few of them.

 

[abcdef]

Seems like GEC is the never bursting Beany Baby bubble. 90% of mine are NIT, and I have a pile. I am too lazy to go gold and sell them. My fear is that some day AG Russell will make a mint off of me.

 

[jc57]

1) If you have a knife that has gone up 300% + over your initial purchase price, do you use the knife or is it a safe queen?
2) If you do use it, would you have paid the 300% higher price initially?
3) If not, why not?

I think I have about 14 GEC knives. Some are NIT purchased directly from the dealers, several were pre-owned and purchased through the Exchange Forum here.

All were purchased originally with the intent of them becoming users. Most of them just never made it there (yet). I have several I have carried and done some light tasks with but those are still largely "like new." The one I have carried the most, which had been slightly used by the previous owner, still looks good.

I have not been paying attention to the resale market so I have no idea which ones have gone up in price.

I would certainly never have paid 3x what any of my GEC knives cost. They were always at the upper-end of what I was willing to pay for a pocket knife, considering that I am quite happy carrying a Case, Buck or Victorinox slipjoint and never really had any need to go above that price point.

I guess I am lucky that I got into GEC knives a little before the time when the demand exceeded supply, and that some of my preferred patterns were not the super-high demand knives like the TC Barlows.

But yeah, if I had a New-in-tube GEC knife that I paid $80 for that is now worth $250, I would probably not choose to use it all of a sudden, considering I have way more knives than I can possibly use, and many others that could cut that piece of thread or open that box just as easily.

 

[huntnfishin]

I’d rather buy an old shrade these days if I wanted a carbon steel user. Just sayin.

 

[Triton]

Seems like GEC is the never bursting Beany Baby bubble. 90% of mine are NIT, and I have a pile. I am too lazy to go gold and sell them. My fear is that some day AG Russell will make a mint off of me.

Oh it will burst never fear. Ask the Hinderer guys. Buy low sell high.