Investing in past greats or modern masters?

Steven Roos

Steven Roos

Joined
Jun 29, 2002
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4,131
I was talking with a friend of mine today and he was talking about how he thinks knife collecting has changed recently. He says that collectors have started to shy away from higher end art knives and have shifted towards more functional styles. I disagreed, and said that art knives will always be highly sought after.

So here is the question: assuming they were equal in cost which would you invest in first, an engraved Warenski Dagger or a damascus Fisk bowie? Something from a retired or late great, or something from a new modern master?
 
For me it would be the modern master. My preference is for knives that I have some input into.

There are many knives that I consider to be art knives that I would be thrilled to have in my collection.
 
I know that you always order knives to your spec, but assuming you must buy something already made, would you still pick the modern knife?
 
Personally, I'd prefer to have a knife from a maker who is still alive, so that if something needs to be fixed, it can be, by the maker/author, retaining the full authorship quality that I prefer in a knife. Plus, I think both the overall quality, and designs are better now than in the past, evolution at work in knives. :)
 
If I had a choice between a Jim Schmidt and Michael Walker, I would choose the Schmidt knife. If my choice was between Buster Warenski and Larry Fuegen, I would choose the Fuegen knife. I would not make my choice based on whether it was a past or present master, but on my personal preference.
 
It depends. There are some retired guys or folks who are no longer around whose work I would jump on.
My most recent is a Hugh Bartug. Just have always wanted a knife of his. His damascus still stands out in a room to me. ;)
 
Hi Steven,

YOu are using the word "investing" are you talking actually making money off the knife?

Or are you using the word investing incorrectly and you mean buying?

If you are talking return on investment, this thread needs to go a different way. So far everyone here is picking their favorites not those which will out perform others.

Doesn't matter, just looking for a clarification.

WWG
President
Arbitrage Custom Knives
 
I am truly talking about investments. Assume there are two knives with similar costs that both appeal to you, do you believe that a knife from a past great (for example Buster Warenski) would be a better investment or would you think something from a more recent top quality maker (such as Fisk) be a better buy?
 
I would think a more recent maker. My simple thought is that the knives of the past makers more than likely have peaked in price while the current greats still have a lot of inflation room left.
 
But it seems like modern makers get far more for their work than the old makers ever thought of getting. Does that mean a modern, expensive knife doesn't have any room to appreciate, not too sure, but if a new knife can fetch a mint, why can't an old knife appreciate further?
 
These are good questions that I am not sure I can answer. I will say this however, many of the modern makers knives are way way overpriced for what they are. It also seems there is a lot of trends going around especially in folders. For example flipper folders, it seems like they all bring a premium anymore, but how long will this trend hold on for? It makes one weary when looking for long term investment. Will they still bring a premium 10 years from now or will they lose value?
 
I might tend to agree, but if they sell are they really overpriced? Economics theory says they are not. Maybe some makers have found enough of a following that they can get more than most for their work. Not a bad place if you ask me.

However, it is a good reason to seek out the lesser known makers.
 
This is what I have seen happen a lot lately. A maker will get really popular with a handful of collectors who have more money than sense and they will buy everything the maker puts out, then go around on the forums hyping the crap out of the maker and driving up his prices into the stratosphere. Then they will sell the knives for five times what they bought it for. So in some cases I think people will overpay for a knife because they are buying into the hype of the knife and if you want one of th knives you have to bu from them because they bought them all up. So in these cases will these prices hold out? It is hard to say. I try not to buy into hype if I can avoid it.
 
severedthumbs said:
I would think a more recent maker. My simple thought is that the knives of the past makers more than likely have peaked in price while the current greats still have a lot of inflation room left.I would think a more recent maker. My simple thought is that the knives of the past makers more than likely have peaked in price while the current greats still have a lot of inflation room left.
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I doubt very much that the knives of the old masters have peaked. Scagel knives will continue to go up in price, as will the knives of makers like Michael Price. Knives that were made by Bo Randall, Bill Moran, Jim Schmidt and many others will continue to rise as well.

severedthumbs said:
These are good questions that I am not sure I can answer. I will say this however, many of the modern makers knives are way way overpriced for what they are.
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Can you elaborate, please? You needn't give any names, but I am just wondering what you mean by "way, way overpriced for what they are."
 
No doubt, not all old knives have peaked in price. It appears some have and others might be getting close. I am not very experienced in older knives, so I gathered info from talking to older collectors and watching the market for a while. Albeit there is not a lot of activity in many of these makers on the aftermarket.

What I mean by way overpriced for what they are is that young makers, some only making knives professionally for a couple years that fetch close to $1000 that have uneven blade grinds, blade play, off center blade when closed, beadblasting blades instead of polishing them, raw titanium handles with no scales on them. A lot of these knives are very basic folders, nothing elaborate on them at all.
 
Well, I'm not sure who you are referring to, but a poorly ground, sloppy, beadblasted folder for nearly $1000 is way, way overpriced. No doubt about that.
 
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