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Food for Thought


SKIPH
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Hey Gang! Checking out ebay prices, as usual. The thought came over me, that as collectors, we might be pricing ourselves right out of our hobby. Saw on ebay a Boker blade marked single tang, excellent to mint,#264696776256 for a Buy Now price of $2550.00, same seller has a beautiful blade-dated Kinfolks #264697047760 for a Buy Now price of $2950.00. Also saw a Camillus USMC 1219C2 or MK2 good to excellent # 202962913128 for a Buy Now price of $600. Because maybe we as collectors, in order to fill holes in the collections, priced our selves out of the buying market? Granted the WW2 supply has dwindled, and they've not been produced in 75 plus years. Neither are M1 rifles, yet I can purchase from CMP, 3x Service Grade rifles at $750 each, and 1x Field Grade at $650 , for a total of $2900.00, with free shipping, a gun case, and 8 round clip, per rifle all inclusive. Four M1 rifles, for less than one M3 Trench knife made in 1943 for about $1.69 w/ scabbard. Talk about a crazy turn-around. Most of us started collecting edged weapons because the price, or availability of a U.S. rifle was a whole lot more than a knife or bayonet. Supply and demand we say, OK! But still! Just some food for thought. Not knocking what the sellers are asking, just using them as examples. One other thing. Who is paying for those items at those prices? Especially, with the current economic situation around the country. SKIP

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The Rooster

That reminds me of wing prices. Ive seen some wings on ebay that are rare but not 275 dollars rare and they sit there for years. No body buys them. The sellers just keep relisting them over and over never lowering the price hoping some poor snook will come along.

The stuff is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

Since I dont have a lot of salad, I always look for rare epensive items that the seller doesnt realise what they are selling. Then I buy or try to buy. Since all this stuff started, Im not buying anything no matter how cool it looks no matter what. Im selling a little but not buying at all. I see stuff all the time on ebay thats not worth any where near what the seller is asking.

Like a 1970's sph4 Helicopter pilots helmet. Theres a guy on eby wants $1200.00 for one !!!

Its not selling and I doubt it ever will at that price.

Its prob worth $200.00 Maybe 250 on a good day.

Some folks just want and ask for way more than the item is worth.

I picked up a rare copy of a booklet about Dachau.

Abe books is selling a copy of it for $1000.00

I picked up my copy for much less.

Its a weird market. HIstoric Military war collectables.....

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Skip,

I agree with your assessment. I started off collecting M1 Carbines and M1911/M1911A1 pistols. First the parts became more expensive and a lot of reproduction parts for the Carbines. and then the price of the M1911/M1911A1s jumped out of sight. I also saw the war between so-called "experts" explode to the point you couldn't trust their opinions on originality and correctness. So I began collecting knives; it was fun and the prices were reasonable. I picked up an almost mint blade dated M3 Utica and an LF&C M6 sheath in comparable condition for $600 not so long ago. However, in the past couple of year I've seen these sky-high prices for even run-of-the mill military knives. Also the ridiculous prices for "Theater" knives that have no provenance. I'm headed back into milsurp firearms and particularly older (post-WW1) ones that haven't had the run-up of prices yet, but I wonder where this will all lead. I'm glad I'm not a beginner and trying to gather a decent set of knives these days.

One area that seems to be reasonably priced in collecting knives is in folding knives such as the steel 4-bladed knives. Even some of the harder to find ones, like the 10th Mountain/1st FSSF five-bladed knife are in the affordable range but who knows how long that will go.

t6 (my nom de plume).

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I am seeing this quite relaxed. In the "good old days" most offerings on eBay were auctions. Relatively transparent and I often did bid. Then some smart asses started offering Buy it Now prices with Best Offer Accepted. "Aiming high, do better", thus reducing transparency. BiN is not always what it gets sold for. I stopped buying from eBay. Simples. Like Amazon, eBay has moved more to a "shop in shop concept". It is just not for me for collectibles.

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Bill- I totally agree with the fact that a beginner would be totally frustrated and probably look at other things to collect. I know I would. I started collecting in 1967 with my first mint Utica M4 bayonet at $5.00, then an M1905E1 for $3.50 both with scabbards included. At this point in collecting, the few holes I have left, are the same as almost everyone else, and the prices for those knives are totally insane. Whether I can afford them or not, I refuse to pay way more than I feel their worth. It's a little discouraging. But, occasionally, there's that glimmer of hope, and one stills finds that gem, for a reasonable price. So I keep collecting. SKIP

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I also started collecting 40+ years ago. I only buy what I like and I decide what it is worth to me. To me it is not an investment that I think will make me rich one day. Through my father I have some connection to WW2. My children don't have that connection and would never spend money on it. Long term I would not be surprised if this goes the same way as stamp collecting.

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I appreciate all the information you Long time collectors share. I started collecting WWII edged weapons just over a year ago as therapy. I had back surgery in Oct 2018 that ended with pretty severe L5/S1 nerve damage. I was kind of lucky here and there with some nice finds. Lately, as you all have noted, the prices have gotten ridiculous. I doubt Ill be able to acquire an M6 sheath for my blade marked Camillus M3, or the scabbard for my 1917 LF&C trench knife sitting bare on my shelf. I always look forward to the educational posts though. It has been fun...

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ChuckC- As you mentioned, the cost of scabbards & sheaths in many cases are way more than the knives that go with them. Note, that a lot of sellers now separate and sell as an individual item, with no regard to a set (knife & original scabbard). Just another collecting hurdle. SKIP

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Man it never ends! Just saw this Boker single tang blade marked on ebay, Item # 143579755131. Pretty rough for what he's asking. Handle has leather pieces missing, pommel appears to be coming off the tang, blade really rough. Buy Now for $1885, with a beat up M8 scabbard. Seller out of Belgium, do not know. Check it out. SKIP

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It's always been my opinion that when some dude has a stoopit price on his items it's because he promised his old lady he would sell some of his army crap so he posts it up to prove "he's selling it" but prices it where it will be his forever!

 

I crack the joke at gun shows to the guys face even! :-D

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It's always been my opinion that when some dude has a stoopit price on his items it's because he promised his old lady he would sell some of his army crap so he posts it up to prove "he's selling it" but prices it where it will be his forever!

 

I crack the joke at gun shows to the guys face even! :-D

 

I had a seller at a gunshow tell me the exact thing about his M1 Garands he was selling at 3 times the going rate.

 

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