I did a fast and dirty count this morning on the "collection." Folders, fixed blades, and a Civil War Heavy Calvary Sabre (reproduction). I'm running about 70 - 80 knives, including the machete, cane knife, utility stuff in the garage and barn. The kitchen knife block.

Mostly I don't much use any of them. What I have are collectable, discontinued, vintage, first production run, prototypes that never got into production.

My every-day user knife is a Smith & Wesson "Border Guard" -- made in China, and on sale at Big 5 for $15. Cheap utility, I don't worry about scuffing it up.



Right now I'm looking for a fixed blade, rolled stag handle, or full-tang stag. 5" - 6" drop point blade.

Randall makes a nice one, Model R25-F



I've wanted a Randall since my buddy bought one in high school, 1964, for about $150.

What's in your stash? What sort of stuff do you tend to bring home. Let's not get into a pissing contest over who has the biggest collection!

Evidently, no one in here collects. Here's a photo of my Windlass, "1840 Heavy Calvary Sabre."

I'm not really a collector, but have collected quite a few, some custom, some not. I don't have a sword yet, but might be tempted to buy one of these Scottish swords one day.

Mineral Mountain Hatchet Works. Nice, reasonably priced ( for what you get ) users. I've also had a Randall 14 and 2 ( 8" ) for about 20 years; they're a bit scarred.

For me, one of the best knives on the market, for the quality and price, is an Arno Bernard knife. Picked up 5 more at SCI this past weekend.

Mine are all pretty much one-of-a-kind collectors knives( about 35-40), although a number of them are made by guys like Chris Reeves who make a number of serial numbered knives from the same pattern- Randy Lee, Jim Ence, Nolen Knives,Dave Kauffman, Loyd McConnell, Ron Gaston, RA Kessler, Steve Huey, etc, etc. i collected such knives for a lot of years- now i am slowly selling them off if anyone is interested...

I go through buying cycles with mostly custom knives. Right now, I am basically not buying knives since I am spending heavily on another area of my collecting addiction. I've got way more than I care to count and, like Jdollar above, should be selling them.

I also hate fooling with pics on a computer so that's out for now.

I have a pretty good pile of the Mineral Mt. Hatchet Works knives pictured above. Great knives and basically indestructible. Ted Frizzell (sp?) is the maker/owner and, like most of us, ain't getting any younger. I don't have one of the kris designs tho. Drat.....

Ron Gaston (now deceased) and, for that matter, most of the SC makers make/make some sleek desigs. I've got several of his and other SC makers.

damn, i didn't know Ron was dead. i met him 25 years ago at a custom knife show in Newport Beach, Ca- bought 3 of his knives as they were so well made( 2 boot knives and a tanto design). sorry to hear of his passing.

FWIW, I also have a weakness for Mcusta pocket knives; especially the all metal ones.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
damn, i didn't know Ron was dead. i met him 25 years ago at a custom knife show in Newport Beach, Ca- bought 3 of his knives as they were so well made( 2 boot knives and a tanto design). sorry to hear of his passing.

He died in Oct of 2006 but had not been able to make knives for a couple of years preceding his death. He made some very pretty knives.

XERO,

Last count was about 85 which does NOT count the butcher block in the Kitchen. Most are production knives that "I" thought was cool at the time. Some of those are limited productions, a couple never made production, some aren't so cool anymore. Probably ten-twelve are true customs, hand made, and I met with and talked to the maker/smitty.

My favorite is a framed wall hanging of Schrade-Walden fixed blade knives I bought from a closing hardware store. It is fully complete with probably eight knives (a couple of folders), one sheath for the largest and one sharpening stone. I believe the Walden name came off in 1972, which makes them older than that date.

The most neatest/coolest/probably expensive is a custom knive I purchased in South Africa. I was permitted to visit his shop and he let my wife and I do the first stage sharpening on a couple of blades. Anyway the folder won "Best of Show" or some such title in Europe-Amsterdam Spring of 2005. However at the show it had Ivory handle which was not exportable to the U.S. so it now wears Mammoth Tooth handles. Thus not the absolute "true winner".

My regret of not purchasing was a Loveless Drop Point prior to his death. They have at least quadrupled in price since then. Instead I am trying to purchase "authorized" loveless productions with his name on the blade. I have the Beretta, Schrade (which is a questionable drop point), Gerber, but have had trouble finding the fixed blade drop point Loveless by Lone Wolf.

Probably 20 are in display cases or frames of some sort and the balance are in wooden tool cases which are inexpensive copies (made in China) of the Gerstner's tool cases made in Dayton Ohio. I go in spurts of not purchasing anything for a couple of years and then buy several in 6 months. Retirement later this year will probably bring future purchases to a standstill.

I have never photographed them. This thread is making me think I should follow up on this.

Best regards,

Fred

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
damn, i didn't know Ron was dead. i met him 25 years ago at a custom knife show in Newport Beach, Ca- bought 3 of his knives as they were so well made( 2 boot knives and a tanto design). sorry to hear of his passing.

He died in Oct of 2006 but had not been able to make knives for a couple of years preceding his death. He made some very pretty knives.

for sure the 3 i bought from him are beautiful/functional knives.

I just found another 10" MMHW fighter at a price I couldn't pass up. I'll post a picture when it arrives. I hardly need it, but I couldn't walk away ...

I'm a self proclaimed Benchmade whore. I currently own around 150+ knives, give or take, and half of those are benchmades, including prototype and pre-production runs and quite a few limited edition knives. I own a few Cold Steels, some Bokers, Kershaws and Spydercos, a couple A.G. Russell exclusives and a couple Chris Reeves' knives. I've made a few that I use, like for hunting and camping. Got a $5 Wal Mart special machete that stays in my Jeep, that has taken down some serious brush and trees.
Needless to say, they either sit around, being pretty and being polished, or they get put through their rounds. Unfortunately I have the notion that once one of my knives get dull, it's time to buy another one and retire the dull one.

I had thirty until about a month ago. I've started handing them out to relatives. I think I still have about twenty, mainly Buck, Gerber, Schrade and Old Timer. I never bought many knives, just accumulated them as they were given to me.

My favorite is a Helle from Norway. A strange looking knife with a unique leather sheath. The Drilling Manager for Statoil in Venezuela gave it to me in appreciation for work done for them in Lake Maracaibo.

My best story is an old Imperial, fixed blade, hunting knife I've had for about 45 years. It has a chunk out of the blade. The older brother of an old girlfriend told me he could probably shoot a .22 at his hunting knife blade stuck in the ground, split the bullet on the knife edge, and break two beer bottles, one set on either side of the knife, and a little behind it. After about ten attempts he gave up.

I think he wanted to prove it couldn't be done, so he handed the rifle to me. My first shot broke both bottles and damaged the knife. He gave me the knife.

This is a test :-)




not in order:

Harris, Vallotton, Pease, Cover, Preston, Barnes, Drennen, Barnard, Gedraitis, Sawby, Begg, Wood, Jernigan, Atkinson, Crawford, Conley, Nihiser, Ouyo (onion), Sterling, Weinmueller, Helton, Elisewitz, Knipshiel, Ohta, Pittman, Tomes, Reitveld, Brend, Whiskers, Ware, Leblanc, Reeves, Bell, Richards

missing

Imel, Panak, Lloyd, William Henry

This picture doesn't do justice to the size of this knife.

My 25 year old son fancies himself a blacksmith. Has a forge in his shop behind the house that uses a woman's blow dryer. He made me a nice knife with a beautifully shaped and sharpened blade and then had the gall to christen it on a deer he just shot. I wouldn't trade that knife for one like it of solid gold! Made one for his brother also. They are both instruments of beauty, bondedness and love.

My stags: