Member Profile- Meet Derek Smith
My name is Derek Smith and I live in Salt Lake City, Utah.
I’m relatively new to knife collecting, only 4 or 5 years. My primary interest is with anything that was made by Cattaraugus Cutlery or the Champlin family. The big folders are of course my favorites.
One of my first purchases was a Catt toenail. As a new collector (new, green and uneducated) I was was thrilled to obtain this cool old knife that was in really great shape.
Some time later when I was considering selling it in order to “trade up” for something else I wanted, I thought I should get acquainted with Scott. I put a few unsolicited photos together and emailed them off to him, of course he responded very quickly.
As it turns out Scott seemed more interested in my photographic skills than he was in the knife.
To make a long story short, the knife was a little “too good to be true” and was not authentic. Whaaaa, that’s the bad news. The good news is, I got a new friend out of the experience. Thanks to Scott, I won’t be buying any more fakes. You can see the knife at: http://www.dereksmith.com/el_toenail
I am a professional photographer by trade and I help businesses with their marketing. What ever folks need to sell or promote, It’s my job to make it look good. You can take a look at my work at: http://www.dereksmith.com
I have three wonderful kids who have a mild appreciation for their dad’s kooky obsession with old pocket knives. They and their mother are direct descendants of JBF Champlin who of course started Cattaraugus Cutlery in Little Valley, NY.
Utah is a long ways from the knife shows so I’m still looking forward to attending my first one. I have however had the pleasure of visiting with older members of the Champlin family who grew up in Little Valley and hearing first hand their own accounts of what took place all those years ago.
It may come as a surprise, but they are not very interested in collecting knives. Accurately preserving the family history is what’s important to them.
If you have any questions or comments I can be reached at:
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