The News from ElephantToenails.com

Rethinking the Knife Industry’s Standard of “Collectible Condition” for Vintage Knives

What should be the basis of value for old knives?

Let me begin by asking you- When was the last time you saw a Near Mint or Mint Case Brothers toenail in stag or pearl, or who about a Near Mint or Mint W R Case & Sons Jumbo Swellcenter, or maybe a Near Mint or Mints Platts Brothers Andover, NY toenail, etc. The list could go on and on.

The question wasn’t if you had seen any of these toenails, instead the question was about the condition of these knives- Near Mint or Mint.

I have come to the realization that affects all collectors. The knife collecting establishment has created and embraced a standard that is flawed as it relates to vintage knives.

While the old school says “Condition is the basis of value,” however, when considering vintage knives, one must be a bit more practical. I contend- Brand is the basis of value. Brand is the Who, What, When, Where and Why of a knife or pattern. The history behind and the identity of the company that made or sold the knife is a more significant factor relating to value, not whether or not the tang stamp is super crisp or if the blade snaps like a new knife.

Hear me out on this- My interest is not in lowering the standard, instead it is more to approach building a collection of vintage knives from a practical perspective.

I am sure this problem is not just limited to toenails. This dilemma faces all vintage knives, particularly a pattern that was made for a specific use, or has been discontinued, or was produced by a knife company no longer in operation. Moreover, we know the toenail was produced to be a hardcore work knife, aside from the fact it became obsolete in the mid- 1900’s with the advancement in hand tools and machinery.

We frown on restored, reworked or cleaned knives, yet the establishment continues its mantra “Collect only Near Mint to Mint knives.” We had all seen first-hand here at ET.com the byproduct of this emphasis on condition. It is cleaning, buffing, and in some cases reworking old knives- all done for the sole purpose of producing knives in so called “collectible condition.”

Should not the standard of collectible condition for a newer knife be different than an old knife?

Don’t get me wrong, as a collector I want the best condition knife I can find, however, I believe from the most practical viewpoint that the brand should be the basis of value, not condition, as it related to vintage knives.