The News from ElephantToenails.com

Your feedback is invaluable!! I am getting good direction from the ET.com survey I posted two weeks ago. This helps me know what you guys want to see more of here at The News, and ET.com in general.   If you haven’t answered these few questions, then please do. Check here.  I’ll let the questionnaire run for a little while longer and then share the results with you.Thanks, Scott  

As a collector of old knives, in the past I have harbored concerns over various statements I have read in knife books written by many very well respected dealers pertaining to rare knives. These authors held a theory that a old knife pattern would eventually lose collector interest, and therefore value, because the knives would eventually become so hard to find that collectors would shy away. Obviously as a collector vintage toenails, in many cases 70 to 100 years old, this concerned me greatly!

Since that time I have talked with many individuals about this theory. I wanted to know what they thought and has there been examples of any pattern where this actually happened. What I got was more theories and conjecture, but no real substantive examples.

One particular conversation struck me and I thought it was helpful for those of you who, like me, may have had this nagging concern too. (more…)

Earlier today I was doing a little tweaking of ET.com’s keywords for those all important search engines (sorry for the geek talk) and ran across a timely bit of info. A real live old time public Auction. But not just any ole auction (like what I do) but this one’s got Toenails in it!

On March 30th, there is an auction with a fair amount of toenails/sunfish. The Auctioneer bills the sales as a “PRIVATE COLLECTION of at least 500 knives, such as: at least 15 Antique Sunfish knives, plus more than 100 newer collectible Sunfish knives; over 100 collectible pocket knives and more than 150 Antique pocket knives.”

Here is the link to the Auctioneer’s website. There you will find an inventory and pictures. The auction is being held in Liberty, PA at 10:30 AM. I don’t think they are putting these online for bidding but may allow phone or proxy bidding.

There are newer ones, like Case (from the ’70’s & ’80’s), S & W, Primble, Bulldog, Canal Street, Fight’n Rooster and maybe some others. Plus there are some old ones too, like Case Bros. Camillus, Harris Bros., Union Cut. Co, Hammer Brand (NYKC), HSB, OVB, Cattaraugus, etc.

There are lots of varieties and because it is an “on-site” auction I would guess some bargains are to be had. If you are going shoot me an email I may get you to check a couple out for me

First off let me thank those of you who participated in our first ET.com poll. I put it up right after launching the new The News. I wanted to try out the new toy that allowed me to poll you guys- so here is a summary of the results.

The question was: How long have you collected Knives?

• 10% indicated they had only been collecting 1-3 years
• 10% indicated they collected from 4- 8 years
• 30% indicated they collected from 9- 15 years
• The largest percentage of voters (50%) indicated they have collected 16 years or more.

I find this very interesting- as you know for the most part, the folks who come ’round ET.com are a fairly specialized group of collectors. I would speculate (maybe another poll topic down the road on this) that most older collectors have specialized and have branched off into a higher caliber collectible (more valuable/more expensive) than the newer collectors who have yet to focus. I haven’t compared but have observed toenails do tend to cost more than an average old knife. (We know there are many reasons for this- sheer size for one!)

Most ‘older’ collectors have settled in and focused on a particular pattern (like toenails) or brand (like New York Knife Co, or Napanoch), or even a subset within a pattern (like stag handled toenails or simply jumbo swellcenters). When I was a new collector….I was spending just as much, if not more, but was buying anything and everything made by this one knife company. The result of a concentrated focus is a better allocation of financial resources- by being more selective and having a smaller universe of collectibles, many collectors can afford to “invest” a higher dollar amount in each knife, as opposed to what I had experienced.

There is a rumor shooting through the Knifedom that a crime was committed recently by someone who was obviously a toenail collector. The unfortunate thing is that it has been reported to have been committed by one of our members here at ET.com.

I was contacted by the authorities asking me to cooperate in their investigation. It seems an overly enthusiastic elephant toenail collector committed what is being called a crime of passion and remains at large. I would greatly appreciate it if you have any information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator to contact the authorities.

We have all heard the jawboning by some that elephant toenails are hard to find, especially old ones in so-called collectible condition……well is seems one of us has gone to far in their quest.

Here’s the story as reported by the local newspaper after the crime was committed.

“Recently, a Thai elephant attracted worldwide attention when she had to be fitted with a temporary prosthesis.” Since the incident she has hobbled on three feet. Motola, a 44 year old female elephant, is expected to wear it until her leg strengthens and a permanent one can be put on according to her veterinarian.

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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.

Ken Mundhenk

I live in Blue Creek, Ohio. I’ve been married soon to be 36 years and we have 2 son’s ages 31 and 22.  We are anxiously waiting the birth of our first grandchild.

I’m a material handler for a coal fired electric generating station.

I’ve been collecting case knives for about 14 years. I carry a stag mini copperlock. Over the years I’ve collected the limited editions and recently the tiny trappers. 

I’ve always been fascinated by the toenails but didn’t know alot about them until I met Roger Cunningham, he’s the local toenail guru. Going to knife shows with Roger and watching him on the hunt caused me to catch the toenail fever. With his help and guidance, I’ve acquired several case and catts.

I’m a member of the case collectors club and NKCA. I want to say your ET site is fantastic! I truly enjoy it, it’s a big help to a newbie in the hunt for toenails. I understand you will be in Bradford,PA in July, I’m looking forward to meeting you.

I recently wrote about how critical it is when buying on eBay to ask the right questions. Questions about what you see (and don’t) and what was said (and didn’t say) and to see how thorough he/she is in the answers. I found a good example of a toenail bidder asking some really good questions on an auction that ended today on a Cattaraugus toenail and thought I’d share them here.

Hello! This is indeed a rare knife, but would appreciate your answering the following questions. 1) Main Blade: a) How complete and clear is the “Cattaraugus Cutlery Co., Little Valley, NY” front tang etching? b) Is there a pattern # etching on the back tang, and, if so, how clear is it? 2) Both Blades:The text says they need cleaning, but close good. Would you please be more specific? (eg., Do both open with a firm snap to a 1/2 stop and then to a fully open position? Do they both firmly snap close?) b) When opened, do the blades “wobble”? c)Is there any rust pitting or heavy staining on either blade, front or back? c) Have either been sharpened? 3) Both Bolsters: Are the pins (holding them to the frame) visible, however faintly, front or back? 4) Back Bolster (re smaller blade): Does the pic show staining or scratching? 5) Front & Back Stag Slabs: a) Tight to the frame? b) Any cracks or chips? 6) Any other issues?  Thanks for your help. Feb-23-08

Answer:
Thanks..a. it is complete but needs some of the tarnish removed and i did not to ruin the integrity of the blade so whomever bought it i left that up to them, but you can read 50% of it. b. it is covered by tarnish/rust and cannot be made out. c. the average tarnish and minor rust needs removed and i do not want to ruin it with my own cleaning techniques so again i will leave it to the winning bidder, but it is not as bad compared to my other knives..both need a little oil but i tell you what these snaps and blades are well preserved in their mechanics. no wobbles also, no rust pitting..just some excess where the words are but this can be worked on..it is not unworkable, they have been sharpened with fine scratches on the blades..the pins are perfect..stag is very solid and in very good shape..hopefully that helps you out even though some questions were covered by other interested members

As most of you know I have been working on ET.com since 2003. We’ve added new entire sections, we’ve updated (modernized) The News, added The List, The Gallery (and The Catalog). We tried Toenail Talk but found we were overrun with spam/porn robots, so shut it down.

I’ve diligently worked to keep the information interesting, personal and yet helpful for individuals who like elephant toenail knives.

Well I need some feedback. It will only take two minutes of your time max. I ask you to answer a few very general questions…no fill in the blank, only clicking a multiple choice question.

Simply click this link: Thank you in advance for helping.

First off allow me to come clean. In case you don’t know it- I am a computer nerd (and yes, I do read software manuals, dozens of books on all the applications/programs I use), but since, from time to time the question comes up what computer do I use- well, for all you techies out there. I’m a Mac Man.

I know from reading the ET.com stats about 73% of the visitors to the site are using a windows based system running IE. Foxfire and Safari are about 18%.

I started using a Mac back in the late 1980’s with my first computer was a Quadra 650AV. Then a couple of years later I got me a Powerbook 5300cs. Eventually I had to switch over to a windows based system in order to access our office network. At the end of 07, I purchased an iPhone and then converted totally back over to an Intel powered MacBook Pro 17′ that allows me to run both the Mac operating system and windows XP (I didn’t upgrade to Vista). This enables me to still access our network and play on my Mac.

I will say, using the Mac is much more fun….now I’ve done it. Be nice with your posts here. We are family remember

I use iPhoto, iMovie, Final Cut Express and iWeb to produce my family website and blog. I also host two websites with blogs created in rapidweaver to help folks learn about the benefits of selling real estate by auction. When I get home in the evenings I plug into my 30 inch HD Apple Display and play away.