Copied conversation thread - Ray Mears 25th Anniversary Woodlore Knife #100

[LewesLee]

Note from Tony - This is not a ales thread but a copy of a thread in classifieds, this thread is for conversation so the sales thread can remain clean.

Hi everyone! As an occasional visitor to these forums, I am well aware of the comments that are typically made when members sell high value 'luxury' items such as these, especially when they have Mr. Mears' name attached! However, I would just like to make it clear that I am simply looking for a buyer today, and I will not be getting involved in the usual debates over perceived value of collector's items. I hope you all understand

To get to the point, I am looking to part ways with my Ray Mears 25th Anniversary Woodlore Knife, which was hand-forged by the Swedish knife maker Julius Peterson in celebration of the 25th year of Ray Mears' own company, Woodlore Limited. I will assume that any serious buyers are already aware of the specifics of this knife, so I won't go into further details here, but of course feel free to contact me if you'd like to clarify anything.

The knife comes with the hand-stitched belt sheath, presentation case and certificate of authenticity, signed by Mr. Mears. This knife has not been used at all since purchase, and has simply been stored inside my house along with a few silica gel packets. As you can see from the photos, there are a few blemishes on the blade and rivets, simply from storage. I would imagine these would be simple enough to remove, but I felt it best to leave the knife untouched and leave this TLC to the buyer.

Only 250 of these knives were ever made, and I was extremely fortunate to purchase knife number 100. This is shown on the blade itself, as well as on the certificate.

When these knives originally went on sale, I recall seeing some owners reselling theirs for something in the region of £1,200+ (I believe this was back when knives were still allowed to be sold on eBay). Since then, I have seen a further few knives being sold via Dartmoor Knives for the same sort of value. Given these sales, and factoring in the collectable aspect of this being knife number 100, I would be looking for an offer in the region of £1,100. As before, I appreciate that many of you will want to debate this, but I am regrettably in need of a sale due to personal reasons, and therefore would appreciate serious offers/comments only

Pictures below were taken today. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me, and I will happily discuss things. Many thanks everyone!

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[Totumpole]

Beautiful knife that is, one that I would value highly in my collection. However, I am dubious that this is your first post and those are some very professional pictures. I for one would not part with any money to someone that I cannot see has built up any reputation with the forum. Call me cynical... but you haven't even got a background or introduction.
Anyhoo, what wood is that handle? Desert iron wood?

 

[Big G]

It does look a bit dubious mate.. your first post selling a high value item.

Drop in to the introduction & welcome thread.. tell us a bit about yourself

 

[LewesLee]

Beautiful knife that is, one that I would value highly in my collection. However, I am dubious that this is your first post and those are some very professional pictures. I for one would not part with any money to someone that I cannot see has built up any reputation with the forum. Call me cynical... but you haven't even got a background or introduction.
Anyhoo, what wood is that handle? Desert iron wood?

Hi Totumpole. A very fair point, and one that I somewhat expected. Despite visiting the BCUK forums over the years for bits of advice, I'm not a huge one for social media and posting online, hence the brand new account. I did ponder whether it was worth posting/commenting in other areas of the site before advertising this knife, but I felt that would have been a little false of me, and it would have probably come across that way too!

I've always had an interest in photography, and own a Nikon D700, hence the clear pictures (I'll take your comment as a compliment!). I have included a photo showing my forum name, but would be more than happy to take some new pictures alongside an object of your choice for authenticity; I'm sure someone will have a suggestion

If there's anything I can do to alleviate people's concerns then please do tell. I'm pretty new to this!

Cheers, Lee.

 

[LewesLee]

It does look a bit dubious mate.. your first post selling a high value item.

Drop in to the introduction & welcome thread.. tell us a bit about yourself

Hi Gary. Again, a fair point. I'll head there now

 

[Samon]

Feel free to donate any profit from your brand new unused knife to the forum or better yet.. a charity of your choosing.

 

[LewesLee]

Feel free to donate any profit from your brand new unused knife to the forum or better yet.. a charity of your choosing.

Hi Samon, noted

 

[Big G]

Absolutely stunning knife mate.

Good luck with the sale

 

[LewesLee]

Absolutely stunning knife mate.

Good luck with the sale

Many thanks, Gary

 

[didicoy]

Many thanks, Gary

It is a nice knife and collectors are responsible for fixing any future price. I'm aware Ray has lost a lot of loyal and potential customers since this perticular blade became such an icon.
If Ray was mr Dyson, would I think any different of him! I guess not. Having seen magnificent blades made and shown by a variety of less well known makers on this forum and other forums. I have indeed realised that the price/cost of these RM knives is not really about the quality or skill involved in making them. But they are a article of bushcraft culture and as such stand alone in the minds of those who invest in them. It's a real shame you can't afford to hold on to this knife, as with any limited edition. Someone at the back of the waiting list missed out. To them it may well have been everything, a dedicated follower of fashion. Good luck with the sail, I hope it goes to a good home.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Good luck with the sale and congratulations on having invested so wisely.

I hadn't realised this site was so tolerant of heckling in the For Sale threads but at least it's not as bad as BB and the SD!

Cheers

K

 

[LewesLee]

It is a nice knife and collectors are responsible for fixing any future price. I'm aware Ray has lost a lot of loyal and potential customers since this perticular blade became such an icon.
If Ray was mr Dyson, would I think any different of him! I guess not. Having seen magnificent blades made and shown by a variety of less well known makers on this forum and other forums. I have indeed realised that the price/cost of these RM knives is not really about the quality or skill involved in making them. But they are a article of bushcraft culture and as such stand alone in the minds of those who invest in them. It's a real shame you can't afford to hold on to this knife, as with any limited edition. Someone at the back of the waiting list missed out. To them it may well have been everything, a dedicated follower of fashion. Good luck with the sail, I hope it goes to a good home.

Hi didicoy, thanks anyway

 

[LewesLee]

Good luck with the sale and congratulations on having invested so wisely.

I hadn't realised this site was so tolerant of heckling in the For Sale threads but at least it's not as bad as BB and the SD!

Cheers

K

Hi Klenchblaize,

Perhaps I was just paranoid following the usual debates that follow knives of this type online! So far BCUK has been nothing but good-natured thoughts

 

[Klenchblaize]

What makes you think I was referring to you?

Bump!

K

 

[adestu]

Can i ask how much it was originally

 

[AndyP]

Can i ask how much it was originally

if I remember correctly they were around £500.

Its also not officially a "Woodlore" it's a 25th anniversary knife made by Julius Peterson in the woodlore style.

 

[adestu]

Ah right.cheers for the clarification

 

[LewesLee]

if I remember correctly they were around £500.

Its also not officially a "Woodlore" it's a 25th anniversary knife made by Julius Peterson in the woodlore style.

Hi AndyP. I may be wrong, but I don't remember the price being quite that high originally; I believe they were closer to £325.00.

You're right in saying that it is not a "Woodlore Knife", in the sense that it is not the model made by Alan Wood. But this 25th Anniversary Knife was officially designed and commissioned by Ray Mears and Woodlore to celebrate the 25th year of Mr. Mears' company Woodlore Limited.

 

[AndyP]

Hi AndyP. I may be wrong, but I don't remember the price being quite that high originally; I believe they were closer to £325.00.

You're right in saying that it is not a "Woodlore Knife", in the sense that it is not the model made by Alan Wood. But this 25th Anniversary Knife was officially designed and commissioned by Ray Mears and Woodlore to celebrate the 25th year of Mr. Mears' company Woodlore Limited.

It could have been £325 I can't remember for sure.

Yes obviously it was commission by Ray and sold through his website "Woodlore", there are many versions of this knife, SWC makes one, officially thought the "Woodlore knife" is the one made by Alan Wood.

 

[LewesLee]

Hi again everyone. This knife is still unsold at present. If you are interested but feel that I am asking too much, please do PM me with your offer, as I will certainly consider a lower value. Cheers!