Help with knives ID/valuation please!

[tobes01]

Hi Everyone,

A friend has been left some knives by his late father and needs to ID them with a view to selling as part of sorting out the estate. I'm no expert on this stuff, and wondered if anyone might be able to help with a proper ID and valuation on them? If you're interested in purchasing, let me know and I can put you in touch.

Knife 1: Unknown bowie (USA)
Knife 2: R&R Middleton
Knife 3: Hibben Knives Rambo
Knife 4: Rostfrei folder
Knife 5: Rostfrei folder
Knife 6: Puma Prince
Knife 7: Camillus folder

Cheers,

Tobes

 

[Wayne]

It’s challenging to offer an opinion on the value of the knives in the photos. Google maybe your friend in determining what recent examples have sold for.

The value of the knife really is determined by what you’re prepared to sell it for and what someone else is prepared to pay. Often those two factors don’t match.

I have a ceiling I’m not prepared to go beyond when buying second hand tools. Generally for me I won’t pay much more than 50% retail of a new tool. Unless it’s a particularly hard to find or rare object.

 

[Souledman]

I’d echo Wayne there, try Google. Ebay US and AU still have knife listings so some of those might pop up.

I would say that rostfrei is stainless in German rather than a maker. So Knife 4 I can’t quite make out what it says in the blurry photo but I think it maybe has a makers name above what I think says “Solingen”.

And knife 5 has Bertram Cutlery visible on one of the photos.

Etsy has vintage and second hand knives listed so you might get an idea of some of them from there.

And if you fancy joining another forum, Edge Matters, has a fairly active knife marketplace so you might find some of those you have in the old listings if you do a search. There’s a fair bit of overlap between BCUK and EM but you may find out more by posting similar over there.

I hope that helps, apologies if it’s nothing you didn’t already know.

 

[brambles]

Rostfrei is definitely just German for stainless - literally "rust free".

 

[Erbswurst]

I am no expert for knives but surely for German as it's my native language and I studied it for more than 10 years in Berlin.



"Rostfrei" means indeed "rust free".

Roughly you can assume that these knives are after WW2 west German production, with a high chance made in the town Solingen, simply because most German knives were made there. But may be they are older or made somewhere else.

Could I read more than your photos offer, I could perhaps tell you more. On my smartphone screen I can't read anything on your blades.

I could tell you what I would ask about them in a German knife forum. The stuff doesn't look unique. Perhaps there are German collectors who can tell you something about them, even if the Makers do not exist anymore.
I personally assume that the value isn't very high. Real German made Puma knives are relatively expensive though.
But they are common and mass produced.

There is a Bushcraft forum in the USA. Perhaps they can tell you about the Bowie knife.

 

[tobes01]

Thanks everyone, the Etsy pointer is one I can push my friend's way. I figured the folders had very little value, and I imagine the bowie/rambo knives would be more popular in the US than here.

 

[JonathanD]

The Rambo 3 Hibben is worth around £50 in that condition without box. The made literally thousands.

 

[tobes01]

The Rambo 3 Hibben is worth around £50 in that condition without box. The made literally thousands.

That's really helpful, thank you - I think that's the one he hoped might have some value

 

[JonathanD]

S

That's really helpful, thank you - I think that's the one he hoped might have some value

If it was handmade by Gil it would be worth loads more. But it’s one of the commercial wall hangers United Cutlery made. You can still buy them new for £90

Gil Hibben III Bowie Knife

Referance Number GH201 Gil Hibben III Bowie Knife Gil Hibben III Bowie Knife For over 50 years Gil Hibben, master knife maker, has been perfecting the art of not only making knives, but also using them in virtually every available aspect of his life. Mr. Hibben is a master hunter, knife thrower...

www.battleorders.co.uk

 

[Souledman]

I would think the R&R Middleton has the most value, some of their Bowies turn up if you google, but nothing that looks the same. He might get an idea though.

I had a bit of a nosey on EM for you.
As far as I can see:
A Camillus 26, in better condition, didn’t sell for £75 when it was listed on EM last year.

A Puma Prince, also in better condition, didn’t sell when listed for £50 a few years ago.

Might give your friend a starting point to work his way down from, but possibly not enough to give as evidence to HMRC.

 

[tobes01]

I would think the R&R Middleton has the most value, some of their Bowies turn up if you google, but nothing that looks the same. He might get an idea though.

I had a bit of a nosey on EM for you.
As far as I can see:
A Camillus 26, in better condition, didn’t sell for £75 when it was listed on EM last year.

A Puma Prince, also in better condition, didn’t sell when listed for £50 a few years ago.

Might give your friend a starting point to work his way down from, but possibly not enough to give as evidence to HMRC.

Very helpful, thank you. I think I'll point him at EM and let him see how he gets on.

 

[Erbswurst]

I assume that every west German who could tell you something about the German knives is able to read simple English textes.

I suggest to ask about them in the German forums, in English.

It's possible that a German collector is interested in the old models and pays more than I would offer at a flea market because it's missing somehow in his collection.

That's the large forum:

Startseite

www.messerforum.net

That's a section of the hunter's forum.
They might be interested in the antler scale knives.

Messerforum

Vom Messer bis zur Saufeder

forum.wildundhund.de

But he needs better photos of course, where one can read what's written on the blade or ricasso.