Help with knives ID/valuation please!

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tobes01

Full Member
May 4, 2009
1,901
45
Hampshire
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
 

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Wayne

Mod
Mod
Dec 7, 2003
3,750
642
51
West Sussex
www.forestknights.co.uk
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.
 
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Souledman

Full Member
Nov 14, 2020
95
73
Glasgow
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.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
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

Full Member
May 4, 2009
1,901
45
Hampshire
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

Ophiological Genius
Sep 3, 2004
12,809
1,479
Stourton,UK
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

 

Souledman

Full Member
Nov 14, 2020
95
73
Glasgow
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

Full Member
May 4, 2009
1,901
45
Hampshire
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

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
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:


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


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

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