Spyderco Collectors Club question.

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Hooterville
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Spyderco Collectors Club question.

#1

Post by Hooterville »

Do the Spyderco Collectors Club numbered knives have more value then the same knives without the number? Also are they more or less desirable?
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jabba359
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#2

Post by jabba359 »

Depends on the person. I've seen Collector's club knives sell for much more than non-marked versions, but I've also seen them at times sell for significantly less than their normal counterparts. These price differences may have been due to the normal price fluctuations on eBay, or because someone really wanted or didn't want a numbered version. I couldn't say without asking the bidders.

Personally, I used to like the CC# knives better, as they felt more 'exclusive'. My tastes have changed, however, and I prefer the blades to have less clutter; ergo, I prefer them without the #. Of course, I don't let the # or lack thereof sway my decision on a knife if the price is right.
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#3

Post by Bearcat1 »

I have seen this question answered before and I believe the consensus was most people did not prefer the CC#.

Originally I thought they were more desirable, but was surprised to see most people did not favor a CC#.

Most of the time I see them on fleabay the seller expects a premium and that could be part of the reason for less interest.

It is a personal preference that you will have to answer for yourself. :D

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mikerestivo
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#4

Post by mikerestivo »

The collector's club number signifies the collector's account number, I believe, and not the production run order.

Most folks, as stated, don't see any added value to having a random number stamped on the blade. In every other way, the knife with the number and the knife without are the same.
RedRunner
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#5

Post by RedRunner »

I'm not 100% sure about it, but I believe the CC knives are produced in order, more or less. And they are produced before the regular production. I have a very low single digit CC number (i.e. "00#") and it seems like it's one of the first to arrive at each new release...granted it's dependent on shipping distance, etc. There is probably some nice and bad parts to having the low number CC. The good is I feel like it gets a little extra attention and inspection as they start production and do a close QA on it. The bad is that if there is a fundamental flaw that goes unnoticed with a new model, then I'm certain to have that too! But it's Spyderco and what they might think of as a flaw is usually character or something not meeting some design spec that most of us wouldn't care about, like tension or resistance on opening.

That's my two cents on it. I don't value them higher or lower, but see it as my way of assuring I will always have at least one of the knives I want. I hear the other comments on the numbering marking up the blade though. It's a reasonable feeling to have.
DeathBySnooSnoo
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#6

Post by DeathBySnooSnoo »

My guess is that the first 200 are made and then sent off to be etched as a batch. So what order they are actually produced in isn't bothered with.
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Fred S
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#7

Post by Fred S »

Pretty sure they etch the CC number at the same time as they etch everything else
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mikerestivo
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#8

Post by mikerestivo »

Now you guys have me really curious - does anybody know for certain if the collector's club numbers are etched in order of production or are they randomly assigned?
DeathBySnooSnoo
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#9

Post by DeathBySnooSnoo »

I believe that Sal has mentioned before about CC# being sent out to be etched. From that I only assumed that the exact production order isn't kept.
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Chris_H
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#10

Post by Chris_H »

The number might only have significance beyond being an account number if you can obtain an entire series (e.g., Kopa, Sage, Chaparral, Mule Team). Attempting to sell that series as whole lot is questionable though.
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jabba359
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#11

Post by jabba359 »

I'm guessing they are engraved in a batch, and not specifically in the order they come off the line (following the same reasoning as DeathBySnooSnoo uses). For example, they make a first batch of 500. They grab the quantity needed to fulfill the collector's club needs, engrave them, send them out, and hold the remnants of the 500 for a little bit to ensure the collectors get their knives first before sending out the remainder of the first run.

I'm pretty sure the CC# is done separately from the other etches, as one of the problems before Spyderco revamped the CC club was that the members were getting their knives after non-members due to the additional wait time for the engraver to add the numbers on.
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RedRunner
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#12

Post by RedRunner »

That makes sense about the etching. I am pretty sure the CC knives get out before the regular production, for the most part. It seems that way, anyway. Maybe Sal will comment on it and give us a better idea around delivery timing with CC knives.
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#13

Post by Waffle »

jabba359 wrote:Depends on the person. I've seen Collector's club knives sell for much more than non-marked versions, but I've also seen them at times sell for significantly less than their normal counterparts. These price differences may have been due to the normal price fluctuations on eBay, or because someone really wanted or didn't want a numbered version. I couldn't say without asking the bidders.

Personally, I used to like the CC# knives better, as they felt more 'exclusive'. My tastes have changed, however, and I prefer the blades to have less clutter; ergo, I prefer them without the #. Of course, I don't let the # or lack thereof sway my decision on a knife if the price is right.
I was going to say that! :D
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mikerestivo
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#14

Post by mikerestivo »

I'll bet that The Deacon knows about production sequence. Maybe he will chime-in tomorrow morning.
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Spyharpy
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#15

Post by Spyharpy »

DeathBySnooSnoo wrote:My guess is that the first 200 are made and then sent off to be etched as a batch. So what order they are actually produced in isn't bothered with.
Spyderco has a limit of 200 Collector Club members. It does NOT mean there are 200 numbered knives. For example, if there are 87 members in the club, 87 knives will be etched with each of the member's selected number between 1-200. Only Spyderco knows how many members there are in their Collector Club and who has what number. One advantage of the club is that members get new knives with their assigned numbers first before they are released for public sale. The numbered knives are no different than the production versions.

Personally, I have no desire for numbered knives and avoid purchasing them. They don't represent a production quantity but rather a number that's assigned to a member of the Collector Club. I just don't see how they can be worth more other than uniformed buyers paying a premium believing it's a limited edition low production knife which is not the case.
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#16

Post by DeathBySnooSnoo »

Spyharpy wrote:Spyderco has a limit of 200 Collector Club members. It does NOT mean there are 200 numbered knives. For example, if there are 87 members in the club, 87 knives will be etched with each of the member's selected number between 1-200. Only Spyderco knows how many members there are in their Collector Club and who has what number. One advantage of the club is that members get new knives with their assigned numbers first before they are released for public sale. The numbered knives are no different than the production versions.

Personally, I have no desire for numbered knives and avoid purchasing them. They don't represent a production quantity but rather a number that's assigned to a member of the Collector Club. I just don't see how they can be worth more other than uniformed buyers paying a premium believing it's a limited edition low production knife which is not the case.
Oh I know. But for the sake of example...

And as much as I might like to have everything first, especially sprints. I agree, I have no interest in the numbered knives.
SteelDragon
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#17

Post by SteelDragon »

Here is some info that may help those who are interested.

http://spyderco.com/forums/showpost.php ... stcount=81
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gbelleh
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#18

Post by gbelleh »

I know I avoid CC#s. I've gotten surprise CC knives from eBay dealers before, and the extra clutter on the blade does kind of bother me. It's like getting a knife with someone else's initials engraved on it.
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#19

Post by SteelDragon »

One interesting aspect, I have purchased cc# knives before and then decided to pass it on and it's kind of interesting to see a knife you once owned years later for sale on ebay and it still hasn't been used.

On a side note, I for one think that "Limited / Sprint Run" knives should be numbered.
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#20

Post by The Deacon »

I honesty can't imagine Spyderco, or their foreign makers, keeping track of exact production order. I doubt they did that even on things like the Evolution set where every piece was numbered "nn of nnnn"". At best, a Collectors Club number signifies that the knife was one of the first batch from the first run of that model or variant, but there was a point in time a few years ago when it did not even consistently signify that.

Whether or not they add value on the secondary market is, like many other things, a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. Some folks like the idea that it guarantees the knife is an early specimen of the model/variant, some avoid them for the same reason. Some like the idea that a numbered knife is easier to identify if stolen, others get all paranoid about the idea it could somehow be traced back to them. Some feel the extra writing on the blade lowers the value while some collectors think the fact they can be certain the box which comes with the knife is the one it originally came in adds value.

One "added value" of CC#d knives which may become more significant as fakes become more and more of an issue is that they're a reliable indicator that the knife is a genuine Spyderco product.
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