Valuable Spyderco's

[ccf]

I saw where a Civi went for $500 on eBay. It got me curious about which models being manufactured now could be collector's items in the future. Or if not collector's items, then knives which could possibly bring much more than their MSRP.

Any thoughts?

[ccf]

I should also add recent sprint runs that are still available.

[kbuzbee]

It depends on so many things... Not the least of which is the whims of consumer demand....

But all things equal, I fully expect the Phoenix and the Bradley to do better than most.

Ken

[BigBrad75]

....But all things equal, I fully expect the Phoenix and the Bradley to do better than most.

Ken

You gotta love that Gayle Bradley, I know I do. One beautiful piece of work.

[burningpit]

Barong, Khukuri, Chokwe, P'Kal all have the potential to be collector items. Seems like the ethnic designs have little interest while in production but become much sought after pieces after they are discontinued like the Persian and Yojimbo. Also, I think the Superhawk and Street Beat will be must have Spydercos in the future.

[Evil D]

Production numbers and rareness are big factors. Sal could mold a knife out of poop and it would sell for big bucks if he only molded 50 poop knives lol

[jackthedog]

Oh, man. I thought I had pre-ordered all 50 of those... how did you find out?

On a serious note, I'm a bit new to :spyder: , but I would think some of the Manix 2 Sprints might become in high demand. Especially given the model's popularity.

[The Deacon]

Production numbers and rareness are big factors. Sal could mold a knife out of poop and it would sell for big bucks if he only molded 50 poop knives lol

Not entirely true. If it were a model in which there's limited interest, you'd have to hope the right buyer comes along when you're looking to sell. I have one knife that, while Sal has said "less than a handful" were made, would probably not fetch a lot, since it's not variant of a high demand model.

It comes down to a question of supply and demand and, while it's safe to say that anything that's hot today will probably be even hotter tomorrow, that's not always the case. 25th Ann. Delica peaked at over $700. Last couple I've seen auctioned went for under $400. But, in general, Sprint Runs and other low number specials, while not guaranteed to appreciate, probably stand better than average chance of doing so.

Some models took a long time to get "hot", others were "afi" favorites spurned by the great unwashed and caught fire the day Spyderco announced they were discontinued. Hard to tell what the future holds for some.

There's also the matter of scale. $500 for a Civilian may sound like a lot, but it's just a bit over twice its MSRP. Just about any Q, aside from the Bug and HK versions, will fetch more than twice their $50 MSRP, some will fetch eight times it or more.

[Evil D]

I was always told, anything that is sold as a collectible won't ever be worth anything..lol.

Like say for example, old Star Wars toys, GIJOE figures, stuff like that, in MINT NIB condition is outrageous expensive because nobody ever thought it would be so popular so nobody saved stuff like that.

[Jay_Ev]

At one time, Dodo's were easily and readily found for $70. One recently went for 7x that amount on ebay:

[HotSoup]

I see the Barong and Kukri being sought after in a couple years, when there are none left on the primary market.

Not to mention the Barong has some pretty influential supporters online.

[SteelDragon]

At one time, Dodo's were easily and readily found for $70. One recently went for 7x that amount on ebay:

Maybe that one was the first Dodo off the line or the prototype? Or some special paperwork was included to add to the collector value?

[SmoothOne25]

Maybe that one was the first Dodo off the line or the prototype? Or some special paperwork was included to add to the collector value?

you know who that seller is right? :D
if you dont pm me. i dont want to throw it around. but if you ever bought from him, like i do, you'd understand.

[SteelDragon]

you know who that seller is right? :D
if you dont pm me. i dont want to throw it around. but if you ever bought from him, like i do, you'd understand.

yep I do! Seems odd to me though....

[The Deacon]

Maybe that one was the first Dodo off the line or the prototype? Or some special paperwork was included to add to the collector value?

Or maybe someone just thought that, because of who was selling it. Or the buyer lives in a country which currently has a very favorable exchange rate. Or just your garden variety auction bidding war where winning becomes paramount and common sense goes out the window.

[Scottie3000]

To me it's pretty much any knife that is a good knife but looks like an outside the box design. Often the genius of these designs aren't realized until after they are disco'd. Examples: Barong, Kuhkuri, Lava, Dodo, (probably in the future) Phoenix, Chokwe, Rock Lobster.

[bh49]

It comes down to a question of supply and demand and, while it's safe to say that anything that's hot today will probably be even hotter tomorrow, that's not always the case. 25th Ann. Delica peaked at over $700. Last couple I've seen auctioned went for under $400.

+1 (As always :) )

At one time, Dodo's were easily and readily found for $70. One recently went for 7x that amount on ebay:

BTW, the last black PE was sold a little over $200
http://cgi.ebay.com/SPYDERCO-DODO-C80GP ... ble_Knives

SE even under $200
http://cgi.ebay.com/SPYDERCO-C80GSBK-BL ... ble_Knives

so after the wave of insanity prices went back to "normal". And if Spyderco produce Orange Dodo, prices would go down even more.

To me it's pretty much any knife that is a good knife but looks like an outside the box design. Often the genius of these designs aren't realized until after they are disco'd. Examples: Barong, Kuhkuri, Lava, Dodo, (probably in the future) Phoenix, Chokwe, Rock Lobster.

I would respectably disagree. Like Paul said "supply and demand". After Original Green Lum Chinese got discontinued you could find them for a little over $100, it got hot shortly and prices within a year went $200 probably within a year.Later $250 was a good deal and they were catching up $270-280. After ZDP sprint they went down to around $150. Still the same design, the same knife.

[The Deacon]

To me it's pretty much any knife that is a good knife but looks like an outside the box design. Often the genius of these designs aren't realized until after they are disco'd. Examples: Barong, Kuhkuri, Lava, Dodo, (probably in the future) Phoenix, Chokwe, Rock Lobster.

I would respectably disagree. Like Paul said "supply and demand". After Original Green Lum Chinese got discontinued you could find them for a little over $100, it got hot shortly and prices within a year went $200 probably within a year.Later $250 was a good deal and they were catching up $270-280. After ZDP sprint they went down to around $150. Still the same design, the same knife.

Agreed. At the very least, there are several factors at work. The Q was never really a "good knife", but was definitely an "outside the box design" and a brilliant exercise in simplicity. The Persian is a great design but not really "outside the box", at least not my box. :D

To me, the biggest "wild card" right now is the effect the sheer number of Sprint and other limited runs being offered will have on the collector market. Beyond the effect you note where the current value of older versions of the Chinese Folder may be a result of four new Sprints being released in fairly rapid succession and at least two more versions known to be in the works, there could eventually be a more general over saturation of the market.

Which is not to say the knives will not continue to sell, only that their appeal to speculative investors could be eliminated and a "hot" item might be available for a few weeks, rather than a few hours.

[SteelDragon]

I would think the CF Manix 2 would have as good a chance as any to be more desirable (valuable) as time passes. Granted the market was flooded with Manix 2's so only time will tell.

[Scottie3000]

BH49 and Deacon,
I totally agree with supply and demand. My thoughts were that "funny" looking models don't sell well and therefore the supply is low. Some of them catch a spark of demand sometimes directly after and sometimes a ways after being disco'd and there is your demand. I doubt there would be high prices demanded for CE Enduras since there were probably several hundred thousand sold, but a pricey odd looking knife like a Rock Lobster or Phoenix probably only sold in the 4 digit production range.