The Standard Knife Collector's Guide : Identification & Values

by Roy Ritchie, Ron Stewart

This book includes virtually all knife manufacturers, both old and Chicago Cutlery, Holley, Belknap, Eagle, Remington, E.C. Simmons, Shapleigh, Winchester, Aerial, and Imperial, to name just a few. The guide presents a common sense system for 'total appraisal' using the RBR scales; overviews of all the major knife companies; notes on commemoratives, reproductions, and limited editions; knife clubs and organizations; numbering systems used by companies; and current collector values. More than 800 line drawings and an expanded full color photo gallery showcasing the various handle materials -- celluloid, wood, bone, abalone, ivory, metal, plastic, and more. 2002 values. Roy Ritchie is a noted expert on knives, and provides certified appraisals of knives and collections, as well as assists insurance companies with appraisals and adjustment evaluations. He and co-author Ron Stewart published one of the earliest books for collectors, the Kentucky Knife Traders Manual. They went on to publish the bestselling Standard Knife Collector's Guide, and later books Big Book of Pocket Knives, Cattaraugus Cutlery Company, and Standard Guide to Razors. Ron Stewart is a noted expert on knives, and provides certified appraisals of knives and collections, as well as assists insurance companies with appraisals and adjustment evaluations. He and co-author Roy Ritchie published one of the earliest manuals for collectors, the Kentucky Knife Traders Manual. They went on to publish the bestselling Standard Knife Collector's Guide, then others like Big Book of Pocket Knives, Cattaraugus Cutlery Company, and Standard Guide to Razors. Standard Knife Collector's big, wide-ranging, and inexpensive. These factors have made this title one of the three or four most popular books in the knife business. With almost a hundred pages added to this edition, the new page count comes to nearly 800. The heart of this book is the extensive listing of major knife companies and brands, which provides many illustrated examples that apply the authors "RBR" system for determining a value of almost any brand of folding knife. -Knife World

784 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1986

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 3 out of 5]

First let me say...this book wasn't what I was looking for, so I've tried to be fair here. What I was actually looking for wasn't here...mostly, even though this is a good sized book (688 pages). BUT, I can see why. I'd need to run down the information I want, probably in several books. Knife collecting can encompass a huge number of variables. Ancient to modern, folding and fixed blade with many, many subheadings under each...

I'm not as such a knife collector. To me knives have always been tools. We're not talking kitchen knives here (a "whole nuther set of collectibles") but folding and sheath knives. I've carried a "pocket knife" pretty much full time since I was in the 4th grade. I suppose that it's not so common in some areas (it's not so common now as it was "then"...4th grade 1961). I was a commercial refrigeration tech. and a few years ago at a seminar put on by an ice machine company a presenter asked if anyone had a knife..the whole room responded. His reaction was, "oh, I ask who has a pocket knife in the South". Today I suppose many people confuse the carrying of a knife with the carrying of a weapon. That's a misunderstanding. People who worked with my dad (once we had moved to Ohio) called his pocket knife his "Tennessee Tool Kit". A knife can be a wire stripper, a screw driver, wood shaper, a skinning tool...a fork, it is in short a general all purpose tool.

I've been off work for about 6 years now and have a small Case sheath knife (3 inch blade) that I used at work for the last decade or so. I also have a Buck folding knife (a Buck Stockman) that I used before I got the Case...it was the second of that type, I lost the first at work...somewhere. As I said, knives have always been tools for me. Reading this book I can see however how knife collecting could become an all consuming interest.

I got this book out of the library because I have a few knives I inherited from my dad, and one that may possibly have belonged to my grand-dad. He would have had to have gotten it near the end of his life however. I wanted some information on these knives, dates of manufacture, years they were sold and so on. That wasn't to be found here. The book gives a good overview of the hobby but only has what might be called "detailed information" on a few categories of knives. There is no index as such but there are chapters on various areas of interest in the hobby.

So, if you are interested in the hobby of knife collecting this book might be a good place to start for as I said, an overview.