My fascination began with an Uncle of mine. He would come down from Boston and visit us in the summers. He was a rugged old Korean war veteran. The kind of guy that when he spoke you listened. He always carried a pocket knife. He would love to take out his knive from his pocket, carefully open each blade, and extol the value of carrying such a tool. That image just stuck with me my whole life.
My first pocket knife was a cub scout knife. Just like the one shown here. My Mother was buying me a cub scout uniform when I spotted that gem behind the showcase. I was probably about 9 years old. I pledged to be responsible and safe. I said whatever it took to get that knife in my pocket. God bless here, she succumbed. I LOVED THAT KNIFE. Made me feel like I was grown up. I carved a lot of stuff with that knife. Including my parents brand new sectional couch in their living room. It wasn’t as bad as it sounds but I did manage to put a slit in it about 5″ long. For the life of me I don’t remember how it happened. I do know it wasn’t intentional. It wasn’t some act of rebellion or defiance. I wasn’t that kind of kid. My folks didn’t have a lot of money back then and it hurt them. I’m still sorry it happened. My Mother hasn’t forgotten the incident to this day.
My next recollection of any knife that had sentimental value to me was a pair of matching pocket knifes identical to the CASE TESTED XX knife I carry today. I like my knife so much that I bought one for Dad. I carried mine all the time. Dad’s ended up in a bureau drawer. He did, however, keep it. He just wasn’t a knife guy.
The slideshow is a sample from my collection. A “real” collector would laugh at this collection because there is no monetary value. I know that. Do you really think I’d go out and spend $250.00 for something that’s going to sit in a drawer for years. Then turn around and do it again next month? That’s what I have my photography hobby for. (smile). Now they can appreciate in value but you better know what you’re doing. I don’t study it to that extent so, believe me, my purchases aren’t appreciating monetarily.
There are folks that do this but they study and really understand the net worth of their purchases. It’s more than a hobby to them it’s a science and an investment. Once again, NOT ME, I just think they’re cool and will spend $10.00 on a knife knowing it has little value but the enjoyment it brings me.
If you want to learn more about knives there are over (25) books out there that assess their values. A good one to start with is: “Official Price Guide to Collector Knives by C. Houston Price and Mark D. Zaldesky. It’s probably available on Amazon.
The most I ever spent on a pocket knife is about $75.00. Those made by Case were in that price range. They’re made in America and have been for the past 100 years. Pennsylvania to be exact. They are solid, balanced, well crafted and have nice blades. Beautiful knifes.
The knife I carry every day is the Case “gentleman’s knife” shown to the left. It’s small, lightweight and has nice lines. It’s shown in the photo to the left with the box marked TESTED XX. You can wear it with business attire and it won’t be noticeable. Cheryl bought me this knife as a birthday present about ten years ago.
The Harley Davidson knife was purchased as a gift from Cheryl as well back in 2003 when she got me the Harley Electra Glide motorcycle to go along with it. That knife has more miles on it than any knife I own. 
The blade was razor sharp, (a little duller at this time),and I used it constantly around the house and garage.
The HAMMER KNIFE was purchased a few years back at the Home Depot. It’s a multi-tool but I use it frequently because it’s a small sized hammer. It’s for those jobs where a full sized hammer is just much. Like when you’re pounding in nails to hang a picture. It’s been a great purchase.
The Victorinox Swiss Army Knife shown to the right I’ve had for about
(18) years. I’ve used every tool on it, with the exception of the can opener, so many times it’s hard to believe how well it’s held up. Another good investment.
The Victorinox shown to the left is part of their hunting line and is similar to this knife. Cheryl and I were driving through Monroe CT when we stumbled upon their factory outlet. They have virtually all their offerings there, but I believe at nearly half price. I paid only around $35.00 for this knife. A steal at that price. The holes in the blades are to allow one handed opening. This knife feels so good in the hand with it’s weight, ruggedness, non slip rubber grip and size. I want so badly to start using it but I’m keeping it new. It just looks so damn good new that I can’t bring myself put it into service. If you live in CT you’ll want to stop by their store.
Why don’t these knives show any wear you say? Simple…..photoshop. I took these photographs because I’m going to make a wall sized poster for my office. Something like a 24″ x 36″ and frame it. I have all these knives but never displayed them. Frankly, I’m not keen on displaying them because who want’s a bunch of knives easily accessible for grandchildren to grab? I know you can lock them up behind displays but I’m not going to invest that kind of money or make that kind of commitment to any given wall in the house. So they sit, in storage, in a closet. My solution was a poster. This way I’ll be able to enjoy looking at them….at least on paper. I’ll post it when I get it done. I’ve yet to start it.
This is how I set up the shoot:
1) I used (3) constant output 5500K lights. One left, one right and one above.
2) Each knife was sent inside a white photo tent to soften the incoming light.
3) Any resultant shadows were removed in photoshop.
4) All wear marks and imperfections were removed in photoshop.
5) Each knife was photographed (5) times. Each photo having a different focus point using the Cam Ranger. Macro photography has a very shallow depth of field. So to ensure that each component of the knife was in focus it had to be shot this way.
6) Then all the images were merged in photoshop.
The Camranger allows you to sync your tablet to your camera thereby bringing up the image on screen before you take the picture. You can then touch the screen to exactly where you want your focus and take the picture. A truly handy device for close up work.
You can pick up pocket knifes at flea markets, yard sales, Ebay or the old fashioned way….in a store. If you like pocket knifes you can collect on a shoe string budget, like I do, or you can make it a big time hobby. There is more information on knives on the internet then you’ll have time to read. Knife shows are also held frequently throughout the United States.
For my information on Victorinox knive see my previous post.
All photo’s were taken with Nikon D7100, Nikon 105 2.8mm macro lens and the Camranger.
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