Guide · 2 min read
How We Grade and Price Collector Knives: Case XX Values, Customs and Pre-Owned
What 'excellent', 'very good' and 'user' mean on an Austin Blade Co. listing, what we check on the bench before a collector knife goes in the case, and how the price is set from what comparable pieces have actually sold for.
Updated October 21, 2026 · Austin Blade Co., 7600 N Lamar Blvd, Austin
Around 160 of the knives in the store are the only one of their kind: hand-made customs, antique folders, discontinued production pieces, military and trade blades. Every one of them went across the bench before it went in the case. This is what that means, and how the number on the tag is set.
What we check
Every collector piece is opened, closed, measured against a clean example and photographed as it is. The listing records:
- Blade. How much steel is left against the original profile; whether the edge has been re-ground; chips, rolls, pitting; whether the etch or stamp is crisp.
- Action. On a slip joint, the walk and talk. On a lock, lock-up position, lock stick and blade play in both directions. On an automatic, the fire and the lock-out.
- Handles and fittings. Cracks along the pins, shrinkage, lifted scales, bolster gaps, replaced parts.
- Originality. Everything that has been changed: scales, pins, springs, blades, edges, finishes. A refinished knife is not a bad knife, but it is a different knife, and it is priced that way.
- What came with it. Box, papers, sheath, pouch, maker's card. These matter more the newer and the more collectible the knife.
The grades
| Grade | What it means |
|---|---|
| Mint | Unused and unsharpened, with box and papers where they existed. |
| Excellent | No wear beyond a careful factory-angle sharpening. Crisp stamp, full blade, clean handles. |
| Very good | Light carry marks, a well-kept edge, nothing replaced. The grade most good pre-owned knives earn. |
| Good | Honest wear: a shortened blade, scratches, a tired snap. A sound knife at a sound price. |
| User | Worked hard. Priced as a tool, sold to be carried again. |
A knife is never graded above what its weakest part allows. A full, crisp blade on a cracked handle is a "good" knife, and the listing says why.
How the price is set
We price from evidence, not hope. For a known maker or pattern we look at what the same knife, in the same grade, has actually sold for recently, at auction and from dealers. We adjust for completeness and for the Texas market, which pays more for some makers and patterns than the national average. For a maker with no recent sales we work from the closest comparable and say so in the listing.
Two things we do not do: price a knife by what we paid for it, and price it to sit. A collector piece that has not sold in a season is re-checked and re-priced.
Where the knives come from
Collections being thinned, estates, trades at the counter and the occasional find. We buy outright and we consign. If you have a piece or a collection, tell us what you have or bring it in; the valuation is free and you will get a straight answer about whether to sell it to us, consign it or keep it.
Shop the case
Common questions
- What condition grades do you use for pre-owned knives?
- Mint, excellent, very good, good and user. Mint is unused with box and papers; excellent shows no wear beyond a careful sharpening; very good has light carry marks; good has honest wear; user has been worked and is priced as a tool.
- How do you decide the price of a custom or vintage knife?
- From recent sales of the same maker and pattern in the same condition, adjusted for completeness: box, papers, sheath, original edge. We would rather price a knife to sell this season than hold it for years.
- Do you guarantee a knife is original?
- We describe what we find: replaced scales, re-pinned bolsters, re-ground blades, re-etched stamps. If something arrives that does not match the listing, you have 30 days to return it.
- Will you give me a free valuation?
- Yes. Bring the knife to the store on North Lamar or send photos through the sell page. We will tell you what it is, what it is worth and whether we would buy it or consign it.
