short stuff

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button_man
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Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm

short stuff

Post by button_man »

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It would be interesting to see some sort of pie chart or bar graph or something that portrays what percentage of switchblades fall into
different size categories..... for instance, 5" to 6" -- 6" to 7" -- 7" to 8" -- and so on.

During the past two or three years, I have picked up some "shorties" without really thinking about the size very much at the time; but I have since become aware that not only can they be quite scarce, but also that there is a collector market for them. (I'm not talking about the "keychain micro" novelties or the slightly larger 3" to 4" "minis" here; rather, knives that can actually be used, but which are just somewhat shorter than average.)

The first photo is of my (only) vintage Latama that has been recently cleaned up -- it's barely a whisker over 8" which seems short for a Latama.

The next photo is of a modern swivel-bolster piece marked "stiletto Italy" which is about 7" -- I almost passed up this one when
it was offered to me for $100 because I thought the small size was a detriment..... I now realize that it's actually a desirable piece.

The third photo is of a modern AB lever-lock that measures around 7 1/4" and has gorgeous butterscotch / honey scales.
This knife is even a little shorter than most of the leverlocks made specifically to comply with German regulations.

Can anyone offer fairly solid data on what percentage of knives (both vintage and modern) fall into the different size categories?
I'm sure that I am not the only collector who would be interested in knowing just how common or scarce some of these may be.

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Latama_picklock__01c.jpg
Latama_picklock__01c.jpg (305.02 KiB) Viewed 1996 times
Stiletto_dagger__01c.jpg
Stiletto_dagger__01c.jpg (282.86 KiB) Viewed 1996 times
AB_lever__09c.jpg
AB_lever__09c.jpg (405 KiB) Viewed 1996 times
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JulesVane
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Re: short stuff

Post by JulesVane »

Can’t help with the percentage graph, but there’s a 4.5” Latama Flatguard Wasp Body (very rare) on Arizona Custom Knives. Now- THAT'S a small Latama!
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"By accepting you as you are, I do not necessarily abandon all hope of your improving"- My Wife (1963-Present)
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Location: The South

Re: short stuff

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

There are 2 baby Latamas there now...buffalo and a sweet stag with filework!

That back scale on the buffalo is nearly translucent too. A couple of nice pieces for sure!!

Peace. Scott.
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JulesVane
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Re: short stuff

Post by JulesVane »

NorthCarolinaDude wrote: Thu Dec 23, 2021 6:57 am There are 2 baby Latamas there now...buffalo and a sweet stag with filework!

That back scale on the buffalo is nearly translucent too. A couple of nice pieces for sure!!

Peace. Scott.
Have to be very careful Scott. Don't believe everything you read. Unless, you could be spending $3,000 on a possible Oreste Di Bon, but no Latama! :lol: :lol: Obviously a misprint that's been there for many months...

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"By accepting you as you are, I do not necessarily abandon all hope of your improving"- My Wife (1963-Present)
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john
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Re: short stuff

Post by john »

Looks a lot like an Oreste Di Bon.
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Panzerfaust
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Re: short stuff

Post by Panzerfaust »

Excluding the minis, stilettos smaller than 20 cm are not nearly as common, and from what I have observed, the most-common sizes in the 1950s were 20, 28 and 33 cm.
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Location: The South

Re: short stuff

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

JulesVane wrote: Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:59 am
Have to be very careful Scott. Don't believe everything you read. Unless, you could be spending $3,000 on a possible Oreste Di Bon, but no Latama! :lol: :lol: Obviously a misprint that's been there for many months...
[/quote]

Haha. Zero chances of me venturing that road, and likely why I didn't really pay attention in the first place. I did, however, find it ironic there was no Latama stamp and just assumed they may have produced a run without. That is the very reason I haven't stepped into the world of vintage, I just don't have the research knowledge I'd need for it. If I'm gonna start cutting house payment sized checks for such classics I'll need much better learning and a matching attention span!!

With that said, there's an AB over there with a skull button and filework that I've watched for months but I couldn't get a clear answer on who did the work so I stepped away. That and this was a case where I did spend some attention time with the zoom feature, but the work just didn't look as good as I have seen on other examples. Does anyone here know who might have done it, is it possible at all that it came out of AB that way? I have found no evidence to suggest so.

Merry Christmas brothers! Scott.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: short stuff

Post by Bill DeShivs »

NCDude-
Be careful buying knives modded with skulls and too much file work.
Later, as your collecting matures-they won't be nearly as attractive to you.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
niceguy2
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Re: short stuff

Post by niceguy2 »

Bill DeShivs wrote: Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:23 am NCDude-
Be careful buying knives modded with skulls and too much file work.
Later, as your collecting matures-they won't be nearly as attractive to you.
Aint that truth ! hi Mickey, hope alls well. JJ
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NorthCarolinaDude
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Location: The South

Re: short stuff

Post by NorthCarolinaDude »

Roger that Bill. I understand there are steps and phases in collecting, no matter what it is you collect. I've collected guns, coins, stamps, motorcycles, beer cans, baseball cards, etc., throughout this life and it always comes back to originality for the most part as one's tastes progress and become more knowledged. Repops and heavy mods are there more so for novelty unless for rare exceptions.

I think I only have about 8 knives with filework and such, and close to 30 that are in factory state. Seems a fair ratio. That said, I sometimes have crappy self-control and have had to fight the temptations on such as the aforementioned AB. Haha. Alas, I consider it a minor win that I can at least recognize this trait.

Peace. Scott.
METALGOD
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Re: short stuff

Post by METALGOD »

THE 4.5" STAG ORESTE DIBON (MADE N ITALY) PICKLOCK KNIFE PICTURED WAS MADE SPECIAL FOR FOLGORE KNIVES USA, IT WAS MADE AROUND 2005, IT IS NOT A LATAMA , KNIFE WAS MADE BY ORESTE DIBON OF MANIAGO ITALY, THE FILEWORK WAS DONE BY TANK IN TEXAS , KNIFE WAS DISASSEMBLED BY ME , THE BACKSPRING AND BLADE WERE SENT TO TANK FOR FILEWORK , KNIFE WAS RE-ASSEMBLED BY ME BERNIE (FOLGORE KNIVES) . 2995.00 WOW I WOULD SELL ONE FOR 2500.00 WITH OR WITHOUT FILEWORK LOL
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