A Legendary Deal
By Bill Adams and the Knife Magazine Staff
It was one of those rumors that spread like wildfire, a knife deal that was not just big, but so astounding that folks talked about it for months afterwards. A typical conversation probably went something like this:
A: “Didja hear about that crazy knife deal that went down at the Blade Show?
B: “Yeah, some guy bought a coffin hilt bowie for big money, like thirty thousand dollars!
A: “Thirty-five – but that’s not the crazy part, the crazy part was that the knife wasn’t sold, it was RENTED.”
B: “Wait, what?”
A: “The ‘buyer’ rented the knife for thirty-five thousand, and when he dies it’s supposed to go back to the ‘seller.’”
B: “You mean to tell me that somebody paid all that money for a knife, and he doesn’t even own it?”
A: “Nope. But hey, who cares who owns what when you’re dead?”
B: (shrugs shoulders) “I guess. But it doesn’t make sense to me.”
Not only do collectors still remember “The Deal,” but twenty-five years later, it has come full circle. We now turn the story over to Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Bill Adams, who knows it better than anyone.
This article originally appeared in the January 2020 issue. Online Premium Members can read the whole thing by clicking the box below.