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Finding Monty Bess

I retired (medically) a couple of years ago and I go to quite a few auctions & estate sales. My main interest is old sterling but with the rapid rise in silver over the last year, I'm looking more at other collectibles. Over the last ten years, I've acquired a small sterling collection by buying at the right price and selling what I don't want. It's worked a lot better than the investments I've attempted - buy high & sell low has been my credo :-)

I've never made any real money but at least the auctions pay for themselves & it's fun. The sad part is that I haven't been able to get my truck in the garage for two years - it's full of the "treasures" I've accumulated. My other passion is older cameras but I get too attached and I have shelves, shelves (and more shelves) of bodies & lenses that I need to sort and do something with. Sigh!

I've owned a few other fixed blades over the years, mostly Bucks, and I typically find a piece of sterling I have to have so I sell or trade the knife.

I picked up Monty's knives up at an estate auction a couple of weeks ago. I knew nothing about Monty Bess, I just knew I liked the knives. I searched iKC & found his name but wasn't sure he was still around. Well, he answered and I found out a lot about my knives. Here is his response:

Hi Larry you have a pair of knives I made about a year ago. The one has a california buck eye burl handle, and the other has handle made of sea cow bone. The steel is high carbon steel from blades out of a saw mill. The one has had three owners I know of. I hope this is a help to you.

Thanks - it's a big help!

Hope you enjoy the story and the pictures.
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Permalink Reply by Scott King on March 1, 2011 at 22:04

Great story Larry. I'm tickled you connected with Monty- really that is exactly what iKC is all about- connecting us together.
Also not to divert you right now, but many of us have multiple collections too, so check out the iKC Other Collections Group. They'd love to see some of your camera collection pics when you have time.
Scott

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Permalink Reply by D ale on March 1, 2011 at 22:24

It's this very sense of community that’s kept me coming back to iKC.

That’s literally made iKC my cutlery home away from home.

It seems there’s always someone to lend a helping hand around here.

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Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on March 2, 2011 at 0:15

Larry,

I feel for you with the older cameras. I never thought that this digital would render my old 35s, almost (?), useless. Still there is something about them that makes me hang on to them.

Glad that you found us here at iKC, and hope that you'll make yourself at home.

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Permalink Reply by Larry W. Seale on March 2, 2011 at 1:15

Hi J.J.

I've actually bought all my film cameras in the last seven or eight years and I never shoot a roll of film unless it's in a camera I'm going to sell. Thank God Walgreens still has 1 hour processing - it's getting harder and harder to get film developed. Digital all the way but there are still a few die-hards.

I got really interested in film cameras after I found an odd looking old NIKKOR-S macro lens in a junk box. I didn't know what I had until a few months later when I got curious and researched it. Turns out it fit a 50's NIKON Rangefinder & lots of folks wanted it. Been hoping to find another ever since!

Some of the old lenses are very desirable and I keep a lot of my bodies so I have the mounts just in case I find a rare lens. I'm amazed at what folks will pay for old NIKON, CANON & even MINOLTA lenses. Shssss! Keep it quite, I don't need the competition :-)

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Permalink Reply by Steve"Hog"Hanner on March 2, 2011 at 11:27

Thanks for posting this Larry and the pictures look great!

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