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Would anyone consider this knife vintage?

I would take no offense if the answer is no. I see the term thrown around a lot and I think sometimes rather loosely.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on April 23, 2013 at 14:37

It does occur after the purchase of the company and name by Utica. That purchase if I remember right goes back to 1952/ I would say it is older and if you hang on to it a bit longer it will be vintage!

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on April 23, 2013 at 14:56

I definitely will hang on to it. My son got it for me at SMKW when he and his wife made a trip to Pigeon Forge. I assume that since it commemorates the 200th anniversary of our constitution in 1987 that it was probably made in 1987 (or maybe in 1986 to have it ready to sell in 1987.) At any rate that would make it about 26 years old.

I look at knives on ebay a lot and they throw that term vintage around rather loosely it seems to me.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Craig Henry on April 23, 2013 at 16:03

Yeah, maybe it's my age, but "Vintage" to me means a knife about 1950 or older? I've seen a lot of collectors say a knife from the 1960's and 1970's is "Vintage". Maybe sooner or later enough time will pass and those years WILL be "Vintage"? I guess "Vintage" is a relative term? I believe the term "Antique" means it's 100 years old or older?

I guess in the knife world we use the term "Vintage" loosely?

Here's from the Oxford Dictionary;

Definition of vintage

noun

the year or place in which wine, especially wine of high quality, was produced.
a wine of high quality made from the crop of a single identified district in a good year.
literary wine.
the harvesting of grapes for winemaking.
the grapes or wine produced in a particular season.
the time that something of quality was produced:rifles of various sizes and vintages

adjective

of, relating to, or denoting wine of high quality:vintage claret
denoting something of high quality, especially something from the past or characteristic of the best period of a person’s work:a vintage Sherlock Holmes adventure

Origin:

late Middle English: alteration (influenced by vintner) of earlier vendage, from Old French vendange, from Latinvindemia (from vinum 'wine' + demere 'remove')

Permalink Reply by Sue OldsWidow on April 25, 2013 at 17:06

Vintage to me is knives older than 50 years.

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on April 25, 2013 at 18:50

Last night I found an example of using the term vintage very loosely on ebay. A Buck 309 Companion made in 2010 was advertised as vintage!

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on April 25, 2013 at 19:00

LOL, guess it is....if you are 3 years old

I agree with the 50 year mark

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on April 25, 2013 at 19:18

Jan

What you just said really ties in with something I have been thinking about for a few days now that shows me just how old I am. My little soon to be 20 month old grandson will think of the 1900's as that old time century just like I do about the 1800's!

In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Leopold Lacrimosa on July 12, 2014 at 22:00

I look at it like this, if it's 25-50 years old it's vintage, if it's older than 50 years it's an antique :-)

Permalink Reply by Waggoner, Alan on July 18, 2014 at 13:02

VINTAGE, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder just like choice for a collection are to each his own. To me Vintage means aged or old enough that it is no longer common place available for retail acquisition. Antique is often viewed to be 25 years or more.

Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on November 12, 2014 at 19:38

Well for sure I am an antique

Leopold Lacrimosa said:

I look at it like this, if it's 25-50 years old it's vintage, if it's older than 50 years it's an antique :-)

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on November 12, 2014 at 20:52

If you are an antique Steve, I definitely am! LOL

KnifeMakerPermalink Reply by Andy Larrison on January 5, 2017 at 11:10

Whew....I'm still vintage....but very close to being an antique! LOL

I do however agree that the term is thrown around very loosely on auction sites, I don't really believe something that was made in the late '90's is vintage....but close...