Christianswerk trade.....

[heers68]

I have a trade in the works on this very early heer, but I am a bit torn by the poor condition of the blade and cleaned scabbard and fittings. This is the way they surface sometimes though and these as you know don't surface often! I believe this to be the earliest configuration for this maker,with the Pack fittings and MM going across the blade..

What do you guys think about this Christianswerk,and how this condition affects value on such a rare piece?? THANKS for your comments! Kevin.

[heers68]

more...

[heers68]

more still...

[heers68]

last....

[Billy G]

I guess it depends on a couple of things. First, of course Christians is a tough mark to find on a Heer dagger,... but can you live with the condition? Fittings aside, the blade might kill it for a lot of people.

Second, is the price reflective of the condition or would you be paying through the nose for the rare maker mark without regard for condition? I ask because while I can see the rarity vs. condition argument, it is a consideration if ever you were forced to sell this (or any other) dagger.

[heers68]

Yea, I hear you Billy, I feel the same. My trade item is the value of an average common maker Heer, so I am trying to figure out if this maker mark,and the earlyness factor (I love these early and slanted ones!) is enough to overcome condition for me.... I don't mind em salty but... What do you guys think?? Kevin.

[Jenko]

I like this dagger a lot, although blade condition is poor if price is right I would buy.

[rajko84]

IMO I would pass on it, the blade is in very bad shape. If you collect blades (which I know you do) the most important part IMO is the blade, everything else is just the bonus.

That is just my two cents.

[Billy G]

Kev,

If your out of pocket would be roughly the cost of an average Heer then there really is no down side if you do get it since you could always sell it to another Heer guy. I think a maker mark like this will always sell despite the condition, it's just a question of how much of a premium might be tacked on when you consider the overall condition. I agree with you that it's a nice early production piece which makes it more desirable. Rajko's right about the blade being the most important part however, if you can live with the blade as is, why not? If it would bother you in the least, pass.

[Degens]

You could quite easily wait another 5 years before you came across another initial production piece by this maker. I would be willing to bet a large amount that you will not find another at this moment in time on any dealer website which says something about the rarity factor.

Depending on the asking price ( blade condition obviously needs to be taken into account ) I would buy it in a heartbeat .

[JohnZ]

Kevin:

Since I collect by maker mark (Luft2s), I would jump at any chance to get a rare mark into my collection (BTW, I have yet to find a Christianswerk marked Luft2).

As BillyG said, go for it, especially if it is priced at a normal Heer... the rarity of the mark far outweighs the condition of the blade.

I had this same conversation years ago with Tom Wittman at an SOS. I had found a really crappy condition Zeitler and was showing it to him since it had a two line TM and all that I had ever seen pictured before were on one line. He looked at it, said it was correct but told me that he thought this was way too crappy for me to place into my collection. My response to him was that, yes, it was crappy, but when would I ever see this mark for sale again. I kept it and have never regretted it. But, I didn't buy it with the intent to resell it, either.

Go for it, is my recommendation to you.

John

[IchHattEinenKameraden]

The dagger is inserted the wrong way.

[heers68]

Thanks Billy, Degen and John, I am really feeling that I will go for it. Like I said before I don't mind a salty dagger as long as it isn't from collector abuse and meddling. It just speaks of its age.That doesn't mean I wouldn't upgrade if I found another though! Kevin.

[addyfie]

Hi Kevin
I guess its all down to personal preferance as to if you feel happy with it in your collection, if your collecting by maker then you may as well jump on it until one with a better blade comes along, at least the void in your collection will be filled for the time being.

Good luck whichever way you go.
Regards Adam

[Tiger 1]

You have to weigh the pros and cons in this case as in any other deal.

The pros..... Rare maker tm. It's certainly genuine and complete.
The cons.....The overall condition while even overall has been somewhat compromised by harsher cleaning than necessary. Good intentions coupled with poor technique or understanding on how to go about that properly.

Some other questions you might want to ask yourself.....When was the last time you saw one for sale? What was the price? When do you expect to see another one for sale? What do you think the price will be then?

IMO if you can live with an early dagger with a rare tm that shows some age and evidence of having been there during an epic time of history I would go for it for the price of a common heer dagger.

All rhe best,

Tony