Article by Robert "Ek Knife Fan" Cure
Early generation EK knives were made from 1941-1976 in Connecticut and Florida. These knives were made during John Ek's life. Most of these early knives were made of 1/8th inch steel, maple handles secured with lead rivets. They were crude but very dependable and built Ek's reputation for military knives.
Ek sold his military knives only to soldiers. Each knife is marked with the location it was manufactured. This is useful to figure out in what war or military conflict the knife was used in. Ek knives for WW2 were made in Hamden, Connecticut and knives made between 1949 and 1976 were made in Miami, Florida.
Over 100,000 knives were made between 1941 and 1945 in Connecticut. Ek moved to Miami and continued to make his knives from there. A flood in the 70s destroyed earlier records but it is believed most knives made in Miami were made in the middle to late 1960s. The Miami Ek knives are the most valuable of all his knives. Not may knives were made in Miami which drives up the price for these collectible knives.
An original early Ek knife with a single edge blade, sharpened false edge sold for over 0 in 2006. Another original early dagger sold for over 0 in 2007. These early knives hold their value and are still very popular among collectors. This is even true with poor condition knives. A very poor early model #2 Ek dagger with the tip of the blade missing sold for over 0 in 2006. So expect to pay at least several hundred dollars for an early knife made by Ek, even in very poor condition. The mint condition or good quality go for nearly ,000.
It's not just early Ek knives that are very collectible, but accessories from his early time of knife making in Connecticut are popular as well. The original early knives were mailed out with a small booklet "Your Silent Partner". This little book covered the different kinds of knives, features and care of the knives. Not a 1st edition, but 2nd edition of this booklet sold in 2007 for over 0.
If you want to get into collecting Ek knives then I recommend you have a healthy amount of money available, or scour auctions. Good luck!
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Are you wanting to collect Ek knives? Visit Collectible Knives for collectible Ek knives.