[Jacknola]

Due respect to Ronnie...I see his point and understand... but I tend to see Will's point better.

Suppose a little ole lady widow put her WWII husbands knife for sale not knowing the value but needing the money, and a sharp dealer jumped it and made $3,000 off of her lack of knowledge. The dealer would think it a fair business deal. and laugh and tell stories about how he made money off a little ole lady widow. A collector might think it was a case of taking advantage because his primary interest is in the knife not the business deal profit.

If that split sentiment applies to a little ole lady widow, it is applicable in other cases. So I tend to agree that it was not reasonable to expect that guy to go through with that sale that would deprive himself of $3000, even if it gets him kicked off E-bay, which it might.

The bidder almost got a windfall.. but if he really wants the knife rather than the deal, he will have an opportunity to pay a fair price for it. If the differential had been just 50 percent, or something, based on two diverging opinions one of which was better, that is another thing. That is something between two consenting adults, not statutory rape. Just my two bits.... Regards.

PS: the mix of business and collecting is a volatile one as I learned collecting rugs. Dealers are in it as a business, which is a different thing from why a collector collects. Many "dealers" eventually put their business interests ahead of their collecting interest to the point they cease to be reliable source of information, and instead just "sell." And collectors who transition to business side sometimes don't even recognize when dealing becomes more important than the rug esthetics. Knives are no different, hence chat lines designed to promote buying this-or-that from that-or-this dealer. I like this board because it seems more "collector" oriented.