As a custom knife maker (hobby, not business), I am always on the lookout for raw material and antler is one of the best so I attended a Shed antler show and sale. Boy did I get an education. I went looking for knife handle material and ended up learning a thing or two about the price of bone. First off, Antler collectors take what they do very seriously. They do not appreciate being told that you want to cut up the antlers for knife handles. The first guy I ran into had a big booth with all manner of whitetail sheds. He spent many hours and lots of boot leather to find the ones on display. He told me that none of his sheds were for sale and that I would not find any collector at the show who would sell me any of theirs either. He told me to check out the Elk sheds as those vendors sell them by the pound. This shed was not for sale and I can understand why. None of these were for sale either This guy was willing to sell this pair but at $250, I could not see making knife handles out of them. This was a cheap set. Many were going for more that that. Moose shed were going for a pretty penny as well. This guy was selling everything but at very high prices. Since I give away nearly all my knives, cost is important to me. This lady was very nice and I ended up buying from her. Her prices were $8 a pound for small elk sheds and up to $12 a pound for very large sheds In the end I only bought 2 sheds. A smallish 2 pound and a medium 6 pound. I can get a lot of handles out of a single shed.
Now you've done it. You have no idea where this will lead. I don't know if this site has enough bandwidth.
