Some models of Opinel knives have become increasingly sought-after collector's items. So much so that a few models currently reach prices of several hundred euros, up to fifteen times the initial retail price.

A price guide to models with a wooden handle available for sale to all is provided here. Special series related to an event, a theme, a place, a brand, or a person are not considered.

The values given out on this site are the result of an analysis of tens of transactions on selling sites. An auction on eBay yields a very good estimate of a value since the winning bid is the result of the balance between supply and demand. Leboncoin listings and the "Buy it now / Make offer" options on eBay listings also offer useful clues but the actual selling price, generally lower than the asked price, is unknown. However, a highest value can be derived from those two modes.

Finally, it is worth noting that auction houses with a high street presence are now offering Opinel models for auction.

Criteria used to describe models

For each model, the following data is given out.

1. Year of production - Production run

The year of production is stated if it is known. NA means that the production lasted for years. The symbol (?) denotes an uncertainty on the year of production.

The production run is shown after the year of production if it is known. It should be noted that the number of copies manufactured is always greater than the number of copies in circulation. The main reason is an attrition rate due to the use or even the destruction of copies. The loss of copies or of the attached elements is also a source of depletion in the number of copies in circulation. Not to mention a few returns of defective copies to Opinel followed by a definitive withdrawal.

2. Wood quality

Wood quality is rated as a score out of 5. On this scale, 1 denotes the lowest quality and 5 the best quality. For example, birch is rated 1/5 while ebony is rated 5/5. Wood quality should not be confused with wood beauty. Some lower quality woods are beautiful and some high quality woods are plain. The quality of a wood relies on physical measurements and can be quantified. On the other hand, the beauty of a wood is subjective.

Within a model of a given wood, handles differ a lot and wood could be graded. Yet wood grading is not addressed here, the question being too professional. All handles are thus deemed equivalent while they are not. The snakewood model is the only exception; it gets two values based on the wood grade.

3. Hardware quality: Blade, ferrule, and safety ring aka virobloc

The quality of the hardware is given as a score out of 3. On this scale, a score of 1 denotes a perfectible hardware and a score of 3 a fine hardware. The score of 2 rates a hardware in which one element is a notch below that of a fine hardware. It is split into 2a and 2b according to the concerned element.

The first thing to examine is the ferrule-virobloc system. Over the years, Opinel has mounted several types of ferrule and virobloc on the handles. Most of the ferrule-virobloc systems have an aperture that lets wood be seen. The circumference of the ferrule-virobloc system is too short to fully overlay the ringed wood. It seems all Opinel models with a notched safety ring fall into this case.

In the picture above, four ferrule-virobloc systems are classified according to their aperture. The aperture is increasingly wider from left to right.
The first instance shows a narrow aperture with a ferrule fully overlaying the wood and completely masking it. Fitting is perfect. The quality of the hardware is rated 3/3.
The second instance shows a slightly wider aperture where little wood can be seen on both edges of the ferrule. The aperture is one third wider than that of the first system. The quality of the hardware is rated 2a/3.
The third instance is the current ferrule-virobloc system. The system shows more wood on either edge of the ferrule. The aperture is two thirds wider than that of the first system. Here the system is centered and as much wood can be seen on both edges. The quality of the hardware is rated 1/3.
The fourth instance also shows the current ferrule-virobloc system. The width of the aperture is identical to the width of the previous aperture but there the system is off-center. The ferrule shows very little wood on the left edge and transfers almost all the aperture excess to the right edge. The symmetry is then broken. In fact, the fourth case combines a too wide aperture with an asymmetrical positioning of the ferrule. Even though this configuration is the least attuned, the quality of the hardware is also rated 1/3 since it's only found on specific copies. An asymmetrical positioning of the ferrule doesn't apply to a model.

The second piece to examine is the blade. The polished blades are a little thinner than the standard blades. But some models have a polished blade that is too thin. The trimming of the notch suggests that the thinness of the blade is due to the polishing of a blade of regular thickness. Since polishing takes material off the blade, a standard blade is thinned out after polishing.

The picture above shows two number 8. The polished blade on top has a regular thickness while the second blade down is too thin.

The picture above shows two number 6. Likewise, the blade on top has a regular thickness while the second blade down is too thin. The difference with number 8 is that the blade is here much too thin for everyday use of the knife.

In both cases, the quality of the hardware is rated 2b/3 because of the thinness of the blade.

A model that has a little wide ferrule aperture (2a) and a too thin blade (2b) is rated 2ab/3. No model exhibits a too wide aperture and a too thin blade.

NA means that all types of hardware are found.

4. Rareness

A rareness rating is assigned to models on a scale from 1 to 5. 1 marks a common model and 5 marks the highest rareness. Rareness has been inferred from how often the model turns up on selling sites. Consequently, the rating may change over time.

5. Value

Values have been worked out from transactions on selling sites. However a catch is to be taken into consideration. Some models are so hard to get that they are only exceptionally found for sale. And in those circumstances, they generally do not stay on sale for more than a couple of days despite high prices. A single transaction then determines the value.

The given values are for complete models, i.e. all the items sold with the knife included. The complete models must also be in a collector's condition, i.e. without flaws compared to a new complete model. However the change in appearance of the wood over time is natural and does not affect the value in any way.

As with any collector's piece, a missing element (case, box, sheath, sheet, leaflet) causes the value to drop. Even more so since the presence of all the initially comprised elements is the surest way to tell apart a genuine model from a reproduction, especially when a model is not numbered. A missing element entails a decrease of 15% to 25% of the value depending on its importance. The lack of three elements (or more) cuts down the value by 50%.

When a model is recent and still for sale, its value is the price of a new copy from the Opinel store.

Values are to be considered as estimated prices at a given time since they will vary in the future. Values of certain models have already fluctuated over the years.

6. Value change

Similarly the value change has been appraised from the trend observed on selling sites. The character = means an anticipated stable value and the sign + means an anticipated increase in the value in the months to come.

Values

The models are classified in alphabetical order of their name: Wood name or model name when the model is made up of several woods.

Value of Opinel number 6

Value of Opinel number 8

Value of Opinel number 9 and 10