Well, there's junk and there's antiques. Antiques are important in the sense of preserving collective memory. It may not seem important to many but I think at some point, everyone comes to realize just how important history is to our own identity and the identity of our society in general. That's why people collect stuff and that's why we have museums. (I should know, it's what I do for a living beside being a passion of mine for as long as I can remember... )

Strictly monetarily speaking, an M1917 bolo in good condition will have a price tag a LOT higher than a good, newly made big chopping knife. Why anyone would pay that much cash for an old knife is a curious question of course, but it's a fact nonetheless. A new knife will also be safer to use (you don't know what an antique has gone through before). If you ruin it you could easily get another one without feeling bad about it. While the M1917 bolo was a mass-produced tool for the military and not a first-class antique by any stretch of imagination, only a small number survive now in decent condition. There won't be any more.

Who knows, maybe in a 1000 years' time, somebody's great-great...grandson will wonder what his ancestors fought with back in the 20th c. Can you imagine how he might cherish that 1000-year old bolo that may be just a functional old tool to many of us? Just as much as folks do today staring at a medieval sword or a suit of armor.

/End of rambling.