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View Full Version : What is the most expensive item you have engraved?



Kristian Matz
03-14-2017, 2:52 PM
As I sit here sweating through the engraving of 2 $600 trophies, I started thinking about the most expensive things we have engraved. What are some examples of expensive things people have engraved?

Mike Null
03-14-2017, 4:01 PM
A $400 loving cup. I avoid really expensive stuff because it usually isn't worth the risk. I wouldn't have done the loving cup but they give me all their business and I didn't want to lose them.

In fact, I have a $700 order I'm doing for them today.

Kristian Matz
03-14-2017, 4:12 PM
I think my business it a little different than most here. We offer engraving as a way to sell our products, the actual engraving part is not the business. I get more than a little nervous hitting the green button on my is400 when I have a $6000+ trophy on the rotary that I need to line up engraving between the hand chasing. We have messed up our share of items that have made us sick.

Kristian Matz
03-14-2017, 4:34 PM
Nice Kev, I have been looking to get more in to engraving things that people bring in to me. I just need to figure out how to get the business. I think it can be a nice add on to our normal business.

The fiber I have on order should round out our services. Diamond engraving, co2 laser, sand blasting and now fiber.

Terry Wade
03-14-2017, 5:08 PM
Back just before Christmas I had a company bring me 5 leather laptop brief cases to engrave their logo on, the brief cases where $415.00 each. Was a little nerve racking!!!

Kev Williams
03-14-2017, 5:19 PM
I engraved this maybe 15 years ago-- diamond etch
356087

So far I've engraved 50 of these suitcases, on the top as shown, and on the long side strap- I use the LS900 for the sides,
I HAVE to use the Triumph for the top due to the height--
356088356089356094

This is a $3500 Ship clock, left is my example to copy from, right is the new baseplate I engraved and painted-
356090356091

I've engraved about 150 of these so far (before they're assembled) in the past 3 years, many different models,
these are engraved on my 22 year old NH V3400 cylinder machine, customer does the paint fill...
356093

I've had a promo customer bring me 50+ I-pads at a time, a couple of times.

Another promo customer brought me 25 $400 Blentec's to engrave last year-

First of the year I fiber-engraved 1635 watches with an average price tag around $275, added some info to the backs..
--that's nearly 1/2 $million in product sitting in my house, it's actually a bit un-nerving---

I routinely engrave 25-100 qty's of aluminum boxes that become $3000+ military battery boxes and other such items.

Maybe not exactly "expensive" but engraving I've done that I consider 'feathers in my cap'--

A belt buckle for the President of Mexico-

A Cowbell for Oprah-

Two of the microphones above, Tony Bennett owns and will be used in a movie-

The original "Benji", the movie dog, after he died his owner wouldn't part with his collar's name tag for the replacement Benji to use,
but he did let me use the original to make an identical copy for the new Benji-

One of my favorites- when the Winter Olympics was in in town in 2002, I was given the Mayor's Olympic Flag box so I could make
the Salt Lake nameplate for the box. I also engraved numbered cowbells for the US skating teams, they were put in a bucket
and drawn by the skaters to determine the skating order.

And tomorrow morning when Wall Street opens, Legion-M will be ringing the opening bell with a 6" cowbell that I lasered etched for them a few days ago :)

(Kristian, I posted the first entry by mistake, so I'm out of order now!) :D

Ross Moshinsky
03-14-2017, 5:42 PM
Last year we were asked to engrave a new encrypted police radio for a local department. It turns out that they needed to engrave 168 radios at an unit cost of $5000.00 .
The total value was $840,000. We had them deliver them in 3 groups and pickup the finished radios at the same time they dropped the next batch off. I did contact my insurance broker to up my coverage for the 3 days that we had possession of their radios. I also made sure that no one other than my contact knew that we had the radios.

Bruce Volden
03-14-2017, 7:35 PM
I did a $10+K English shotgun some years back. I'm certain the stock alone was more than $2K!!
Customer wanted some graphics/text on it-he brought an example. I PLEADED with him not to engrave that stock this way.
I wrestled with the thought of turning the stock "ugly".
Took it upon myself and hollow filled what he wanted engraved so as to save the beautiful burl.
He came and picked it up and was VERY pleased.
Guess I bit the bullet on that one???

Bruce

Dave Sheldrake
03-14-2017, 8:24 PM
6 sealing rings for a PWR 5

Total number of those in the world at that time

6

Mike Null
03-15-2017, 11:12 AM
Just took an order for 300 watches at $400 each retail. Engraving is on the band ($55 replacement).

Gary Hair
03-15-2017, 11:45 AM
January of this year I took delivery of 350 iPad Pro 12.9" to put asset ID's and contact info on them. It didn't dawn on me that it was over $300k worth of iPads until after they were picked up...

Dave Gates
03-15-2017, 12:37 PM
We had a job a few years ago to engrave 100+ watches. Each watch retailed around $5,000 :eek:. We mark serial numbers on custom machined robotics parts often. The pieces will sometimes cost close to $1,000 each

Kev Williams
03-15-2017, 2:19 PM
This very moment I'm in the middle of engraving a $700 Henry .357/38 Special...
356161356162

White knuckles, what white knuckles? :D

Finished--
356168

Chris J Anderson
03-15-2017, 8:15 PM
Similar to a few here. I recently had 320 macbook airs to etch logo and id number. Plus rotary engraved each power supply with id number. You may remember my questions about what type of plastic is the apple power supply.

Tim Bateson
03-24-2017, 10:59 AM
I engraved 2 Reds 1975 World Series bats. Irreplaceable, as they already had been personally signed by every player & coach. One mess up and it would have ruined either bat.

Bert Kemp
03-24-2017, 11:48 AM
AS Kev would say White Knuckle Job Pretty cool Tim



I engraved 2 Reds 1975 World Series bats. Irreplaceable, as they already had been personally signed by every player & coach. One mess up and it would have ruined either bat.

Keith Outten
03-24-2017, 6:23 PM
Lots of people here with nerves of steel. :eek:

Darren Wilson
03-24-2017, 10:55 PM
Hi Kev, mind sharing what the iPad engravings look like?