Here is the Video Mark has posted on the Knife Magazine Channel! Its awesome...check it out!!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EBQx0yiBoa4.html
"..if you had someone that needed stabbin.." lol XD these are some beautiful knives! a lot of history and untold tales displayed on that table for sure!
When I made that comment I was referring to a dirk knife, and they really aren't much good for anything other than opening mail or stabbing one's fellow human (someone who deserves it, we hope!) Bowie knives COULD be much more versatile as tools -- some were, some weren't. Some knives are so large or thick that you wonder what they could have practically been used for, and some of the imported knives are so flimsy that I sure wouldn't want to stake my life upon them. Thanks to all of you for your interest, more to come soon!!
Several have asked for more information about the masonic knife. We'll see if we can't work on creating a video about it. The knife is also featured in two books; "A Sure Defense: The Bowie Knife in America" by myself and Bill Worthen, and "James Black and His Coffin Bowie Knives" by Jim Batson, both are available from KNIFE Magazine (shameless plug).
I just stumbled across the channel. The first thing that struck me is the extra pretty bits. It makes sense for the industry at the time. If both my competitor's blade and mine perform equally well, then the pretty one gets the sale. Today it's purely performance vs cost, you pay extra for pretty. As a woodworker, I put the time into pretty when I have hours to burn. Back in the day you didn't have TV, internet etc as entertainment options, so you put more time into your projects. A recent cost increase caused me to ditch TV. I spend more time at the work bench as a result and my work quality is improving accordingly. Have a great day everyone!👍
They do talk, in a way. But like anything else, it takes a lot of time and study to understand what they are saying. (Mostly they talk about how they were made, and to some extent how they were used and abused... but it sure would be nice if they revealed more about the whos and whens of their past.)
Thank you for the comment! This collection represents a life spent trading knives... I started as a kid following my Dad through the gun shows, trading pocketknives, and I still trade pocketknives (or most other kinds of knives) at every show I can attend. Somehow it all turned into a career as the editor of Knife Magazine. Winning the lotto would be an easier path to a collection, but it can be done by starting small!
I've seen a lot of knives in my lifetime and the nicest ones were from the 49ers when they struck it rich they would have gold nuggets put in the handles they were absolutely beautiful stunning with Ivory and inlays in them so good I've never could compare them to any other knives I have seen
Thanks for your comment Steven! The dress knives of the California Gold Rush are pretty amazing indeed. We didn't shoot any video of them at the meeting but I guess we'll have to do some soon.
I feel the same way about my fine pocket knives I belt carry those I can in fancy sheaths so their beauty can be appreciated Love your collection and just subscribed
Thank you so much! Check out the other videos on the Antique Bowie Knife Channel and also on the Knife Magazine channel, I should have another antique bowie knife video going up there soon.
Some of what's shown in this video were called Arkansas Toothpicks back in the day -- a frontier brag -- the idea of a large double edged knife is thought to be a more modern creation. I did have some knives like this on display at the show, but they were in cases not shown in the video. Thanks for watching Grady!
Thank you, it's a very cool piece. In Jim Batson's book "James Black and His (available from us at Knife Magazine) Jim speculates about who the original owner might have been. I'm not sure that I 100% agree, but it's interesting to speculate. The knife came from the descendants of a Union Civil War soldier from Rhode Island and was acquired from a Rebel soldier, probably while he was stationed at the Point Lookout, Maryland prisonor-of-war camp. I guess that someday I should write up the entire history as I know it.
@@markzalesky8632 That would be amazing. I do know that on a number of occasions, both Union and Confederate masons helped free brothers who fought on the opposite side in the war. From what I understand they usually went the route of getting them parole paperwork that stipulated they had to promise not to go back and continue to fight. However in a number of instances that I'm aware of when they were unable to secure said paperwork they also just helped them escape and gave them some money.
@@garfieldwithissuez That's an excellent point, a brother could have helped a brother out. Don't think I ever tried to determine if the Union soldier was a mason. His name was Sgt Francis J Peabody, Co. G, Rhode Island 4th Infantry.
@@markzalesky8632 That's a really good idea. I'm a Master Mason in the state of Texas and I'm fairly active in my lodge. One of my goals for next year is to start working on a research paper for the Texas lodge of research. I might do some digging on on Civil War masonry. And I have a few friends in that neck of the woods I might be able to track down some additional information on the brother in question.
FREEMASONS🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫🚫SATANIST LOSERS !!!!!THEY'RE BEHIND ALL THIS CRAP 💉💉💉💉💉IN THE WORLD !!!!!!!ALBERT PIKE ( 33RD DEGREE FREEMASON ) WANTED 3 WORLD WARS , WE'RE IN WW3 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks for this very interesting and informative video. You mentioned an "English Influence" in design. The handles would look to me to show definite Scottish characteristics. If you consider the dirks at, say, Edinburgh Castle, you will see what I mean.
The English cutlers in Sheffield produced probably 95% of the bowie knives in America, and the influence I was referring to here relates to the Sheffield cutlery industry's ability to "mass produce" knives for the American market. While their "factories" were more like a cottage industry, the specialization of the workers and the ability of Sheffield cutlery manufacturers to rely on outside firms to supply components made production very efficient and introduced technologies that a standalone manufacturer (like those in America) could never have done.
Thanks very much for your input, Anthony! In terms of overall design and sylistic features, bowie knives represent America's melting pot very well, and the American made knives were made by first or second generation cutlers from England, Ireland, Germany (Prussia), Switzerland, France, Austria and probably other countries I am forgetting. (Can't think of a Scottish born maker offhand.) The knives in this video are all rather early and are all American-made, except one, because that's what I collect -- there's a lot more to bowie knives than what you see here. Many of the knives featured in the Antique Bowie Knife Channel's videos are English made, check them out!
Ha! You have good taste, Matt. If I sold that one I might as well quit and sell them all. This is pretty much a lifetime collection and that is my very favorite knife.
Trivia, 1817 in New Orleans Jim Bowie was on a business trip to this city. On the steps of Ste. Louis cathedral he first met James Audubon. James was trying to sell his wildlife portraits to the wealthy businessman attending church. It was said he was having a hard time converting his efforts into cash. Later on he would get the recognition he deserved. James and Jim Bowie became life long friends.
@@giboron Maybe one of you can explain to me the reason it has a star rather than the letter G. There is also a wonderful North Carolina rifle with the same square-compass-star that's on this knife. Both are too early to be Eastern Star related.
Has to be said America has a bit of a reputation of big’ing its self up and making grand claims about uniquely American things (World Series anyone ? only America takes part !) BUT the Bowie knife is something it should be so proud off . When you think of classic knife designs the Bowie is always top of the list no matter who you ask , and rightfully so .
The notch is for cutting thong or laces from a prepared hide or any pice of suitable leather / stick the blade into something to hold firm grip the hide over the top of the knife and careful draw the hide through the notch pealing off a thin strip of leather, repeat the process for more strip's / rawhide thong or laces.
I'm wondering if you know the steel on that early Bowies . I know the carbon steel in a real process appears on 1856 , but did you know more about the steel ?
Knives of the bowie era are usually of cast steel (aka crucible steel) or sometimes shear steel. These were the prevalent steels before bulk process steelmaking and practical alloy steels were developed. The problems before those modern steelmaking processes was in making the steel homogeneous (consistent throughout), cast steel was the best in that regard and shear steel was the second choice.
We've had several requests for this so I guess we'll have to do a separate video. In short the knife is believed to have been taken off a Confederate soldier by a Union soldier from Rhode Island at the POW camp in Point Lookout, Maryland in the summer of 1864. The knife is known as a 'heart coffin" type of guardless coffin bowie and is believed to have been made in southwest Arkansas or possibly Louisiana or Mississippi during the 1830s or early 1840s.
Very kind of you to say so, Sage, especially when only two of the four cases on display were shown (all American!) But I can assure you that there are some very significant collections out there, some well known and some not so well known. Some of them are absolutely mind-blowing!
I've posted a little of what's known about the knife in some of my replies here. I guess that we need to do a separate video on this knife, don't we? I don't know how to do that so I guess I'll have to figure it out.
@@markzalesky8632 Well I figure who ever owned it was a Mason, the square and compass along with the plumb are a pretty good indication of that. I know a Brother that makes knifes and was thinking about asking hom to do something like that. Might even wind up be a presentation thing. Thank you for any info you might find.
@@skeets6060 At least a few knifemakers have done versions of this knife: Alex Daniels and Butch Sheely have, and I think Gary Mulkey did one as well. Likely others. Working on a followup video now. Thank you for your interest!
Yeah, not keen on the one plastered with masonic symbols. Apparently some of the very earliest know example of bowie knives carry the Sheffield mark. I'm sure I heard one time that there was a discussion based around whether or not the first ones were English made specifically for the American Market or they were copied from American examples, again for the American Market. Probably the worst thing I could ever suggest! But I do remember hearing just such a thing!
Thank you for watching Nathan! Absolutely it was an American idea which was quickly capitalized upon by the British, who had the ability to produce knives in large numbers. They quickly simplified production and made the knives more decorative and more profitable.
@@antiquebowieknifechannel4611 Thanks for watching, Paul! I want to say that Jim Batson's book on making Woodhead coffin handle bowie knives (published by Blue Moon Press, now out of print) had an explanation of how Jim does it, but I can't lay my hands on my copy right now. You definitely don't want to make one the way the Sheffielders did which was to cast the frame out of nickel silver. First, the fumes from overheating zinc are toxic. Second, the Sheffielders were using cast frames for efficiency and expediency, and the frame handled knives were weak and often failed under hard use. I recommend joining the ABS and asking how today's bladesmith make frame handles over at the American Bladesmith Society forum.
Following up on my earlier response... I found a copy of James Batson's Woodhead book and while it does show a diagram of how Jim built a frame handled bowie in the Woodhead style, it doesn't go into great detail about frame handle construction. Maybe I can get him to write something about it for KNIFE Magazine.
@@paulwiggins183 Not sure where you're located but antique bowie knife styles and construction techniques are a frequent topic at hammer ins like the ABS Mid America Hammer-in in Troy, OH and Batson's hammer-in at Tannehill State Park near Birmingham, AL (that was just last weekend). Oh and I will be talking about bowies at one up near Johnson City, TN this October. These are all great events, as are any of the ABS hammer-ins.
Dirks are cool! But beware of concealed weapons statutes in your local area. The AKTI and Knife Rights websites are great resources on existing laws. Thanks for watching Joshua!
Maybe the Scottish dirk evolved in the USA into the Bowie out of hand safety by adding the guard.The coffin shape scales makes more sense now ....the star in the Square and not the G is interesting to. say no more.
Good comment, thanks AR23! Collectors give a lot of credit to the mediterranean dirk as an influence but I agree that the Scottish dirk was an underappreciated influence. As America is a melting pot so too were the men who made knives in the early days of the bowie knife, and their ideas and experiences naturally influenced the knives they made. Looking at the early bowies you can also see hints of things like German and French butcher knives in them.
Thanks for your comment, Jimmy! Stacked leather handles seemed to originate with the Collins Company in the 1860s or even a little before, but other than them and their machetes most stacked leather handled knives date from the 20th century. A picture is worth 1000 words when it comes to identifying knives though...
I've been watching several different postings of guys who claim their knives are Bowies. It seems that they are trying to call every single knife a Bowie. So any knife can be called a Bowie. What I have on my belt is a Bowie, it's not called a knife anymore, so I have a lock-back bowie on my belt. It's a bowie made by Case. It's not a Case knife, it's a Case bowie. The ones I've been looking at are long bladed, short bladed, single edged, double-sided, large, small, thin, thick, curved, straight, you name it. There are DOZENS of differing shapes to the blades, and only a very few seem to be related. The handles are shaped a couple of dozen different ways. Some are smooth and some not, some are stag, wood, horn, metal, plastic, molded, etc. The guards vary in size and shape. Some don't have guards at all. Some say the Arkansas Toothpick is really a Bowie, but if it was, that's what they would've called it instead of the Arkansas Toothpick. In other words, the so-called Bowies are like any other knife known to man, and any other knife can be called a Bowie, if that's what you want. If you think my comments here are silly and convoluted, well that's what the legacy of the Bowie knife has turned out to be, A JOKE ! SO PLEASE STOP CALLING EVERY KNIFE YOU SEE A BOWIE !!!!
Hi William. History tells us that the term Arkansas Toothpick and Bowie knife are interchangeable and have ZERO to do with blade shape. We consider Antique Bowies are knives made for the purpose of self defense, or a fighting knife. Made between the era of late 1830 to around 1870.
@@antiquebowieknifechannel4611 Hello, again ! So exactly who's history tells you that ? Are we to believe that the knife/knives made by Jim Bowie's brother or Mr.Black for Jim Bowie were actually Arkansas Toothpicks ? If they weren't unique and to his specifications, than why was it called a Bowie and not an Arkansas Toothpick that was made specifically for him ? Whenever I'm told that what I'm looking at is an Ark.T.pick, it is a double-sided knife, with the blade sharpened on both sides, that narrows to a point much like a toothpick. Did our hero's knife have a cutting edge from the guard to the tip on both sides, top to bottom ? From everything I've read, NO, IT DID NOT. Blade shapes have EVERYTHING to do with it. Any knife, during the era that you're talking about, 30 to 70, that was used for self-defense or in battle, could have been a standard kitchen knife of the day, a bread knife, a butcher knife or even a homemade knife of that caliber, which were all used for fighting back then, can now be referred to as Bowies ? Fast forward to the 20th century and I would have to say that, a Randall Model 14, and a military spec. Model 44, and even to a lesser extent a KA-BAR, along with several others, could better claim the title of a Bowie style knife, than most of the knives you're talking about from back then. This is why I don't understand how a Bowie knife and an Arkansas Toothpick can be interchangeable. I'm afraid that this will always be a bone of contention for collectors and history buffs. Who's right and who's wrong will never be resolved to any universal satisfaction. However, I will continue to study and collect knives, as I'm sure you will, and whether or not we come to any conclusion or agreement about ANYTHING, is of no real consequence. Happy collecting to you, sir !
@@williamgunnarsson We get this from early documentation from newspapers of the time period and invoices from manufactures in Sheffield and court records. You simply have a misconception from watching to many movies that it has anything to do with blade shape. Get the book by Zalesky A Sure Defense and Flaydermans book to learn more if you want to study.
i need to know about a knife, i bought it from an estate sale here in connecticut someone peened luzon into the blade and scratched the name jim bowie into the horn handle its an old knife with a 9 inch blade and a brass ball at the pommel
I have a knife marked saml kitchen bought long time ago from a antique dealer looks like a mountain man knife. Have no idea who to send it to for history.
The Scottish Dirk and the Dirk shown here (I've seen it called an English Dirk, to differentiate it from the Scottish variety) were both called dirks, but were two distinctly different weapons. The Scottish Dirk decended from the medieval ballocks dagger, where the English Dirk decended from the quillon dagger. I suspect dirk is a variant on dagger. What they share in common was that both are stabbing weapons first rather than cutting weapons. He also mentioned the naval dirk, which is similar to the English dirk, but longer. It was issued to junior officers who didn't warrant a full officers sword.
Very interesting and stellar collection. While the timeline of make is correct I have to humbly disagree with the evolution. Bowie knives, or at least their theme, have existed since blacksmiths started, it's basically a kitchen/butcher knife. It just got fine tuning mainly after American natives got a hold of cheap versions in trade and multiplied it's uses along with settlers and hunters and so on. Than custom ornamental versions were made and their measurements quickly copied. Sorry but daggers are a whole separate category in my opinion. Bowie's origin would be a cheaper mass produced heavy kitchen/butcher knife. It than evolved into a survival/utility knife.
It certainly is. By popular request we did a followup video about it over on the Knife Magazine channel, see here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EBQx0yiBoa4.html
Presumably it was made for a Freemason. It has been suggested that the owner was a member of Mount Horeb Lodge #4 of Washington Arkansas, founded in 1838. I am working on a followup video now since there has been so much interest in the knife. Thanks for watching!
