World's Largest Collection of California Bowie Knives 

This slideshow presentation of antique California knives highlights the finest collection ever assembled of some of the world’s greatest and most desirable knives - those made in California from the Gold Rush era of the 1850s up into the 1890s. During this period, such knives were carried as both a weapon for self defense and also a gentlemanly accessory indicating the wealth and social status of the owner. Made of the finest steel, mounted in silver and gold, handled in native materials and proudly built by California craftsmen capable of the very best work, these knives were exorbitantly expensive in their day and they remain so all these years later. To many of us, the highest grade of California-made dress knives represents the very pinnacle of collectable knives.
Also included, at the end of the slideshow, is a selection of knives made elsewhere (mostly in Sheffield, England) for sale to California-bound gold seekers.
All photography is by Jim “SharpByCoop” Cooper, the gold standard of knife photography.
Graphic design is by Katie Conner.
Descriptions are by Mark Zalesky.
We at KNIFE Magazine are proud to be involved with this project that will culminate in a top-quality book on these fascinating knives (expected in 2025). Watch the newsfeed at KnifeMagazine.com or subscribe to KNIFE Magazine for more information about how to get your copy when it’s formally announced.
KNIFE Magazine is an oversized, glossy, full-color monthly print magazine, the biggest and (we believe) most beautiful publication in the world of knives. What you are visiting now is just our digital side! In 2015, KNIFE Magazine was launched as the successor to the much-beloved and oldest running monthly knife publication, KNIFE WORLD (since 1975). KNIFE Magazine continues the KNIFE WORLD tradition of publishing a diverse mixture of articles by the most knowledgeable writers in the knife business, on topics of interest to knife collectors and enthusiasts. We think you’ll find our publication refreshing, in a world awash with crass commercialism. (We like to say that KNIFE Magazine is a publication designed for those who read it, not those who advertise!) For more on our history, read “KNIFE WORLD Turns Silver! a history of KNIFE WORLD magazine from 1975 to 2002“.