MINT UNSHARPENED CROWN STAG BIG GAME BOWIE KNIFE & SHEATH PUBLISHED CIRCA 1870

Description: MINT UNSHARPENED CROWN STAG BIG GAME BOWIE KNIFE & SHEATH PUBLISHED CIRCA 1870 MINT UNSHARPENED CROWN STAG BIG GAME BOWIE KNIFE & SHEATH PUBLISHED CIRCA 1870 A LARGE HEAVY & RARE MINT UNSHARPENED CONDITION BOWIE KNIFE 8 9/16" BLADE / UNIQUE SAMBAR CROWN STAG HILT / ORIGINAL SHEATH FINE QUALITY / UNMARKED / PUBLISHED IN ICONIC BOOK CIRCA 1870 During this period, Sheffield makers and London makers / retailers supplied the vast majority of all of the Bowies Worldwide. London was the European capital of Outfitters of specialized rifles and hunting guns, Bowies, companion knives, and all manner of camping needs and accoutrements for wealthy Sportsmen destined for the British colony of India (or Africa) for big game hunting. This handsome and eye appealing London made Bowie and sheath is published on page 318 in chapter 42, of The Heritage of English Knives by David Hayden-Wright in chapter 42, The India Bowie, i.e., Bowies made for big game hunting in India. This Bowie dates to the expansion period and pinnacle of the British Empire during the last half of the 19th century, circa 1870. This chapter demonstrates that Bowies actually made in India, marked or not, that try to copy Sheffield / London Bowie Knife and sheath patterns, are very different and easily identifiable by Bowie collectors. Note the book states this Bowie “rests in its correct stained leather scabbard with a reinforced chape and locket”. This London made Bowie has its original, typical London style brown leather sheath with reinforced chape and locket with an original copper harness rivet reinforcement of the belt loop; and its condition is en suite with the Bowie. This unmarked London Bowie is the only Bowie example with the common London style sheath shown in this chapter along other unmarked Bowies made in India for comparison. Most all other sheaths have the typical Indian style roundish sheath (some with leather covered wood sheaths) with a spring clip, unusual knife pattens, embellishments, or sheath mounts that are very different than English made Bowies. As is common for London Bowies made for export, this piece has a large London style oval shaped crossguard made of German silver 2 1/2" wide x 1 3/4" tall x 3/16” thick cross guard that is tight with the hilt and the use of Iron for the 1 1/4"x 1 1/8” thin piece for the pommel cap / escutcheon plate is a London characteristic. Also note that Sambar stag was the best quality and patterned choice in England for Bowie stag hilts, and huge amounts were imported during this period and were widely used by all Sheffield and London makers. This large handmade Bowie knife is 13 3/4” overall, with a hand forged saber ground 8 9/16” spear point blade made from heavy 1/4” stock. The blade is 1 5/8” wide at the ricasso and has a 4 1/4" early style sharpened false edge. It should be noted that Sheffield Bowies were equally made in both spear point and clip point blades. It is important to note that some of the knives in this collection of antique knives had their blades coated with varnish or some other substance in an effort to preserve the blade and prevent inevitable rusting of the steel blades and was a common practice of the period. It is also noted that the photography in this book does not reflect the actual condition, even for mint knives in untouched condition. Any surface grime, dirt or traces of varnish for the surface protection has been removed to show the original finish on the blade. This blade was not buffed nor had any power tools used in removing the preservative coating and was done by hand. As a result of this preservative (now removed), all of the original signature London crocus of Iron polish with a mirror appearance remains on the blade. The blade has its orginal shape, a full tip, an early style sharpened false edge, and is unsharpened. All antique knives have telltale signs of natural aging. This blade has naturally occurred aging of surface spidering over the very fine vertical lines of the original signature London style final Crocus of Iron polish that that takes a century + to form and demonstrates genuine antique age. These scattered, extremely light surface remnants can be seen when turning the blade in the light. Any darkened residue has been wiped clean and this high-quality factory crocus of Iron blade polish is untouched with a shiny mirror polish. The extremely fine vertical final polish lines are typical for a utilitarian Bowie destined for field use that does not require the extra cost of the very highest quality, painstakingly slow prosses of applying the final mirror polish required on high end, expensive fancy Bowie knives made as a side arm, fashion statement and Gentleman’s accoutrement. This 1/4" thick, heavy blade is one solid piece of steel integral with the tang and is immediately noticeable when grasping the hilt. This heaviness of the hilt and large crossguard counters the weight of the 8 9/16” blade and creates a balance of the Bowie. This is an important design feature when you are using the Bowie to slash / cut / clear brush and small trees for a campsite. Note that this Bowie has the early style sharpened top edge at the tip that would be extremely useful whether used for personal protection in a knife fight. As is common for London Bowies made for export, this piece has a large oval shaped crossguard and is solid with no movement and untouched aged patina. This crossguard curiously has lots of surface dints, marks and scratches on both sides that are unusual and out of character for a mint Bowie. In Sheffield / London there were constant cutlery bankruptcies, mergers, buy outs, acquisitions and new partnerships that acquired the old firm’s stock. Nothing was ever discarded, and bits and pieces would find their way into the making of new knives. The only explanation for this idiosyncrasy of the crossguard marks on both sides appears to be a functional but used piece used by the cutlery assembler that would be of no consequence for a hunting sportsman. I have seen a few original antique handmade knives made entirely of different parts that are quite curious with unusual combination of blades, mounts and scales that were assembled by hired cutlers to use up miscellaneous cutlery parts and turn them into knives for sale on secondary markets. They are quite interesting and rare but are an authentic part of cutlery history. The curved stag grip hilt appears to be a random piece of Crown stag but was specifically chosen because of its beautiful grain, color, and aged patina that stag collectors covet, with no cracks. This unusual hilt is a 5 1/8” long select piece of crown stag especially chosen to provide a very firm and comfortable bottom side grip for the fingers and swell center top fit to the palm of the hand that is immediately noticeable when you grasp the hilt, giving this heavy Bowie a good fit in the hand. The very end of the pommel has a thin dark aged Iron end cap / escutcheon plate the covers the end of the one-piece blade / tang though the stag hilt and the original cut off antler piece on the bottom. This large handmade Bowie knife is 13 3/4” overall, with a hand forged saber ground 8 9/16” spear point blade made from heavy 1/4” stock weighs 14.5 ounces or 412 grams and slightly over 1 pound or 458 grams with the sheath. Unlike the typical Sheffield style Bowie / dirk cardboard sheath covered with a thin layer of leather veneer, London style sheaths are distinctive in that they are heavy duty. The brown leather sheath is original to this Bowie and this style sheath has the signature reinforced leather throat and tip. These London style signature sheaths were made for Sheffield & London knives made for London outfitters, with most Bowies destined for Big Game hunting in the burgeoning British Empires in India, Africa, Australia, and the world at large. The sheath is double stitched, with a double stitched belt loop hanger with an additional original copper harness rivet reinforcement and the belt loop can accommodate a 2 1/2” wide belt. The brown leather sheath has a nice, aged patina and is in excellent + condition. This Bowie fits into the sheath snuggly with a tiny 1/16” of naturally occurring shrinkage to the overall length of the sheath. Note it is extremely difficult to photograph a shiny, curved, reflective blade. A knife blade is impossible to photograph as only one half of the blade reflects while the other half of the blade doesn’t reflect or usually has shadows. I took several dozens of images in several different lighting conditions and had to use imaging correction software to try to get the images to visualize what the human eye sees. The best solution I found was to photograph both the top and bottom blade flats separately on both sides of the blades, i.e., 4 different images for the 4 separate blade flats. F.YI., I collected antique mint Bowies, and only found 8 over a period of 30 years. Some advanced collectors want mint Bowies, but they are impossible to find, rarely offered, and expensive, i.e., condition, condition, condition. You will see hundreds of Bowies before you see one in mint condition. This handsome, large, heavy, quality Bowie has lots of eye appeal and would be perfect for any Bowie, Knife, 1800’s Hunting, Adventurist, Gentleman’s accoutrement, or Trapper, Frontiersman, Mountain Man, Military collection. PAYMENT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PAYPAL & ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER, e-CHECKS & ALL MAJOR CREDIT & DEBIT CARDS, APPLE PAY, GOOGLE PAY AND ALL OTHER PAYMENT METHODS APROVED BUY EBAY. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SHIPPING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING FOR DOMESTIC BUYERS & TO THE EBAY U.S.A. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER. FOR USA PURCHASES, SHIPPING, HANDLING & DELIVERY IS FREE VIA U.S.P.S. FIRST CLASS MAIL (UP TO 16 OZ.) OR U.S.P.S. PRIORITY MAIL USING ONLINE SHIPPING LABELS WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WILL HAVE THEIR ITEM SHIPPED TO EBAY'S U.S. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER; AND EBAY WILL INFORM THE BUYER OF THE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING / CUSTOMS / TARIFFS, VALUE ADDED OR ANY OTHER FEES, LEVIES OR TAXES. All items are shipped within 1 to 2 business days with email confirmation. Exceptions include holidays, power outages, and evacuations. Items shipped to a California address require CA State sales tax of 8.625% or a valid CA seller's permit # or the item cannot be shipped. All items are shipped using PayPal or eBay's online shipping service and are covered for non-delivery by their shipping service with free tracking and delivery confirmation. BUYER AGREES TO EBAYS RULE THAT SIGNATURE CONFIRMATIN IS REQUIRED FOR ALL ITEMS OVER $750, AND OTHER SHIPPING CHARGES SUCH AS U.S.P.S. EXPRESS MAIL MUST BE REQUESTED AND PAID FOR ANY OPTIONS WITH PURCHASE, AND WILL MAKE DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ITEMS REQUIRING A SIGNATURE AS PROOF OF RECEIPT. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TERMS & CONDITIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL BUYERS MUST CONFIRM HIGH BIDDER STATUS AND MUST MAKE PAYMENT WITHIN 3 BUSINESS DAYS OR 5 CALENDAR DAYS AFTER LISTING ENDS; otherwise, Seller reserves the right to cancel the sale and report you to eBay as a non-paying bidder. Seller reserves the right to relist an item if eBay's system goes down within 24 hours of the end of the auction. Bids will not be accepted from anyone that is not a registered eBay user. Seller reserves the right to cancel bids from any eBay buyer who Seller determines has an unsatisfactory eBay transaction history, has changed their eBay user Identity in the previous 30 days, whose eBay rating is listed as private. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SELLER'S RETURN POLICY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ eBay customers are protected when they are an eligible buyer, complete a purchase of an eligible item on a eBay's website, and purchase the item on eBay by using the "Pay Now" option, third-party checkout or an eBay invoice in one lump payment with a PayPal approved financial business. Buyers must keep their PayPal account in good standing. Buyers must show good faith conduct with the seller. Improper good faith conduct can include, but is not limited to, any means by which a buyer can attempt to unjustly benefit from the Seller's Terms & conditions or eBay's Buyer Protection plan. Moreover, good faith conduct does not include buyer's remorse, regardless of the reason. Returns will not be accepted such as changed my mind, found a better price, just didn't like it, Ordered by mistake, Arrived too late, etc. Returns will not be accepted and buyers will be reported to eBay when buyer makesfalse claims such as doesn't match description or photos, doesn't seem authentic, Doesn't fit, Wrong item sent, Missing parts or pieces, Doesn't work or defective, Arrived damaged. If you wish to take advantage of any of the issue resolution options available from the seller, you must have the business courtesy to discuss any potential issue within 3 days of receipt, and gain agreement with the seller prior to requesting a return through eBay, leaving feedback or initiating any online dispute process. By doing so, buyers commit to negotiate in good faith, and that they have not initiated any other form of resolution processing; including eBay / PayPal dispute process or credit card charge backs, or purchases where you have been or may be compensated by a third party. Possible buyer / seller resolution examples are: if seller and buyer agree that an item is significantly different than described and photographed, exchanging an item for a different item from the seller (whether listed or unlisted), credit from the seller against any current or future item, adjustment, trade, return, or any other arrangement that is mutually agreed upon between the seller and the buyer, and confirmed in writing via eBay's email system. These options are designed to expedite resolution of any potential issue quickly, easily and amicably, in lieu of eBay / PayPal on-line dispute resolution process which is lengthy, laborious, and allows decisions to be made by a 3rd party instead of the principals; i.e., the buyer & seller. Due to a myriad of International and U.S. Federal, State, Territory, County, City or Local law(s), ordinance(s), restrictions(s) or regulation(s), some articles shipped via U.S.P.S. may have restrictions and / or regulations that may apply to your article(s) shipped to a U.S. address. Buyers are responsible for knowing if any International, Federal, State, Territory, County, City or Local law(s), ordinance(s), restrictions(s) or regulation(s) may apply to your article(s) shipped to your ship to your address; and buyers are responsible for any loss if any prohibited or restricted item(s) shipped to your ship to address is confiscated for any reason. Any item returned must be pre-approved by the seller and received by seller within 7 days from receipt. If a buyer claims the item is damaged in shipping, it must send photographic proof on eBays email system, gain agreement with the seller, and item must be returned before buyer enters a feedback comment and before any exchange, credit or refund is issued. Buyer must use appropriate shipping, delivery confirmation and / or signature confirmation (items $250 ) and/or insurance at the buyers expense. Restocking fee, partial refunds and refunds are negotiable when buyers are dealing in good faith. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ALL BUYERS AGREE TO SELLERS RETURN POLICY THAT SUPERSEDES EBAYS RETURN POLICY FOR ALL ITEMS. v.9.19.2020 Listing and template services provided by inkFrog

Price: 2925 USD

Location: Fairfield, California

End Time: 2024-11-04T00:16:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD