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BEST KNOWN 1830s AMERICAN HUNTER 12\" CLIP CARVED BOWIE & SHEATH PUBLISHED For Sale


BEST KNOWN 1830s AMERICAN HUNTER 12\
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BEST KNOWN 1830s AMERICAN HUNTER 12\" CLIP CARVED BOWIE & SHEATH PUBLISHED:
$65000.00

IMPORTANT ~ PUBLISHED ~FINE &RARE 1830- 35AMERICAN ~ ALFRED HUNTER ~ 12\" CLIP BLADE ~CARVED HILTBOWIE WITHORIGINAL SHEATH

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TWICE TO ENLARGE

I HAVE ADDITIONAL IMAGES,

BUT ONLY ALLOWS WHAT YOU SEE


IMPORTANT FINE & RARE ~ 1830\' s ~ AMERICAN ALFRED HUNTER BOWIE

12\" CLIP BLADE ~ CARVED HILT ~ SELF DEFENSE WEAPON

WITH THE ORIGINAL SHEATH

IMPORTANT 2015 FAIR MARKET PRICE COMPARISON

Another Extremely Rare American Bowie knife, made by Samuel Bell, sold at sale in March 2015 for $241,5000; 3.7 times the presale HIGH estimate. Both Bowies are different styles with different aesthetics; but merit comparison due to their extreme rarity and American Heritage.

SEE A COMPARISON TO THE HUNTER BOWIE BELOW

BELL BOWIEHUNTERBOWIE

AGE AFTER 1852 1830\'S

BOWIE RARITY 25 KNOWN < 25 KNOWN

CONFIGURATION RARITY 7 SILVER KNOWN 4 - 12\" BLADE KNOWN

BLADE SIZE 9\" - THICK 1 2 1/8\" x 13/32\" THICK

OVERALL SIZE13\" 17 3/4\"

BLADE SHAPE TRIANGULARCLIP

MARKINGS ENGRAVEDHOT STAMPED

HILT SILVER ENGRAVEDCARVED FAUX IVORY

ORIGINAL SHEATHSILVER ENGRAVEDLEATHER & G.SILVER

BLADE CONDITIONAREAS OF POLISH 75%+ ORIGINAL

OVERALL CONDITIONVERY GOOD-FINEBEST KNOWN

PUBLISHEDUNKNOWNBOWIE KNIFE BOOK

PROVENANCEYES YES

FAIR MARKET VALUE $241,500$65,000


This is a very rare, published Antique 3 dimensionally carved sculptured Faux Ivory hilted early AMERICAN Bowie Knife in superb condition by the famous and early maker Alfred Hunter, with the very rare 12 inch blade; complete with the original sheath, circa 1830 to mid-1830\'s. This is an Impressive, Massive and heavy Bowie self defense weapon; nearly a foot and 1/2 long and a pound and 1/2 in weight. Some would consider the rare, 1830\'s sculptured Faux Ivory, 12\" clip blade Alfred Hunter the Holy Grail of American Bowies; and this is the best condition I have seen in any 12\" blade Alfred Hunter Bowie. Alfred Hunter Bowies are associated with the early American Frontier, before the Colt revolver was invented, and decades before the Winchester rifle was introduced.

Early Bowie knives were completely hand made; i.e., hand forged, hand ground, hand fitted, and hand polished, using only simple hand tools; and were created to be used only as a weapon. They fall into the early category of edged weapons made only for personal self-defense purposes; and thus have the accompanying Mano-a-Mano romance and history associated with this early period of American Frontier history where Bowie knives were a necessary primary or back up weapon.

During most of the 19th century there was little law and order, and it was \"every man for himself\". Men were constantly at risk of being waylaid by thugs, ner\' do goods, thieves, robbers and bandits. Men typically carried a single shot cap and ball percussion pistol, or brace (pair) of pistols for self-protection. Colt revolvers weren\'t invented until 1836, and only an affluent gentleman could have afforded one. It wasn\'t until the Colt 1849 Pocket model percussion (loose powder, cap & ball) revolver was introduced that most men could afford to purchase and carry a multi-shot pistol for self protection. Thus, men would typically carry a dirk, dagger or Bowie knife as a side knife on their belt, as a back-up weapon, or as a primary weapon. After the 1828 newspaper account of Jim Bowie\'s sandbar melee, Bowie knives became the rage in America; and every man wanted a knife \"like Jim Bowie\'s\". Not only was carrying a weapon a necessity, it quickly evolved into a required accoutrement and fashion statement. Bigger was better both then and now, and huge Bowie Knife could possibly deter an assault just by the intimidation of it\'s massive size.

Sheffield was the knife capitol of the world at this time, and for 500 years previous; and soon began to exploit the exploding American interest in Bowie knives and the growing American market for self defense weapons. American Bowie knives were favored by affluent American Gentlemen wanting to support the popular sentiment for America\'s industries to grow and to become independent; especially from England. Union Military Officers during both the Mexican American and Civil War periods also preferred them as a side knife / camp knife and back up self-defense weapon. Compared to the influx of Sheffield made Bowies and their availability and lower cost, custom made to order American Bowies were very expensive at the time. Only a gentleman of means could afford a quality, custom made to order self defense weapon by an accomplished American cutler. Due to their American heritage and legacy, American Bowies are perhaps 50 to 100 times rarer and more desirable than their Sheffield fixed blade counterparts; but not 50 to 100 times the price. Thus, they are greatly underpriced in today\'s Market, considering their extreme rarity; if you can fine one for sale.

Alfred Hunter first appeared in the New York City Directory in 1830, just 3 year after the famous Vidalia sand bar skirmish by Jim Bowie that immortalized the American Bowie knife legend and resulting Bowie knife legacy. In 1835, Hunter moved his business to 145 Quarry street in Newark, New Jersey until the 1850\'s. His last address was 25 Sheffield Street (near State street); and it can be assumed that a street with this name would have been a locale for the burgeoning American cutlery business. He continued in business until 1865, around the end of the U.S. Civil War. It appears Alfred Hunter made both his 8\" and the 12\" blade styles of Bowie knives during the same period. However, the larger 12\" blade variety are very rare, and somewhat impractical, being both heavy and awkward to carry. Thus, it is likely they date to the 1830\'s; before Bowie sizes and patterns became more standardized. The late Bill Williamson, the \"Grandaddy\" of Bowie Knives, only had 1 Hunter in his collection; an 8\" blade example with Rosewood hilt and no sheath. The great Bowie knife collection of the late Norm Flayderman, illustrated in his book \"The Bowie Knife\", had 2 Alfred Hunter 8\" blade Bowies; a Rosewood hilt with no sheath, and the other with a carved hilt and a replaced sheath. I only know of 4 Hunter Bowies with the BIG 12\" blade size. It is noteworthy that neither Williamson nor Flayderman had a 12\" Alfred Hunter American Bowie Knife example in their collections.

This is a large and hefty Bowie; 17 3/4\" Overall, with a hand forged 12 1/8\" clip blade x more than 3/8\" thick at 13/32\" x 1 5/8\" wide. There is a pronounced swale to the blade edge between the ricasso and tip, and a 4 1/2\" false edge grind to the top edge of the blade. Weight of the knife is 1 lb. 6.2 ounces; 1 lb. 9.1 ounces with sheath. The blade grind has a top blade flat of about 3/8\", and a graceful grind at the choil. This 13/32\" thick blade stock is very heavy, and gradually tapers in thickness towards the tip. This is as thick a blade stock you will find on any Bowie knife. The ricasso is hot stamped on one side with the standard \"ALFRED HUNTER\" Maker\'s mark in block letters in two lines. As one would expect on any massive & heavy Bowie the blade has a very slightly blunted point; perhaps a 1/64\". You can\'t feel any nicks when running your finger up and down the blade edge, and there is one minuscule nick on the blade edge that can be seen under magnification. Almost all knives have been sharpened and cleaned over time, some many times; but this blade is in superb condition considering it\'s extreme age. This Bowie has been well cared for and properly sharpened over it\'s lifespan, with only light sharpening marks. The right side of the blade has most of the original polish, with light, naturally occurring aging and very light patches of pitting. The left side of the blade shows considerable amounts of the original polish, but with more patches of light pitting and a few scratches acquired during actual use. This blade is still sharp, and appears not to have been sharpened in decades.

The German silver oval cross guard is the distinctive Alfred Hunter style with flat panels between the ball finials, found on his 8\" and 12\" Faux Ivory Bowies. The ends of the ball quillions have indentations, showing that the cross guard has been turned on a lathe. The middle portion on both sides have been ground flat to fit the blade and ferrule, with the front bottom side of the cross guard ground flat to accommodate the sheath fitting snugly against the cross guard. This is an interesting aspect of Bowies that are completely hand fitted.

The carved Faux Ivory hilt is the signature design of Alfred Hunter with the distinctive birdseye decorations, scalloped edges, and a shell pattern pommel. This 3 dimensionally sculptured Faux Ivory hilt is 5 1/2\" overall x 11/16\" thick x 1 1/8\" wide at the pommel end, and is made from a single large piece of beautifully naturally aged Faux Ivory that tapers slightly from the pommel towards the 11/16\" long line engraved ferrule. There is a correct, small German silver pin securing the hilt through the tang. The fancy German silver escutcheon plate is in the shield pattern secured with 2 small pins, and inlaid into the hilt with a parser (bow fiddle) in the Sheffield style. This is a rare, early feature for an American Bowie. The escutcheon is hand engraved in script, \"JLL\". All natural materials shrink over time, causing naturally occurring age cracks; especially on large, one piece Faux Ivory hilts. These age cracks occur naturally, and demonstrate genuine age, and therefore are not distracting overall to this fine Bowie; and adds individual character to this piece. As such, the top and bottom of the hilt have have naturally occurring age cracks. The top has a shrinkage crack from the ferrule along the side and around to the end of the pommel. This piece is, and has always been stable. The bottom has a small crack that tapers to hairline size about 3/4 back from the ferrule. Both cracks have some sort of antique filler that looks old as dirt and has natural aging that could be a century or more old.

With 19th Century Bowies, the sheath is the first thing to go; especially for a big, heavy 1830\'s knife that would have led a long, hard life from daily use by the 1840\'s. Worn or torn sheaths were typically discarded, and sometimes replaced with a non original replacement sheath. Any 1830\'s Bowie with it\'s original sheath will increase the value of the piece significantly. This fine Bowie has the original 1830\'s sheath, with nice leather & intact stitching. The blade fits snugly in the sheath, attesting to it\'s originality. There is a tiny piece missing from the inside lip of the throat next to some blade marks from removing and sheathing the Big Blade. As expected, the superb blade condition is commensurate with the sheath condition.

There are differences between the Hunter 12\" blade sheaths and the 8\" blade sheaths. All of the 12\" sheaths have the same scalloped tip, the same leather and hand stitching, and throats that are almost all identical, with slight variations. These Big Bowies typically have tip damage (3 of the 4 known 12\" blade Hunter sheaths have tip damage) and missing buttons. This tip and frog button have been professionally restored. The tip has a custom made piece fitted to the end, and the button looks old & original, but is a slightly different size from the original.

Overall, this Bowie is in superb condition for it\'s extreme age; 175-185 years old. Connoisseur quality & condition American Bowies rarely make their way to the collecting market. Most collectors have never seen a fine, early Alfred Hunter self defense weapon; much less have an opportunity to obtain a superb condition, published, 12\" clip blade, carved Faux Ivory hilt example with provenance. If offered at an sale house, you would have to be the last Man standing, and pay buyer\'s premiums that can be in the 15 -25% range, plus tax, travel & other expenses.

Provenance:

Bob Berryman collection, acquired sometime between the 1950\'s and 1992. Bob was a well known dealer in fine firearms, and a founding member of the Antique Bowie Knife Association.

Purchased at Butterfield\'s 1992 Berryman / Schreiner Bowie knife sale.

Remained in a private Bowie Knife collection from 1992 to 2015.

Publications:

This exact Alfred Hunter Bowie knife is published in 2 important Bowie Knife references:

The 1990 Antique Bowie Knife Book, pages 58 &59. This was the first major book published on Bowie knives that revolutionized Bowie knife collecting. Both Bob Berryman and Charles SchreIner were the impetus behind this book. Note the image of the sheath is the original and correct sheath for this knife, and the tip & button are now properly restored. To my knowledge this is the only book published 12\" Alfred Hunter Bowie Knife known.

The 1992 Butterfield & Butterfield\'s Bowie Knife Collection catalog was a historic first in the Antique Arms collecting field. This was the first time Antique Bowie knife collections were offered for sale at sale. The 1992 sale was the combined 80 years of collecting Antique Bowie knives by Bob Berryman and Charles Schreiner III. Collectors were astounded by the prices realized at the time, some selling for many times their presale estimate. The next great Bowie knife collection of Bill Williamson sold in 1997; and included some of the 1992 knives. Again, some sold for many times their 1997 presale estimate. Lot #3858 on pages 44 & 45. Note the sheath in this image is incorrect; a different sheath was inadvertently photographed with the Hunter. The correct and original sheath is shown in the earlier published image in the 1990 Antique Bowie knife book noted above, and now has the properly restored tip & button. Although this catalog listed this Hunter as circa 1840, much information has come to light since; and so it is more accurate to date this piece to the 1830 to mid 1830\'s period.

Awards:

This piece has been publicly displayed only twice since 1992; and both times were in the finest Hunter collection that was awarded best of show; at the 1992 Old West Show in Santa Clara, CA, and the 2006 Antique Bowie Knife Association display at the Oregon Knife Collectors show in Eugene, OR.

This connoiseur Bowie Knife is for the discerning collector that wants the best: an extremely rare, carved Faux Ivory American Bowie Knife; an 1830\'s piece of American history, in superb condition. This Bowie self defense weapon has lots of eye appeal with great provenance from famous collections, and would be the centerpiece for any Antique Bowie, knife, cutlery, gambling, swashbuckler, frontier man, trapper, soldier, Officer, explorer, hunter, cowboy, Old West, Western Americana, Folk Art collection.

v.4.20.15


FREE U.S.A. SHIPPING, HANDLING & DELIVERY or SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION


FOR USA PURCHASES, SHIPPING, HANDLING & DELIVERY IS FREE VIA U.S.P.S. FIRST CLASS MAIL (UP TO 14 OZ.) OR U.S.P.S. PRIORITY MAIL USING ONLINE SHIPPING LABELS WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION. INTERNATIONAL BUYERS WILL HAVE THEIR ITEM SHIPPED TO \'S U.S. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING CENTER; AND WILL INFORM THE BUYER OF THE ADDITIONAL SHIPPING / CUSTOMS / TARIFFS, VALUE ADDED OR ANY OTHER FEES, LEVIES OR TAXES. does not allow optional or required buyer selected shipping insurance. Sellers cannot charge the buyer a separate fee for insurance in a listing or after the buyer has committed to purchase the item, and cannot indicate insurance is only offered upon buyers request. All items are shipped within 1 to 2 business days with email confirmation. Items shipped to a California address require CA State sales tax of 8.625% or a valid CA seller\'s permit #, or the item can not be shipped. All items are shipped using PayPal or \'s online shipping service, and are covered for non-delivery by their shipping service with free delivery confirmation. BUYER HAS THE OPTION TO REQUEST AND PAY FOR SIGNATURE CONFIRMATION OR U.S.P.S. EXPRESS MAIL WITH TRACKING. BUYER MUST REQUEST AND PAY FOR ANY OPTION WITH PURCHASE. PLEASE MAKE DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS FOR ITEMS REQUIRING A SIGNATURE AS PROOF OF RECEIPT. PayPal requires the buyer to have a Verified Account, make a single payment from one account & ship the item to the U.S.A. address on the transaction details page.


PAYMENT


PAYPAL & ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFER, e-CHECKS & ALL MAJOR CREDIT & DEBIT CARDS THROUGH PAY PAL. PREPAID NEGOTIABLE U.S.A. PAPER BANK DOCUMENTS & PERSONAL BANK DRAFTS OR PERSONAL CHECKS DRAWN ON A U.S.A. BANK CONSIDERED WITH PRIOR APPROVAL. INTERNATIONAL buyers MUST PAY VIA PAYPAL ONLY.


TERMS & CONDITIONS


ALL BUYERS WITH 0 response MUST CONFIRM HIGH buyer STATUS WITHIN 24 HOURS AFTER THE END OF THE sale AND MUST PAY VIA PAYPAL ONLY. PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY ME WITHIN 24 HOURS OF THE END OF THE sale VIA PAYPAL ONLY. ALL OTHER BUYERS MUST CONFIRM HIGH buyer STATUS WITHIN 24 HOURS after the end of the sale; and PAYMENT MUST BE RECEIVED BY ME WITHIN 4 CALENDAR DAYS VIA PAYPAL, OR 5 DAYS (paper payment with pre-approval ONLY) of the sale\'s end; otherwise, seller reserves the right to cancel the sale and report you to as a non-paying buyer. Seller reserves the right to relist an item if \'s system goes down within 12 hours of the end of the sale. offers will not be accepted from anyone that is not a registered user. Seller reserves the right to cancel offers from any er who has an unsatisfactory transaction history, has changed their user Identity in the previous 30 days, or whose rating is listed as private.


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v.4.16.2015


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