A very special one ..... The 21st Anniversary Sebenza

James Longstreet

James Longstreet

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May 1, 2014
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Hello my friends from this little corner of the huge knife world, who are appreciating the products and the philosophies of knife making by Chris Reeve.

I am very happy to be able to present to you a very special piece. It is the 21st Anniversary Sebenza.

This Sebenza, a classic Sebenza, was made in July 2005 and is part of a very small edition of only 21 knives made. It is very special in the way it was designed and what Chris, Anne and their team tried to express with this edition. I haven't spoken to them but I could imagine that this knife is partly meant as a moment to look back in their life, as well as an outlook into a prospering future and last but not least a little "thank you" to their community of customers, dealers and supporters throughout the world. Kind of this moments where you talk to yourself without any negative complacency, but with a little pride "Well. Not too bad what we've done do far." Or something like this :)

Okay. Lets get started.

The differences compared with other Sebenza, Mnandi or other CRK knives starts already with the paperwork coming with the knife. Instead of the common little birthcard it comes with a large envelope, containing a certificate which lists not only the birthdate and the material used, but also provides an introduction to CRK history and to where and how it all started. Additionally the document explains in more depth about the special ingrediants used for this knife, as for instance the Zebra Mosaik damascus for the blade, forged by Gary House, the Idaho Star Garnet and the graphics.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 01

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 02

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 03

The list of the materials and designs is also more elaborate than it is usually at the normal birthcards. It contains details not only about the blade, the inlay and the lanyard, but also about who was involved into the design of the very special graphics, representing Chris' and Ann's journey from South Africa to Boise/Idaho.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 04

As you probably picked from the 1st photo and from the material description, the package contains two boxes. One for the knife and one for the nice and heavy cocobolo presentation box.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 05

Lets move on to the knife itself.

The lockbar side has the anniversary timeline engraved/milled to its slab.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 07

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 06

As you have seen before, my knife is no. 14 out of 21.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 08

The lines of the zebra pattern are sometimes appearing white, sometimes grey and sometimes yellow/golden, depending upon the light and the view angle.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 09

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 10

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 11

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 12

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 13

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 14

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 15

The Zulu spear points to the back of the slab, where the contour of the state of Idaho is milled out of the slab and a little diamond is representing the city of Boise. The Idaho Star Garnet is inlayed into the back hole.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 16

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 17

The lanyard is made of leather and contains a bead made of buffalo horn.

Classic, 21st Anniversary, Zebra, 18

Thats it. Again. I am very proud to own this knife as the crown of my collection and I have to thank Steve for letting this knife go.

Hope this little journey was interesting for you. Appreciate your comments and feedback.

Stefan
 
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OMG!!! My jaw literally dropped! Congratulations on this magnificent piece of CRK history!

And absolutely beautiful photos!!! That zebra damascus is a winner!


Tapatalk.
 
That, my friend, is possibly one of the most phenomenal pieces I've seen on here. I guarantee you that Chris remembers these and can and the story behind them. Congratulations on such a wonderful piece of art and history!
 
Love the knife... did not love then price when one sold on the exchange ;) But I expect its worth it.
 
This is one of the most special knives I have ever seen. This is truly a peice of art.
 
Simply the greatest Sebenza ever. So tasteful in its graphics, elegant in its design, rich in story and sentiment, and likely a great tool if you were psycho enough to use it.

I see these particular knives as representing the point at which the Sebenza was "signed off" on as a fully realized design. Sure some more subtle changes would come later, and other models would appear, but I see this knife as representing the point Chris and Anne said to the world.....we've done it!......and here it is in all its glory. You know when a knife maker starts putting diamonds into the design that they figure they've got something special to say.

I have always admired these, and your photos confirm what I suspected. Flawless!
 
Congrats to your latest acquisition.
This is a well worthy presentation, if I might add.
Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if one of those 21 21's will ever cut anything...
 
This is certainly an amazing knife. Thank you for sharing. And congratulations on a superb addition to your collection.
 
As a wood lover, that cocobolo box caught my eye. Beautiful! The knife is great too. Thanks for sharing this with us.
 
Very, very awesome. I know it took a while to seal the deal on this one, and I know it took a while to arrive home, but the wait was worth it. Nothing else in your collection can hold a candle to this one my friend.

Enjoy it in good health. Truly a piece of CRK history.
 
I was given a head-up on this post - and thoroughly enjoyed a trip down memory lane looking at the magnificent photos. It was fun pulling the different components of that project together, and were thrilled to receive the honor of Investor/Collector Knife of the Year at Blade Show 2005 for it.

Enjoy!

Anne
 
That my good man is superlative to the extreme. Bravo, I truly appreciate having been blessed to view this thread.
 
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