Early dawson

B

BACKROAD

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Oct 16, 2014
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I have a Dawson survival knife that I believe was made in the 70's or 80's. It appears to be all stainless with a screw on cap in the handle for "stuff". It is marked Dawson on one side of blade and " 54" on the other.
Can anyone give me more information on this knife. Not being a paid member I'm trying to be very careful about asking values as I don't want to be a dunce in the corner.
 
BACKROAD said:
I have a Dawson survival knife that I believe was made in the 70's or 80's. It appears to be all stainless with a screw on cap in the handle for "stuff". It is marked Dawson on one side of blade and " 54" on the other.
Can anyone give me more information on this knife. Not being a paid member I'm trying to be very careful about asking values as I don't want to be a dunce in the corner.
Click to expand...

Pictures???
 
I haven't had any luck posting a pic. Pm me with an email and I can probably send you one.
 
I got a pic posted to photo bucket but couldn't figure out what to do with it from there.
 
Email the pic to me, and I will post it for you.
 
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I think there is more than one "Dawson" making knives in that period. There where a couple of brothers in the Houston TX area that were making knives at that time. Dane and Barry Dawson, IIRC. Is it a custom knife? I don't recall seeing a knife like that on their table at that time. I bought some knives from them in that time period.
 
The knife was purchased by my Dad. I believe his old paperwork (which I no longer have) said Barry Dawson and I believe it was out of Colorado.
 
I believe they did move to Colorado from Texas. I don't know what year, or if both brothers moved. I have several of their daggers or boot knives. One of which is mine own design. Other expensive hobbies overtook my knife collecting.

I don't believe the Dawson's ever made it big, but I like their work.
 
This looks to date from the mid to late 1980s when the hollow handle survival knife was still riding high after the movie "First Blood." The number indicates a specific blade shape in the Dawson inventory, not just a particular knife design. There are certainly 54s out there that are not hollow handled, do not have the saw-back spine, and are a different finish. Therefore, the value is almost impossible to gauge without a comparable or a recommendation from Barry himself.

I have a few Dawsons and have seen many more but I have never come across one like yours. It may have been a one-off.

As for whether the Dawsons ever made it big, I don't know how to define making it big, but Barry has a thriving business in Prescott Valley AZ (he left Durango CO some years ago), his niece Lynn and her husband are outstanding blade smiths/knifemakers, and I seldom see anyone selling a Dawson knife secondhand. If my business were doing that well, I'd be thrilled!

I'm gonna have to start a Dawson-ownership thread here somewhere!

Zieg
 
Hey, Backroad, I just saw you're in Bagdad AZ! You should be able to drive to Barry's shop in PV and show the knife to him!

Zieg
 
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