Help identifying this type of 'replica' Bowie knife

S

SkyHound

Joined
Dec 14, 2022
Messages
3
Hello, I am a newcomer to the subject in general, recently I have taken a liking to reading about and looking at pictures of old knives, apologies if the answer to this question is glaringly obvious

I keep seeing 'replicas' of this type of bowie knife design for sale, here are two examples, i have found three overall, but I can't find any information what it is actually a replica of in any of the listings, is it just a sort of generic '19th century style' replica?

Thanks for your time

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www.etsy.com

JIM BOWIE REPLICA Knife Handmade High Carbon Steel Knife - Etsy

This Knives item by SpartaCustomForge has 54 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Spain. Listed on Dec 11, 2022
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com
 
Welcome to Bladeforums SkyHound.

I believe that style is referred to as a "coffin" handle bowie.

And for general info-

Etsy is a VERY questionable source for knives.

The top knife reminds me of a kit knife from the 80's and 90's

The bottom knife could be "handmade", but who knows for sure what it's made of, or how well the heat treat is, or if it even has a heat treat.
 
It is a replica of what some people want to believe the original Jim Bowie knife looked like, ie. coffin handle, swedged clip point, guard, etc.

No one knows what Jim's knife looked like, but Hollywood and knifemakers like to fantasize. The reality is that Jim's knife was probably a simple butcher's knife, not unlike today's common kitchen knife.
 
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SkyHound said:
I see, thank you guys

thanks for the warning, I will not buy a knife on etsy good call
Click to expand...
Hold on a minute......there is nothing wrong with buying knives from Etsy. That site is just like every other web site. As long as you know what you are looking at there is no problem. As a matter of fact, I recently got this nice little Viking-Rus knife from an Etsy dealer in the Ukraine....High carbon steel blade, 5,000 year old bog oak handle, copper fittings, nicely made thick leather sheath.....whats not to like?
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SkyHound said:
I see, thank you guys

thanks for the warning, I will not buy a knife on etsy good call
Click to expand...

Sorry to jump in - non Bowie related: some great BF knife makers also have etsy stores ..... so not all etsy knives are bad. You just need to do a background check, IMO.

For instance, I bought the left knife below on etsy, the right one on BF, same maker.

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Best,

Roland.
 
To be clear, I said Etsy is a "questionable source" for knives, and it is (just like Amazon and Ebay). There is A LOT of Pakistani crap on Etsy advertised as "handmade" or "custom" or both. I didn't say "never buy a knife from Etsy. All knives on Etsy are garbage".

Naturally people have to do their research, and use their own judgement. Asking about a particular knife here on Bladeforums before buying is always a good idea, and could save a person a lot of money, and a lot of disappointment.
 
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