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"Old Knives"

Hello All - Long time, no post.

These are the sellers photos - I am so happy to get this - it's the fourth in my collection, and my best.

3.5'' Ivory handled congress by the Coquanoc Works of Howard W. Shipley, Philadelphia PA 1876


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Mike Robuck said:
Congrats! That’s a real nice, old one. I saw that on the auction site. Really mellow ivory.
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Campbellclanman said:
ISK..
Whew..... awesome early Philly there mate! I just LOVE the Font of the Early Stamps used in the day!
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thanks gents: Here is some fun info I've been able to collect and would like to share for those who don't already know.

Howard W. Shipley was a medical tool maker in Philadelphia in the 1800's. Rezin Bowie, brother of the famed Jim Bowie, traveled regularly to Philadelphia to seek medical treatment for his ailing vision. It is believed that Rezin Bowie befriended Shipley and commissioned several knives from him - of his design - of what we would now call today, the Bowie Knife*. If you can find a Bowie marked Shipley Philadelphia - that right there is a holy grail of American Traditional Knives. *this is not the "original" or only Bowie Knives to be commissioned by Rezin or Jim - the first was said to be made by Rezin's request from a smith in Louisiana.

As for the Coquanoc Works, the only evidence I can find of them existing besides knife collector books is here:

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Nice information ISK.
We need detailed follow up like this. To me if you can make a connection to the famed original source of the Bowie- it sure deserves a mention - to have a knife with that early Philly Stamp is to have something pretty special imo.

If one really wants to get into the debate of when the very first Bowie was designed - I am sure the credit would fall on an unknown blacksmith or farmer who made a similar knife a couple of hundred years earlier- somewhere very remote where the knife was used until gone.
Going off track a bit- theres some interesting history on Von Tempsky who died in the Maori Wars in New Zealand 1868.
He had a handful of Bowie knives made by a blacksmith in NZ for his troops.
 
Kevin, gorgeous peach seed jigged bone warms the winter heart:thumbsup::thumbsup: You should if you haven’t already post that in the Elusive Schrade thread. Wonderful Jack!!
 
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