Question on Western 49 Bowie

RomaKid

RomaKid

Joined
Feb 4, 2016
Messages
288
Howdy,

I would like to get some opinions on a Western Bowie 49 knife I have. First I only have the knife; no sheath or box. The knife itself hasn’t been used so the blade is in excellent condition; no rust or scratches. The only marking on the blade are “Western 49 USA”. My question is about how much is just the knife worth by itself? I was thinking about in the 85 dollar range. Any opinions?

Thanks
 
hello romakid,
I would say more than 85.00 to be sure. do the scales appear to be "real" rosewood with small rivets? the later ones were more of a laminated wood with larger rivets. also, I think there were some markings on the hilt too. the early versions are worth more as they were Vietnam era. good luck
mike
 
Are there any markings on the guard? How old is it? Older ones were carbon steel, later models were stainless...
 
Thanks guys. I wish I knew the answers. I would think it’s a newer model as it doesn’t have any patina to speak of. I never shined it. There are no markings on the guard. I included some pictures to see if it helps. I’m not trying to make any money from it. Just sell it at a fair price.

Thanks again for your help.
 
Last edited:
That is in nice shape. There are a bunch of threads on dating and ID'ing the model 49. https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/western-model-49-bowie-knife.390913/ Do some reading. As far as value it depends on who is looking at the time and place you are selling. The cost varies and you might be on the low side for one in that condition. It looks to be a user not a collector though. They are great knives. One I lusted for as a kid but sure couldn't afford. Maybe that is why I have 3 now. :)

Joe
 
That is a Camillus version, 1994 to whenever Camillus quit making them, sometime between 2003 amd 2006.

The steel is 420HC stainless.
 
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