The Amazing Virginian
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- Feb 24, 2010
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I cannot possibly provide the kind of review that STeven Garsson has provided here, but I thought I would provide my own particular perspective on the 2011 AKI in San Diego last week.
The summary statement I want to make is that it was the largest and finest collection of superior knives I have ever seen in one place – particularly when one takes into consideration the Collector’s Buyer, Sell & Trade period after the sale period for the knifemakers’ pieces. There were many, many knives that I recognized there. It was an honor just to be there.
THE SETTING
When you walked in at 10 AM when the show started, you noticed that the room was laid out with the knifemakers’ tables lining three of the four walls, arranged alphabetically in a clockwise direction. I found this to be an excellent arrangement.
There was a buffet lunch served until at least 1 PM when the knife inspection / intent-to-purchase period ended. A nice spread . . . carved roast beef, carved turkey, salad, rolls, a tasty cheesy pasta dish, etc. There was an open bar and a seemingly endless parade of French pastries. There were several tables of various sizes with chairs for the collectors to sit, talk, eat, etc., but often it was difficult or impossible to find an available chair to sit down. The room was fairly crowded so it made navigation with food and drink challenging at times – especially when there was no place for you to sit and eat.
THE KNIVES
Look, these are all world class knifemakers. But some of their styles appeal more to me than others. STeven has already provided a lot of detailed description of most of the knives in his review. So I am only going to supplement that with anything I think he might have missed for those knifemakers whose work I did not spend a lot of time examining. I will have more to say about the knives and makers which really interested me the most.
RON APPLETON – He had three folders, which I generally do not collect and the prices were outside my range. The craftsmanship was simply amazing, but these are just not my cup of tea.
VAN BARNETT – He also had three folders, which again I generally do not collect, and most of the prices were again outside my range. I believe he had a fourth “option knife” but I cannot remember anything about it.
FRED CARTER – He had five knives, which included an “option knife.” I am a huge fan of his work and have tried to win a couple of his knives at auction before with no luck. My favorite piece of his was a be-a-utiful smallish engraved fighting knife with an ivory handle. The blade was ATS34, and it had stainless bolsters. Both the bolsters and a portion of the blade were engraved with a sort of scrolling floral pattern in silver and black. It was one of my six favorite knives at the show. I have seen a picture of this knife in a thread either her, or at the CKCA website.
HARVEY DEAN – He had four knives, including a push dagger (I do not like push daggers, period). My favorite of his knives by far was a well-executed Bowie inspired by a mid-18th century knife. This knife had gorgeous fossil walrus scales and a killer feather-pattern Damascus blade. But it was just a little bit more than I wanted to spend.
DELLANA – I did not see her there, and her knives are not generally to my taste. Honestly, I cannot tell you anything about her table. Sorry.
RICK EATON – He had six knives, including a miniature Bowie which would have been killer if it wasn’t miniature. I just have zero interest in miniature knives. Of the rest, I really liked two: a California style dagger, and his “Option Knife.”
KAJ EMBRETSEN – He had six knives with some truly amazing Damascus, but again I don’t generally collect folders.
VIRGIL ENGLAND – He had four knives and maybe a fifth “option knife” – I can’t remember. All of his knives were way, way outside my price range. His work was amazing, but also too ethereal for my plebeian taste. He had something called a “Butterfly Queen” and I could not tell what the hell to make of it. I could appreciate the fact that I am not capable of fully appreciating it, if that makes any sense to you.
H.H. FRANK – Three more folding knives, and again, outside my price range.
LARRY FUEGEN – He had four knives, including an “Option Knife” that I can’t recall other than that I liked it. I really admire his work. What I especially like is his versatility and the fact that he makes something for almost everyone – including some very expensive masterpiece knives, and some more affordable pieces. I want to specifically mention two pieces from this show.
First was a piece he called “Rivals” – a folder with two of his “Goblin” heads on a cocobolo display base with a piece of agate to support the knife. To get some idea of this knife, an example of his “Goblin” head folder can be found on page 204 of David Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” I really appreciate the artistry of this knife, even if it is not something I collect or probably ever will collect. It was also outside my price range.
Second was an Arizona Gentleman's Bowie. This was the knife chosen for the cover of the AKI Catalog. It had an 8.38” ladder Damascus blade with a long clip point. The 5 inch handle was made of agate scales and was wrapped in carved 14K gold, with a fluted guard and spacer between the handle and blade. A VERY similar knife, but with a carved walrus ivory handle, and the handle wrapped in carved sterling silver instead of gold, can be found on page 12 of David Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” This was another one of my six favorite knives of the show, but outside my price range.
TIM HANCOCK – Tim had four knives, including an “Option Knife” which I cannot recall He is one of my personal favorite knifemakers so I was excited to see what he brought. His first piece was a Wakizashi – a one hand Japanese sword with an 18 inch blade. I have zero interest in, or knowledge of, Japanese swords so I paid no attention to it at all. However, I paid a LOT of attention to his Fancy Hunter and his Cowboy Bowie which were both among my six favorite knives of the show and two excellent values, IMO. This type of hunter, and Cowboy Bowies, are also two of my three favorite styles of knife that I collect the most, so I was very happy to see these knives.
For the Fancy Hunter, the blade was 7 bar Turkish Twist Damascus that looked quite different from the Damascus on any of his other Fancy Hunters. It was simply gorgeous! The handle scales were carved African Blackwood. The sheath was one the inlaid sheathes he has made in the past, this time with sharkskin. I have seen a picture of this knife on a thread here, and a thread at CKCA, but that picture does not do this knife justice.
The Cowboy Bowie was just perfect. It had one of his typically beautiful ladder Damascus blade, and premium mammoth ivory scales and rope file work. The sheath was particularly beautiful. I sat at a table for a while with the gentleman who was drawn for this piece, and to say he was happy would be an understatement. I would have been happy, too, if I had purchased either this knife, or the Fancy Hunter.
STEVE HOEL – He had six or seven knives, including four or five of his “coke bottle” knives which don’t appeal to me. What DID appeal to me was his Large Sheffield. Stainless blade with a beautiful handle of engraved gold leaves (maple leaves?) on a black background, and with large pearl inlays on both sides. The engraved leaves were fit with 25 natural sapphires. The handle had what I (probably wrongly) call a Persian shape. The engraving was done by Barry Lee Hands. I liked this knife, but I felt that the handle just WAY outshone the rather plain and simple blade. I thought this knife really cried out for a mosaic Damascus blade, but what do I know? This knife was way outside my price range anyway.
STEVE JOHNSON – Steve brought six knives, every one of them a winner for me. He had a Loveless Style Big Bear and a Loveless Style Fighter, each with a mammoth ivory handle. He also had a Loveless Style Wilderness with stag handles that I noticed has already been flipped on a purveyor’s site for a cool 25% markup. He also offered a Loveless Style Baby Archer Chute as a “Bid Up” knife that went at what I thought was a very good price for the buyer. Steve also brought a Mediterranean-Style Dirk with an extended stainless bolster and a one-piece stag handle with a thing hole, and what appeared to be a kudu end-piece with a red liner? The catalog stated that this was a personal carry knife from France in the late 1990s.
But I saved the best for last: Christine's Fighter. This was my number one favorite knife of the show and was featured on the back cover of the catalog. It was a 6 inch Loveless style fighter with full integral construction. The handle included two perfect mother-of-pearl scales and some sort of black inlay pieces – tow on each side. The mother of pearl and the black inlay pieces are engraved by Barry Lee Hands with gold leaves, and the blade was engraved with gold leaves and gray leaves. There is a somewhat similar looking knife called “David’s Fighter” that appears on the Title Page of Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” Two major differences that elevated this knife IMO were the guard and the engraving on the blade itself. I drooled, but it was way outside my range.
(For now I am skipping Dietmar Kressler, Ron Lake, and Wolfgang Loerchner, about whom I will post later)
JIM MERRITT – He brought eight knives – the first four were marked “R.W. Loveless Maker” (old shop logo) and the last four were marked “R.W. Loveless Knives” (new shop logo). I loved all of them, but then I am a sucker for Loveless knives. The first four included a Jr. Bear, a Drop Point Hunter, and a Stiff Horn, all with gorgeous stag scales, and another Drop Point Hunter with no guard, an improved-style handle, and ivory micarta scales. The Jr. Bear and stag Drop Point Hunter had the nude logos; the Stiff Horn and micarta Drop Point Hunter had the (old) standard “R.W. Loveless Maker” logo. The last four included a fighter, a Dixon fighter, a boot knife, and a small boot knife – all with stag scales and nude logos.
(For now I am skipping Steven Rapp, Pierre Reverdy, John Smith, Jurgen Steinau, C. Gray Taylor (who won the Buster Award), Dwight Towell, and Michael Walker, about whom I will post later)
JULIE WARENSKI-ERICKSON – Julie and Curt brought a total of seven knives, including an “Option Knife.” I thought this was one of the best collections of knives at the show. Three of the seven pieces were sole authorship pieces, and four were collaborative pieces between Julie and Curt. I believe that all of these pieces have had pictures posted here and at CKCA, and have been described in detail. So I will only comment on the Persian Style Hunter which was the last of my six favorite knives of the show – and which I was fortunate to purchase.
The blade is Rob Thomas' stainless Damascus with a ladder pattern. The handle is carved antique ivory. The stainless bolster has 24 K gold inlay, and has an engraved floral pattern that overflows onto the handle, which is pinned with four pins. Again, pictures have been posted here and at CKCA.
THE BUSTER AWARD
To me, it came down to three choices: Larry Fuegen, Steve Johnson, and Julie Warenski Erickson. Ultimately I voted for Larry Fuegen. However, I was not surprised that C. Gray Taylor won, as his folders were unbelievable – just not something I could personally appreciate.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS
In my opinion – which I realize counts for NOTHING when it comes to a premier show like this that has been successful for more than two decade – the Show Rules could use some clarification.
For example, the Rules state in caps that you may place only “ONE BID PER KNIFE.” But what does this really mean? If you have already made a pre-existing agreement with someone else that if his ticket is pulled, you will get the knife and you will pay for the knife, as a practical matter how is that any different than if you just crossed off the other person’s name on the ticket and wrote your own name on it. Indeed, I know some folks wrote their own names on the back of someone else’s ticket before dropping it? Is that consistent with both the letter and spirit of the rule that “you may place only “ONE BID PER KNIFE?” I guess there is no way to prevent this, but if it is considered kosher, then I would like to see the rules explicitly say so.
Also, the Rules do not explicitly state what is expected of a buyer who drops an “INTENT TO PURCHASE” ticket. Intent could sound like some sort of commitment, but in that case it seems better to call it a ‘COMMITMENT TO PURCHASE” ticket. Also, if an “INTENT TO PURCHASE” is supposed to be a commitment to purchase, then it is not clear to me why the Rules state:
“The selected buyer will be allowed thirty minutes to exercise their option to buy.”
So is the “INTENT TO PURCHASE” a firm commitment, or an executable option?
Also, if it is supposed to be a firm commitment, then I do not understand why the Rules state:
“If you find that you have been drawn for more knives that you wish to purchase, simply advise the maker so that he might move on to the next buyer.”
That certainly sounds like there is no firm commitment to buy every knife for which you are drawn if you have exceeded the amount you planned to spend.
Perhaps the Rules are intended to have some intentional ambiguity as a strategy. But if that is not a conscious decision, then I think some misunderstanding could be avoided by clarification.
FINALLY . . . San Diego in late October does NOT suck. The weather was spectacular! I took advantage of the trip to visit a friend who owns a local seafood restaurant on the water. We sat out back on Friday night drinking fine California wine, eating some of the best seafood I have ever eaten, and smoking primo stogies while following the seventh game of the World Series. I stayed at a hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter, and if you have never been there for Halloween weekend . . . well, there is no way I could describe it, other than to say I have never seen anything like it.
All in all . . . the entire trip was a load of fun and highly recommended by me.
The summary statement I want to make is that it was the largest and finest collection of superior knives I have ever seen in one place – particularly when one takes into consideration the Collector’s Buyer, Sell & Trade period after the sale period for the knifemakers’ pieces. There were many, many knives that I recognized there. It was an honor just to be there.
THE SETTING
When you walked in at 10 AM when the show started, you noticed that the room was laid out with the knifemakers’ tables lining three of the four walls, arranged alphabetically in a clockwise direction. I found this to be an excellent arrangement.
There was a buffet lunch served until at least 1 PM when the knife inspection / intent-to-purchase period ended. A nice spread . . . carved roast beef, carved turkey, salad, rolls, a tasty cheesy pasta dish, etc. There was an open bar and a seemingly endless parade of French pastries. There were several tables of various sizes with chairs for the collectors to sit, talk, eat, etc., but often it was difficult or impossible to find an available chair to sit down. The room was fairly crowded so it made navigation with food and drink challenging at times – especially when there was no place for you to sit and eat.
THE KNIVES
Look, these are all world class knifemakers. But some of their styles appeal more to me than others. STeven has already provided a lot of detailed description of most of the knives in his review. So I am only going to supplement that with anything I think he might have missed for those knifemakers whose work I did not spend a lot of time examining. I will have more to say about the knives and makers which really interested me the most.
RON APPLETON – He had three folders, which I generally do not collect and the prices were outside my range. The craftsmanship was simply amazing, but these are just not my cup of tea.
VAN BARNETT – He also had three folders, which again I generally do not collect, and most of the prices were again outside my range. I believe he had a fourth “option knife” but I cannot remember anything about it.
FRED CARTER – He had five knives, which included an “option knife.” I am a huge fan of his work and have tried to win a couple of his knives at auction before with no luck. My favorite piece of his was a be-a-utiful smallish engraved fighting knife with an ivory handle. The blade was ATS34, and it had stainless bolsters. Both the bolsters and a portion of the blade were engraved with a sort of scrolling floral pattern in silver and black. It was one of my six favorite knives at the show. I have seen a picture of this knife in a thread either her, or at the CKCA website.
HARVEY DEAN – He had four knives, including a push dagger (I do not like push daggers, period). My favorite of his knives by far was a well-executed Bowie inspired by a mid-18th century knife. This knife had gorgeous fossil walrus scales and a killer feather-pattern Damascus blade. But it was just a little bit more than I wanted to spend.
DELLANA – I did not see her there, and her knives are not generally to my taste. Honestly, I cannot tell you anything about her table. Sorry.
RICK EATON – He had six knives, including a miniature Bowie which would have been killer if it wasn’t miniature. I just have zero interest in miniature knives. Of the rest, I really liked two: a California style dagger, and his “Option Knife.”
KAJ EMBRETSEN – He had six knives with some truly amazing Damascus, but again I don’t generally collect folders.
VIRGIL ENGLAND – He had four knives and maybe a fifth “option knife” – I can’t remember. All of his knives were way, way outside my price range. His work was amazing, but also too ethereal for my plebeian taste. He had something called a “Butterfly Queen” and I could not tell what the hell to make of it. I could appreciate the fact that I am not capable of fully appreciating it, if that makes any sense to you.
H.H. FRANK – Three more folding knives, and again, outside my price range.
LARRY FUEGEN – He had four knives, including an “Option Knife” that I can’t recall other than that I liked it. I really admire his work. What I especially like is his versatility and the fact that he makes something for almost everyone – including some very expensive masterpiece knives, and some more affordable pieces. I want to specifically mention two pieces from this show.
First was a piece he called “Rivals” – a folder with two of his “Goblin” heads on a cocobolo display base with a piece of agate to support the knife. To get some idea of this knife, an example of his “Goblin” head folder can be found on page 204 of David Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” I really appreciate the artistry of this knife, even if it is not something I collect or probably ever will collect. It was also outside my price range.
Second was an Arizona Gentleman's Bowie. This was the knife chosen for the cover of the AKI Catalog. It had an 8.38” ladder Damascus blade with a long clip point. The 5 inch handle was made of agate scales and was wrapped in carved 14K gold, with a fluted guard and spacer between the handle and blade. A VERY similar knife, but with a carved walrus ivory handle, and the handle wrapped in carved sterling silver instead of gold, can be found on page 12 of David Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” This was another one of my six favorite knives of the show, but outside my price range.
TIM HANCOCK – Tim had four knives, including an “Option Knife” which I cannot recall He is one of my personal favorite knifemakers so I was excited to see what he brought. His first piece was a Wakizashi – a one hand Japanese sword with an 18 inch blade. I have zero interest in, or knowledge of, Japanese swords so I paid no attention to it at all. However, I paid a LOT of attention to his Fancy Hunter and his Cowboy Bowie which were both among my six favorite knives of the show and two excellent values, IMO. This type of hunter, and Cowboy Bowies, are also two of my three favorite styles of knife that I collect the most, so I was very happy to see these knives.
For the Fancy Hunter, the blade was 7 bar Turkish Twist Damascus that looked quite different from the Damascus on any of his other Fancy Hunters. It was simply gorgeous! The handle scales were carved African Blackwood. The sheath was one the inlaid sheathes he has made in the past, this time with sharkskin. I have seen a picture of this knife on a thread here, and a thread at CKCA, but that picture does not do this knife justice.
The Cowboy Bowie was just perfect. It had one of his typically beautiful ladder Damascus blade, and premium mammoth ivory scales and rope file work. The sheath was particularly beautiful. I sat at a table for a while with the gentleman who was drawn for this piece, and to say he was happy would be an understatement. I would have been happy, too, if I had purchased either this knife, or the Fancy Hunter.
STEVE HOEL – He had six or seven knives, including four or five of his “coke bottle” knives which don’t appeal to me. What DID appeal to me was his Large Sheffield. Stainless blade with a beautiful handle of engraved gold leaves (maple leaves?) on a black background, and with large pearl inlays on both sides. The engraved leaves were fit with 25 natural sapphires. The handle had what I (probably wrongly) call a Persian shape. The engraving was done by Barry Lee Hands. I liked this knife, but I felt that the handle just WAY outshone the rather plain and simple blade. I thought this knife really cried out for a mosaic Damascus blade, but what do I know? This knife was way outside my price range anyway.
STEVE JOHNSON – Steve brought six knives, every one of them a winner for me. He had a Loveless Style Big Bear and a Loveless Style Fighter, each with a mammoth ivory handle. He also had a Loveless Style Wilderness with stag handles that I noticed has already been flipped on a purveyor’s site for a cool 25% markup. He also offered a Loveless Style Baby Archer Chute as a “Bid Up” knife that went at what I thought was a very good price for the buyer. Steve also brought a Mediterranean-Style Dirk with an extended stainless bolster and a one-piece stag handle with a thing hole, and what appeared to be a kudu end-piece with a red liner? The catalog stated that this was a personal carry knife from France in the late 1990s.
But I saved the best for last: Christine's Fighter. This was my number one favorite knife of the show and was featured on the back cover of the catalog. It was a 6 inch Loveless style fighter with full integral construction. The handle included two perfect mother-of-pearl scales and some sort of black inlay pieces – tow on each side. The mother of pearl and the black inlay pieces are engraved by Barry Lee Hands with gold leaves, and the blade was engraved with gold leaves and gray leaves. There is a somewhat similar looking knife called “David’s Fighter” that appears on the Title Page of Darom’s excellent book, “The World of Art Knives.” Two major differences that elevated this knife IMO were the guard and the engraving on the blade itself. I drooled, but it was way outside my range.
(For now I am skipping Dietmar Kressler, Ron Lake, and Wolfgang Loerchner, about whom I will post later)
JIM MERRITT – He brought eight knives – the first four were marked “R.W. Loveless Maker” (old shop logo) and the last four were marked “R.W. Loveless Knives” (new shop logo). I loved all of them, but then I am a sucker for Loveless knives. The first four included a Jr. Bear, a Drop Point Hunter, and a Stiff Horn, all with gorgeous stag scales, and another Drop Point Hunter with no guard, an improved-style handle, and ivory micarta scales. The Jr. Bear and stag Drop Point Hunter had the nude logos; the Stiff Horn and micarta Drop Point Hunter had the (old) standard “R.W. Loveless Maker” logo. The last four included a fighter, a Dixon fighter, a boot knife, and a small boot knife – all with stag scales and nude logos.
(For now I am skipping Steven Rapp, Pierre Reverdy, John Smith, Jurgen Steinau, C. Gray Taylor (who won the Buster Award), Dwight Towell, and Michael Walker, about whom I will post later)
JULIE WARENSKI-ERICKSON – Julie and Curt brought a total of seven knives, including an “Option Knife.” I thought this was one of the best collections of knives at the show. Three of the seven pieces were sole authorship pieces, and four were collaborative pieces between Julie and Curt. I believe that all of these pieces have had pictures posted here and at CKCA, and have been described in detail. So I will only comment on the Persian Style Hunter which was the last of my six favorite knives of the show – and which I was fortunate to purchase.
The blade is Rob Thomas' stainless Damascus with a ladder pattern. The handle is carved antique ivory. The stainless bolster has 24 K gold inlay, and has an engraved floral pattern that overflows onto the handle, which is pinned with four pins. Again, pictures have been posted here and at CKCA.
THE BUSTER AWARD
To me, it came down to three choices: Larry Fuegen, Steve Johnson, and Julie Warenski Erickson. Ultimately I voted for Larry Fuegen. However, I was not surprised that C. Gray Taylor won, as his folders were unbelievable – just not something I could personally appreciate.
FINAL OBSERVATIONS
In my opinion – which I realize counts for NOTHING when it comes to a premier show like this that has been successful for more than two decade – the Show Rules could use some clarification.
For example, the Rules state in caps that you may place only “ONE BID PER KNIFE.” But what does this really mean? If you have already made a pre-existing agreement with someone else that if his ticket is pulled, you will get the knife and you will pay for the knife, as a practical matter how is that any different than if you just crossed off the other person’s name on the ticket and wrote your own name on it. Indeed, I know some folks wrote their own names on the back of someone else’s ticket before dropping it? Is that consistent with both the letter and spirit of the rule that “you may place only “ONE BID PER KNIFE?” I guess there is no way to prevent this, but if it is considered kosher, then I would like to see the rules explicitly say so.
Also, the Rules do not explicitly state what is expected of a buyer who drops an “INTENT TO PURCHASE” ticket. Intent could sound like some sort of commitment, but in that case it seems better to call it a ‘COMMITMENT TO PURCHASE” ticket. Also, if an “INTENT TO PURCHASE” is supposed to be a commitment to purchase, then it is not clear to me why the Rules state:
“The selected buyer will be allowed thirty minutes to exercise their option to buy.”
So is the “INTENT TO PURCHASE” a firm commitment, or an executable option?
Also, if it is supposed to be a firm commitment, then I do not understand why the Rules state:
“If you find that you have been drawn for more knives that you wish to purchase, simply advise the maker so that he might move on to the next buyer.”
That certainly sounds like there is no firm commitment to buy every knife for which you are drawn if you have exceeded the amount you planned to spend.
Perhaps the Rules are intended to have some intentional ambiguity as a strategy. But if that is not a conscious decision, then I think some misunderstanding could be avoided by clarification.
FINALLY . . . San Diego in late October does NOT suck. The weather was spectacular! I took advantage of the trip to visit a friend who owns a local seafood restaurant on the water. We sat out back on Friday night drinking fine California wine, eating some of the best seafood I have ever eaten, and smoking primo stogies while following the seventh game of the World Series. I stayed at a hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter, and if you have never been there for Halloween weekend . . . well, there is no way I could describe it, other than to say I have never seen anything like it.
All in all . . . the entire trip was a load of fun and highly recommended by me.
).
