Antique, C. 1850's, California Gold Rush Bowie Knife.

Description: Very nice Antique Bowie knife made by Corson Denton & Burdikin with very interesting early California Gold Rush era history . This company made knives from before 1852 until 1863. Prior to 1846 California was "The Republic of Mexico". Judging by the stamp on the blade "REPUBLICA MEXICANA" and "CALAFORNIA KNIFE", my guess it was made between 1852 and 1856 during the formative years of CA. state gov. when the US had not yet established a firm grip over the state. Presumably the knife was shipped from England to a merchant in San Francisco and obviously targeted for sale to the "Californios", the Mexican population in California. Select, high grade, pearl grips with a piece missing on one side. Nickel silver guard, and a "coffin" shaped pomell with Lily bud and acanthus leaf design. The heavy blade is full tang which measures 1/4" thick at the thickest point between the pearl scales. The blue sheath is a period replacement. It fits well, but had to be refashioned to accommodate the unusual shape of the blade. It's wrapped with squidding line at the tip to cover the ugly part of the work I did on it to make it fit. There are two other examples of this rare knife in the book "California's Best". The price guide in the book has $10,000 plus on the one pictured. Not sure how accurate the price is but it's an outstanding knife with a great leather sheath. The Whitherell's must've had a special liking for Bowie Knives because a large section (almost 50 pages) is dedicated to showing some of the finest California bowie knives in existence. Condition is very good. It's been carried and used. Blade shows normal aging and wear from use. No recent sharpening. Knife is 10-7/8" with a 6-3/4" blade. I always ship USPS priority. Buyer pays return shipping.

Price: 1800 USD

Location: San Clemente, California

End Time: 2024-09-20T15:48:22.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD