All About Pocket Knives

Has anyone ever seen a red bone jim bowie? I bought a copperhead with a Alabama Copperhead etch, Alabama-shaped shield and red bone scales. It looks like a 70s or 80s era knife with visible bolster pins. Also there's no model # on the pile side of the main blade. I'm not at home this weekend so I can't post a pic. Any thoughts? THANKS! Keith

5/30/11 - Added a few of the seller's pics.

i have been looking for 1 of these knives for along time.

Keith,
It is rumored that Schlieper got the red bone from Boker. It is further rumored that they sold so well that Schlieper went back to Boker for more red bone and Boker refused to sell them any more.
On Eye Brands, they started stamping pattern numbers in 1979 and can only assume Jim Bowie started stamping pattern numbers at the same time.
That would lead me to say your knife was made prior to that.

Ray

Thanks Ray,

I've also noticed that the newer Jim Bowie's have "Solingen" under "Jim Bowie" on the tang stamps, where the older ones have only "Germany".

i only remember that red bone was also used on a slim trapper in one & two blade patterns. these were really popular as the perfect levis knife but the boker shut down on red bone sales to eye was something i also heard from a very good source. all models i ever saw in this bone were carbon steel.--HiPower it was reported that the jim bowie name was started by the cruses

[quote="HiPower" i only remember that red bone was also used on a slim trapper in one & two blade patterns. these were really popular as the perfect levis knife but the boker shut down on red bone sales to eye was something i also heard from a very good source. all models i ever saw in this bone were carbon steel.--HiPower it was reported that the jim bowie name was started by the cruses[/quote]

Also used it on the 3 blade trapper too.

thanks for jogging my memory--there were 3 blade trappers produced in that red bone. we never bought those models since they seemed "fat". HiPower