Thank you for your interest in this knife. My father, Jay Bigler, a hobbyist knifemaker, was pretty much self-taught and didn't begin making knives until after he retired in 1993. He passed in 2016, but had suffered from a severe stroke in 2012 at the age of 82. He was not able to work on knives from that time on. Before that he was prolific in the knives he produced. No two were ever completely alike.

He did not catalog his knives as to when they were made or the materials that he used. However, I have been able to discern a range of years from how he put his name on the knives. The “J BIGLER” semicircle dates it sometime from 2004 to early 2012. The creation of this knife can be further narrowed down to either mid-2004 to no later than June 2005 from a picture it was in that was developed in June 2005 .

Although I am no expert on knives – and as wonderful and creative as Dad’s work is – I do try to point out any flaws with a knife that I can discern so that the buyer will be aware of what he or she is buying and not be “surprised” by the condition of the knife when it is received.

Dad must have liked the gun-stock handles. He made several. The first was the most detailed. Subsequent ones were less so until he got to this one which is more “free-form” than any of the others. A really nice-looking knife and different from the other gun-stocks, all made from one piece of wood, this knife’s handle is made from two pieces. Unfortunately, the knife has what I believe could be a fatal flaw. I think that there is a stress fracture in the steel, making it more of a decorative item (for safety concerns) and not a usable knife. It’s the first I have seen of anything like that on his knives. The possible cracks in the metal are on both the upper and lower sides of the knife where the handle and blade meet. The knife is 8 1/8” long with a 3 5/8” blade. The handle is 4.5”.

Selling “as is”.

As a side note: I am so grateful to all the buyers who have purchased Bigler knives. It makes me glad to know how widely appreciated my father’s work is. Dad's knives have gone to collectors in over 25 states, from coast to coast and border to border.

Item # 76160