Newbie asking about Bulldog knives.....

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:04 pm

Hello all, I am a novice Bulldog knife collector and was hoping to get some answers...
I bought this set on ebay and they are ALL numbered "R001" does anyone know what this # is referring to? (None of my other Bulldogs are numbered this way.)

Also the one 3 blade Sowbelly has a "Club" as the shield, I don't see it in my book (it shows only the Cuttin Horse Sowbelly having a "Club" shield).

Can anyone give a thought as to what the value might be on this collection? Or any other information would be appreciated!!! I can post better pictures if need be.

Thanks.

useem · Post by **useem** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:20 pm

Welcome

You came to the right place. Unfortunatley i dont know anything about that brand, but there are some really knowledgable people around here and i am sure someone will jump right in and help you out. That knifre set looks GREAT

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 4:44 pm

That's a very nice set of Peacock knives. I have just a couple, but olderdogs1 collects them and is very knowledgeable about these knives. When he swings by he may have an answer for you or another question for more info. I do know that some have serial numbers.

olderdogs1 · Post by **olderdogs1** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:37 pm

Before I answer this question I will give a little history lesson. In referring to the Bulldog Peacocks there are several generations to consider. They are as different as can be when you break them down. The 1st generation peacocks with the purple swirl handles and 1983 dated blades are the most collectable and really took off when they were introduced. The 2nd generation also had 1983 dated blades but had 'End of Day" handles. These were mostly moose pattern knives. The peacock has a different etch on the 2nd generation than on the 1st.
Now coming to the 3rd generation which you have pictured. These knives were produced in 1993 with the abalone celluloid handles. Jim Parker, or his wife Billie, had these produced. There were supposedly only 100 of each pattern produced. They were serial #d BD 1 through 100, the BD standing for Bulldog. The fact that yours says R001 is interesting and I can't answer why. A close up shot of the etch might help. That being said there were actually more than 100 produced. I have seen peacocks #d BD000 and have seen several with no # at all.

Also the book calls for only one being made of the red peacock but I have had at least three.
Now addressing the 3 blade sowbelly with the club shield. This is actually a "cuttin horse" frame. THe price guides are in error when they list the 3rd generation peacocks as having a spade shield. They actually have a club shield, I don't know why it was never corrected. There are at least 100 of the cuttin horse peacocks with the club shield out there.
They are all nice knives and I hope this clears it up a little. I think the bottom line is that the price guides are not always right and you will learn a lot from the experience. This site is a great place to learn.

I know it has taught me a lot.
Tom

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:20 pm

Thanks so much for the information!!! Here is a picture of what the matching numbers look like on the bolsters. Any more info would be appreciated!

Thanks

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:31 pm

Can you give us a picture of each blade etch and the knife it's on? I'm sure olderdogs1 can give you more information by looking at each etch.

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:37 pm

Hukk wrote:Can you give us a picture of each blade etch and the knife it's on?

Each knife has the same number etched on the bolster as pictured above.

olderdogs1 · Post by **olderdogs1** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:40 pm

There were actually 17 different patterns produced in the 1993 abalone peacock series, 18 if you count the 8 and one 1/2 inch display knife.
I won't speculate how the bolsters got engraved. The serial #s on the regular peacock series is actually on the back of the main blades.
You have a nice set of knives there. I don't believe you will find any information on the R001 bolster engraving in any of the knife books or price guides. Nor have I observed it in any of my travels.
Tom

Ringmaster · Post by **Ringmaster** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:42 pm

Welcome Dutch !

I'm a new kid on the block, myself. And I can assure you, you're gonna enjoy the folks (and the knowledge) in this forum.

I can't add anything to the history of your Dogs, but I gotta say, for a self-described novice - you sure got good taste in pocketknives !

Tip: Don't leave 'em stored with the blades half-open - over the years, the springs will get weak.

Take Care,
JR

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:09 pm

Dutch900 wrote:
Hukk wrote:Can you give us a picture of each blade etch and the knife it's on?
Each knife has the same number etched on the bolster as pictured above.

I was thinking of the peacocks, not all will be the same number of colors or the same colors.

I have seen 5 color, 7 color, red etc. as not all peacocks are the same.

That is a very nice set, and Tom is much more widely traveled for these knives.

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:52 pm

Hukk wrote:I was thinking of the peacocks, not all will be the same number of colors or the same colors.

I have seen 5 color, 7 color, red etc. as not all peacocks are the same.

That is a very nice set, and Tom is much more widely traveled for these knives.

Sorry for my ignorance.

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:54 pm

The last/eleventh knife (it wouldn't fit with the others in my last post).

olderdogs1 · Post by **olderdogs1** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:23 am

Dutch,
All of these knives feature what we call the 3rd generation peacock. The 1st generation etch is slightly different. I will post a picture tomorrow if anyone is interested to show the difference.

As I mentioned before, that red peacock on the acorn sowbelly is not that rare. I have seen several and some even have the serial # on the blade. I sold one on ebay and mentioned that it was not '1 of 1' and somebody still paid me big bucks to take it down. Don't fall into that trap. One other note you might make. The abalone celluloid is not bad to gas but most do have shrinkage problems. You can see that in some of your pictures. A pretty stable handle material otherwise.
All in all a nice group of knives. The bolster number etch does look like a bulldog etch so I would guess it is factory.
Tom

Dutch900 · Post by **Dutch900** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 12:33 am

olderdogs1 wrote: The abalone celluloid is not bad to gas but most do have shrinkage problems.

What do you mean by "not bad to gas"?

And I did notice the shrinkage, and so did my wife

, is there something that one can do to prevent this? Which celluloids shrinks the most?

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks though!!!

olderdogs1 · Post by **olderdogs1** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 1:01 am

Dutch,
I can only comment with regard to bulldog celluloids. By gassing we mean the handle material can give off a gas that can discolor and destroy the blades and bolsters. The worst bulldog handle that you still see is "Red Sparkle". Two old bulldog handles that you almost never see because of the gassing is "Tortoise" and "Tobacco Brown".

Most of these knives have been destroyed by the handle material in the 1st generations. "End of Day" , "Duck Feather", and "Oyster Shell" will shrink pretty bad. That is about it with the bulldogs.
How to avoid it. Others are more qualified to address that than I. Keeping them in the open away from sun is the best thing I have found. There is a celluloid thread on this site that can provide a lot of guidance with regard to celluloids in general.
Tom

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