All About Pocket Knives

Hello all !
I’ve had this Bowie with sheath for nearly 10 years now and have tried to find one similar all across the net, especially with the blonde horn scales with twinges of blue. Nothing. There is absolutely no wear on this knife or sheath, I haven’t sharpened it, looks like a drop point with false edge on top. I’d appreciate any expertise anyone could offer regarding educated guesses as to origin. I thought maybe Pakistani knifemakers but couldnt locate any examples near this gorgeous on line. This knife locks up tight and is a liner-lock. No switch release.
Thanks in advance for any replies/responses.
-Greg

No expert but just looking it looks custom. But very well done. Those bones are gorgeous. I like that style of knife but probably will never afford one. Knice sheath as well. Congratulations on such a looker.

It definitely has that Pakistani look to it. Scales are dyed bone, not horn. Bowie knife collectors do not call these folding bowies, a folding bowie is a large folding knife where the entire blade folds inside the handle as does a regular pocket knife. This type of knife is called and "expanding blade" knife or "D'Estaing knife" after the supposed inventor of the style back in the late 1700s-early 1800s.

I am not an expert and just learned from Gunsil that some people call them "expanding knife" and "D'Estaing knife." I can only add descriptions of the three 7 1/4 to 7 1/2 inch bladed versions that I own. Like yours my three all have clip point blades. Yours is the first one I've seen that has a liner lock. I never thought of mine as Bowies or fighting knives. As a tourist in 1972 I bought my first two in French sporting goods stores that were marketing them to hunters. The store displays made it clear they were intended to be primarily used like ~ 4" bladed fixed blade knives and only expanded when a longer bade was useful. For that reason their blades lock closed and while closed their edges are parallel to the back spring. Both were made in Germany with stag handles. The less expensive one at $25 U.S. has an unlocking lever that folds forward flat against the bolster when not being used. Rotated back it cams a pin up out of the blade. It has swing guards like yours. The other was $40 U.S. Its bolsters are shaped to form small double hand guards. Its lock rotates on a pin between the guards. Locked it lays flat against the back spring blocking the spring from rising. While I once used the later one for deer hunting over time they became unused collector knives.

My third one is just a wood handled Pakistani copy of the one that cost $25 U.S. in France. I bought it for $4 used. It's only worth mentioning to demonstrate that copies of "expanding knives" were made in Pakistan.

Thank you ALL for great comments and insights. Dyed bone..... I like that and stands to reason. Thx for that. I bought it for my teenage son as he loved it the minute he saw it. He passed away at age 20 before he could use it ... complications from double-lung transplant ... Cystic Fibrosis just wouldn’t let him go. Just before he passed, he had accumulated quite a knife collection and wanted me to sell his knives at very reduced prices to give someone else a chance to enjoy his knives without really worrying about the costs. I’ll be doing that very thing soon.
Thx again for your comments !
-TnqCmdr

So sorry for your loss, sounds like he was a good son.

Just a quick comment on your knife handle, looks like either dyed camel or giraffe bone, if it is giraffe it will be heavy and very dense, good stuff! So sorry for the loss of your son at such an early age. Terry

TnqCmdr,
I am so sorry for your loss. Cystic fibrosis is a tough one. And for the record, I have always called that pattern the folding bowie.

Ray

Thanks so much for comments about my son who passed. He was unique to say the very least. We lost him 12-09-2007. Still seems like yesterday, but he’d want his memory sprinkled with a generous amount of humor and absolutely no pity.
Thx again !
-TnqCmdr

hi there i have 2 foldingbowies 1 is from pakistan it is the lever action and another from a old english knifemaker called w.h.wragg button action made in late 1800;s or early 1900;s but i have never seen one one like yours who ever made it is a very clever knifemaker i don't think it from pakistan i would like to know where it from ill try to find out for you and me