An Exceptionally Rare English & Hubers Bowie Knife with Sheath

Rare pre-Civil War, Philadelphia Bowie Knife with sheath. These English & Hubers/SHEFFIELD WORKS fighting knives were manufactured circa late 1830s to early 1840s when Henry Huber Jr. collaborated with James English, a Blacksmith in Philadelphia. These knives are extremely well made having the same blade and construction configuration as the known Huber bowie knives (thick blade with a curve on one side and false edge sharpened; number and grooves at the ricasso; coffin shaped hardwood hilt with its unique curved and studded brass grip; grooved pommel and turned quillon guard with cut designs). Huber knives are believed to be the first American Bowie knife with a true clip-point with a sharpened false edge. According to several authorities on Huber and Sheffield Works bowie knives to date there are approximately 14 to less than 20 Huber Bowie Knives extant.

 This knife has a 8 inch clip point blade marked ” 3 ” on the obverse of the ricasso and is blank on the reverse possibly indicating an early version of Huber’s more commonly seen bowie knife. The knife features Huber’s signature coffin shaped dark rosewood grip studded with eight brass nails on either side and inlaid on both sides with rectangular brass name plates. The pommel and lower grip are brass as well; the guard is brass with typical Huber style decorative round tips. The knife has a hand-tooled leather sheath with German silver throat (and tip is now missing) engraved with initials of the former owner… This bowie knife has descended through a Southern family and has an oral history dating back to the Civil War…It was used in the late 1800s by a rider with several Wild West Shows and handed down through the family.

This knife is very similar to the few surviving examples of Sheffield Works and Huber Bowie Knives pictured in “CLASSIC BOWIE KNIVES” by Robert Abels and Norm Fladerman’s book “The Bowie Knife: Unsheathing an American Legend” and “The Antique Bowie knife Book” by Bill Adams .

You may see this knife by appointment only in my store at Warpath Military Collectibles 819 Hope Mills Road Fayetteville, NC…Call (910) 425-7000

Links to additional information on these bowie knives:

http://warpathinc.winkflash.com More images

http://knifetalkonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=601.0 Knife forum discussion

http://knifetalkonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=482.0 Link to article by

Dr Tom Stapleton to the American Society of Arms Collectors, Oct 7 to 11 1992