Philippine Bowie info requested

RobT · 23rd November 2007, 11:48 PM

Hi All,
I picked up this Philippine Bowie at a small flea market and would like to know more about it. The blade is 12" long and a tad over 1.5" wide. The spine at the ferrule is 3/8" thick and tapers distally to the point. The tang goes completely through the hilt and is very neatly peaned over the butt cap. The initials "MG" in script face graven into the blade next to the hilt. The seven sided hilt is 5.875" long, 1.24" thick, and 1.5" deep. The ferrule and the butt cap (sorry for the soft focus on this detail) are brass. Alas there is no sheath. All in all it's a hefty and well made piece. I really like it and I'm sure Paul Hogan would agree, "that's a knife". Does anyone know the area of the Philippines this blade comes from and how old it might be?
Sincerely,
RobT

kronckew · 24th November 2007, 09:03 AM

reminds me of my slightly larger Bolo Tusok, (16in. blade)

Robert · 25th November 2007, 05:40 PM

RobT,
Has the blade been damaged on the sharpened edge side right above the hilt? Not really sure of the age but I would guess it to be the second quarter of the 20th century and possible from Luzon. Maybe Jose will chime in with a more definite time-line and place of origin. All in all very nice knife.

Robert

RobT · 25th November 2007, 08:39 PM

Hi, kronckew & Robert,
Thanks for the kindness of your responses. I don't think my knife can be considered a bolo because it doesn't have the requisite weight forward characteristics, rather it balances back into the hilt for a quick point. To me it looks more like a Bowie blade with a Turkish clip. The horn hilt on my knife indicates a bit more age than the hilt you show kronckew and the shape is really different. Your piece appears to have been designed as a well crafted blade that would appeal to native and international buyers alike. I don't believe seven sided hilts, although not unusual in Indonesia, are too common in the Philippines and for that reason I suspect my knife was crafted for a particular native niche market. I'm inclined to agree with Robert's 2nd quarter of the 20th century age assessment (although the good condition might indicate a 3rd quarter 20th century date). I also agree with Robert that there may have been some damage to the edge next to the hilt. Not only do many Philippine clip point blades flair out at the hilt, the blade overhang on my piece seems a bit skimpy to prevent the hand from sliding up the blade during a thrust. My blade also appears to have some rather sloppy file work in that area as if someone made a hasty repair. To conclude, I believe this knife is unique to a single area in the Philippines and hope that the Philippine blade fans in this forum will be good enough to weigh in with their expertise.
Sincerely,
RobT

Battara · 25th November 2007, 09:11 PM

Ok, I'll say later in agreement and definitely Luzon. I like the work on the butt end. I wonder if it could be a later Pampangan piece -

Robert · 25th November 2007, 09:21 PM

I would definitely like to see a better picture of the butt cap. Very nice work from what can be seen.

Robert

23rd November 2007, 11:48 PM	#1
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 452	Philippine Bowie info requested Hi All, I picked up this Philippine Bowie at a small flea market and would like to know more about it. The blade is 12" long and a tad over 1.5" wide. The spine at the ferrule is 3/8" thick and tapers distally to the point. The tang goes completely through the hilt and is very neatly peaned over the butt cap. The initials "MG" in script face graven into the blade next to the hilt. The seven sided hilt is 5.875" long, 1.24" thick, and 1.5" deep. The ferrule and the butt cap (sorry for the soft focus on this detail) are brass. Alas there is no sheath. All in all it's a hefty and well made piece. I really like it and I'm sure Paul Hogan would agree, "that's a knife". Does anyone know the area of the Philippines this blade comes from and how old it might be? Sincerely, RobT Attached Images

25th November 2007, 08:39 PM	#4
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 452	Thanks for the response Hi, kronckew & Robert, Thanks for the kindness of your responses. I don't think my knife can be considered a bolo because it doesn't have the requisite weight forward characteristics, rather it balances back into the hilt for a quick point. To me it looks more like a Bowie blade with a Turkish clip. The horn hilt on my knife indicates a bit more age than the hilt you show kronckew and the shape is really different. Your piece appears to have been designed as a well crafted blade that would appeal to native and international buyers alike. I don't believe seven sided hilts, although not unusual in Indonesia, are too common in the Philippines and for that reason I suspect my knife was crafted for a particular native niche market. I'm inclined to agree with Robert's 2nd quarter of the 20th century age assessment (although the good condition might indicate a 3rd quarter 20th century date). I also agree with Robert that there may have been some damage to the edge next to the hilt. Not only do many Philippine clip point blades flair out at the hilt, the blade overhang on my piece seems a bit skimpy to prevent the hand from sliding up the blade during a thrust. My blade also appears to have some rather sloppy file work in that area as if someone made a hasty repair. To conclude, I believe this knife is unique to a single area in the Philippines and hope that the Philippine blade fans in this forum will be good enough to weigh in with their expertise. Sincerely, RobT

24th November 2007, 09:03 AM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	reminds me of my slightly larger Bolo Tusok, (16in. blade)

25th November 2007, 05:40 PM	#3
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	RobT, Has the blade been damaged on the sharpened edge side right above the hilt? Not really sure of the age but I would guess it to be the second quarter of the 20th century and possible from Luzon. Maybe Jose will chime in with a more definite time-line and place of origin. All in all very nice knife. Robert

25th November 2007, 09:11 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,139	Ok, I'll say later in agreement and definitely Luzon. I like the work on the butt end. I wonder if it could be a later Pampangan piece -

25th November 2007, 09:21 PM	#6
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	I would definitely like to see a better picture of the butt cap. Very nice work from what can be seen. Robert