4434

EXTRAORDINARY LIKE NEW BILL SCAGEL HANDMADE

Currency:USD Category:Firearms & Military Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:7,500.00 - 12,500.00 USD
EXTRAORDINARY LIKE NEW BILL SCAGEL HANDMADE
HUNTING KNIFE AND ORIGINAL SHEATH ONE OF ONLY TWO KNOWN KNIVES LIKE THIS MADE BY SCAGEL, THE OTHER HAVING BEEN OWNED BY DR. JAMES LUCIE AND SOLD IN HIS AUCTION. This is an extraordinary and like new Scagel hunting knife and a truly wonderful find. The following description was provided to the current owner in 2005 by Dr. Jim Lucie, a renowned expert on Bill Scagel. "Hunting knife and sheath made by William W. Scagel, Fruitport, Michigan. 5" Jessop steel blade, marked "W. Scagel Handmade" and "USA". Brass guard and butt cap with the handle made of horse hide leather washers alternating with red and black fiber and thin brass washers. The sheath is original to the knife with white leather lacing and with a metal insert at the tip to prevent the point of the knife cutting through the leather." Bill Scagel, like all the items he made, was a unique individual. He could literally make anything his heart desired and was extraordinarily self-sufficient. His knives were specifically made as utilitarian objects but every single creation he made had a wonderful artistic flair about it also. So much so that even during the time when Scagel was making and selling knives as utilitarian objects in the early 20th century, many people bought them not to use but to simply collect because of their great beauty. Scagel was the Moses of high art knives and Randall and all the other extraordinary knife makers that came later were influenced by Scagel’s work. Dr. Jim Lucie befriended Bill Scagel when he first moved to Fruitport, Michigan to begin his practice. He took the elderly Scagel on as a patient and over the years, he learned to admire Scagel tremendously. With Scagel’s tutelage, he learned how to replicate various knives Scagel had originally made. Dr. Lucie’s productions themselves over the years became very valuable. In 2012, James D. Julia Auctioneers sold the majority of Dr. Lucie’s extraordinary collection. At the time, it was and still is the finest and largest offering of quality Scagel items to ever come to auction. During that time, many world records were established for Scagel’s work. Most of the knives in that sale realized around $18,000 up to $45,000 each. Also included in the appraisal were special notes by Dr. Lucie regarding the knife which reads as follows: "Authenticated and appraised by Dr. Jim Lucie who stated that this was the second such knife he had seen, he thought it dated from about 1935 and that the sheath was original to the knife, and the knife is in near new condition having never been used or sharpened. The knife is similar to knives offered by Von Lengerke and Antoine on page 82 of their 1936 catalog described as drawn from 1" block of Jessop silver steel and priced at $15 however it does not carry the VL&A stamp that Scagel put on knives he sold to them". UNATTACHED ACCESSORIES: This lot will include a hardbound auction catalog of the Dr. Jim Lucie Knife Collection together with the price realized from that auction. SIZE: 10" overall, 5" blade. CONDITION: Outstanding having never been sharpened or used and replete with its original handmade Scagel leather sheath. PROVENANCE: Larry W. Williams Lifetime Collection. (02-23253/JDJ). $7,500-12,500.