My Rick Bowles Dealer Special first hit the streets in 1991. The first ten had different examples of exotic wood, ivory inlay and scrimshaw. The Greg Gutcher custom basket weave sheath has a stone pocket made to accommodate the mini leatherman tool. These ten were numbered RBS #001 thru RBS #010 and were etched “Ten Years Of Scrim ’81-’91"
There is also an RBS #000 and RBS #XXX prototype as well as an ivory RBS with just “Rick Bowles” etched where the number would be. Serial numbers RBS #101 thru RBS #110 do not exist. I reserved this block of numbers for an edition that never materialized. To avoid any confusion in the years to come, the last RBS will be etched “RBS THE LAST ONE”...clever huh. If I have the math right the total number of Rick Bowles Specials is 331.
The RBscrim was a series of 50 knives with Australian Ringed Gidgee wood, a special handle shape and a scrimshawed ivory inlay in the rear of the handle. Greg Gutched furnished a custom Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake sheath for this limited edition. These knives are numbered in their own range RBscrim #001 to RBscrim #050. Lastly the Bowles Hunter. Though these knives are newly crafted from Randall, the blades were forged in 1991. These are actually a subspecies of my popular guarded design, dealer special and are different in grind and profile from the current RBS. The thinner profile is distinctive and unique to these carbon blades. All of the Hunters featured stag, a nickel silver hilt and a compass in the butt with the exception of Bowles Hunter #001 which featured ivory and full coverage scrimshaw. The total production of the Bowles Hunter is 82 knives with the last one being etched “Bowles Hunter THE LAST ONE.”
I do know of at least one counterfeit RBS of but I don’t count that one. I’ll post images of all varieties tomorrow after I get’em all together.
This brings the total production...in every flavor to 463.