Thank you very much, Doug!

I bought 4 or 5 knives from Rick and he was always a pleasure to deal with. When I bought my Bowles Special from him, it came without a thong hole which I had ordered. He insisted that I send it back to him so that he could get it right. He didn’t for one second try to convince me to like it as it was.

I once talked to Rick on the phone for 6 hours. We talked about everything from the evolution of his dealer special to Striper fishing out on Chesapeake Bay. We talked about his family of which he was indeed very proud of. We talked about his art which turned out to be extremely interesting.

As a non artistically person, I was curious about how he learned how to do the spectacular scrimshaw of which he is so famous. In a very humble manner, he explained that it was truly a “gift” from God, and that was it. He also talked about how in each scrim, there was something “hidden”, and sometimes more than one thing. He told me that in a couple of his scrims, there were things, that to his knowledge, nobody had ever discovered.

I severely regret that I didn’t talk to him more often. He knew so much about things that I did not. I always spent many days afterward reflecting on the conversation. He was truly a gift for me to get to know and I will cherish our talks forever.

Coach

I never did any trading with Rick, I messaged with him once or twice, never met him. Regardless, the Randall community is lesser now for his passing. His artistry is undeniable. It's a shame, my heart goes out to Kim, Quincy, and Garrick.

Well said Silverknife…..I’m sure Rick would have been very appreciative of your comments.

May Rick Rest In Peace and know that he will live on through his wonderful art.

Tony

Rick stood by me when many wouldn't. He was a man of principles.

I wanted to report what seems to be the underlying current by the plebs on the fb pages relative to this unfortunate situation. It seems most are only concerned with a mystical price increase so they can whore out their shit.

Whatever you thought of Rick, and he ruffled a few feathers now and again, he was from my experience honest. He had a huge influence in the Randall collecting community, was a helluvan artist, and had a good knowledge of many things RMK.

It is in extremely poor taste that folks discount his contribution to the hobby and seem only concerned about making a few extra dollars off his name.

For the record, I have been informed the shop has not spoken to Kim since Rick's passing, so whether or not there will be any more Rick Bowles Skinners is unknown at this time. She has the option to keep the dealership, and what she chooses to do remains to be seen.

interesting for sure!! I don't have one of his grinds, they do not appeal to me....It comes as no surprise to me the depths of humanity some folks will seek....

:-)Rocky

It’s not just FB Joe:
Remember, the same thing happened when Rhett passed away.
“For sale, from the Stidham Collection”

Yes, you are correct, but I am not certain we had fb then, and if so, no "groups" like there is now.

You would need to go to the psych ward if you paid anything close to that for the sheath you posted

https://vacremationsociety.com/obituary/ricky-l-bowles/

for those who knew him

Peter