top of page

       The Fake (Antique) Crooked Knife

Yes, there are plenty of fake crooked knives out there.

    The woodsman, survivalist, bush-crafter or contemporary knife maker need not worry too much about fakes, they just need to avoid poorly-made knives  !

 

   It is within the collecting world that we commonly we find fakes. Unfortunately as the price of good-to-great crooked knives has gone up, so too has the amount of fakes on the market. 

​

   Recently, we appraised a beautiful embellished crooked knife (that is currently being marketed by some otherwise very reliable art dealers) that scared us enough that we decided we must write about " fakes." At first glance, this knife was compiling and believable, but after careful we came to realize that it was a fake, the work of a master forger. Ultimately, it was only through luminescence and microscopic testing that we came to understand it was a fake. A master artisan of the very highest level made this new  "old" knife, which I believe was made to deceive. Despite our evaluation and determination the knife is a fake, it is still on the market and may yet be sold to some unsuspecting collector.

​

    One of the wonderful basic truths of the crooked knife is that it is comprised of just three parts, the handle, blade and binding. The crooked knife is truly a matter of the sum being the whole of its parts. Unfortunately, the inherent nature of these three components makes it relatively easy to create fakes. The majority of fakes are made by assembling old parts together. It can be just one, two or three old parts assembled together to create the appearance of a single old knife. Because all three parts - each a unique material - can be altered it becomes an aesthetic problem ; the crooked knife's equivalent of the "three-body problem." The only way to discern originality is to examine each part with a deep understanding of each material and its traditional application.

 

By following our  suggestions below you will save a lot of time, money and aggravation while still enjoying  crooked knife collecting.

CAVEAT EMPTOR 

    Fake Crooked Knives fall into Common Cautionary Categories: ​

​

  • Master Fakes:  Like the example described above, there are some fine artists out there actively making "antique-looking" crooked knives  Whether the knives are made to  knowingly deceive, I cannot say. None-the-less these master forgeries have entered the market and are being sold as original.

​

​

  • Assembled Old Parts: These fakes are created by assembling antique crooked knife parts into a single "old knife ." Assembled "old " knives are particularly hard to authenticate. I would have a difficult time imagining that these knives are being made for any other reason then to deceive.

​

​

  • Weird Big Clunky Crooked Knives:  Some knives being sold as antique are just bizarre.These unusual clunky, big knives, with cartoonish motifs ( a dog sitting in a dog house, a locket of hair in a glass box, a coffin with a glass lid ) defy typical iconography. The ergonomics of these pieces are wrong and are  often too large to hold comfortably in the hand. The colors are loud and bright, and the finish often shellacked and scaly. A fake patina might be added, but all too often in the wrong places. Because their size and weight - they defy crooked knife  Standards - they are generally easier to identify as fakes.

​​

​

  •   Crooked Knives made of  Tropical woods  Over the years crooked knives made of  Tropical woods, that is wood non-native to the Eastern Woodlands of North America, keep showing up. Typically, the story accompanying them goes something like this: " It was made by a Native American who recycled a piece of furniture" or "they worked on a boat in the Caribbean" or "the knife was commissioned by a wealthy European."  Not too long ago I saw one of these knives- a female effigy carved atop a Mahogany haft- and unsurprisingly it came with the same recycled furniture story !!

        My advice on any crooked knife made of tropical wood is simple...don't buy it.

​

HOW TO AVOID BUYING A FAKE CROOKED KNIFE

1.)  The  very best thing a collector can do is  buy  from reputable source. A quick overview of  major online marketplaces unveils a remarkable array of  fakes. The knife you purchase should always come with a Certificate of Authenticity as well as a money back guarantee if the piece is not exactly as described.

​

2.)  Crooked knives fall within certain parameters of weight and size. Check our "Average Crooked Knife" page and our  Standards page to see if the knife you are considering falls within those parameters. If a knife falls out of these parameters that is a red flag.

​

3.)  The patina and the visible patterns of overall use is a very important. Depending on how the knife is made, areas such as the thumb grip, the butt end of the haft, and the wrapping should all exhibit significant evidence of use.

​

4.)  Do not buy a knife if you have a gut feeling that something is off.  We hear these words of regret too often..." it just didn't feel right."  Listen to your gut, and then take 24 hours to decide.

​

5.)  If it's too good to be true, it probably is. There are some amazing yarns about old pieces, but likely most of it is untrue.

​

6.)  Try to  buy knives that have been published, curated or exhibited. The more experts  have examined a particular  knife, the better.

​

7.)  Seek a second opinion. A good dealer/gallery should be willing for you to get a second opinion.

​

8.)  Be patient- there are many great antique crooked knives in the world. Remember what the eminent anthropologist Francis J. Speck, who lived amongst the Penobscot at the turn of the century,  said ........"  two to a half a dozen ( crooked knives) are owned by every Penobscot man."   That's a lot of  knives.

​

9.)  When purchasing at auction ask for a Condition Report, speak to the department head, and inspect the knife in person. Relying on online images and description can be unreliable.

​

     Following these steps will greatly decrease your chances of purchasing a fake crooked knife. The more knives you handle the better, so do your homework, visit Museum collections and ask for help.

​

Happy Hunting !

​

Ned Jalbert

​

​

bottom of page