Custom Collectible Knives

Knives here are forged by hand. Blades include spring-steel frontier knives, bushcraft, skinning and hunting knives, Damascus and cable Damascus, knives and hatchets forged from railroad spikes, blacksmith's knives, ulu knives and katanas, and commemorative knives mark milestones and awards. Handles come in antler, bone, rosewood, bocote, palm wood and burl, and listings describe high-carbon steels and Damascus forged from layered steels.

What sets the price

A listing's price is usually a starting point. Half of the listings here are priced between about $150 and $580, with a median near $310, and one in ten is priced above $950. The steel, Damascus patterning, blade length, handle material, and engraving or a fitted sheath set the price of a commission.

Before you start

• What the knife is for: hunting, camp work, display or a gift.
• The blade shape and length, and the steel you want, or ask the maker to recommend one.
• The handle material, and how the knife should feel in your hand.
• Any wording, dates or symbols for a commemorative knife.
• Knife laws vary by state and city, so check the rules where you live.

For a fitted sheath, see Knife Sheaths; for kitchen blades, see Kitchen & Chef's Knives.

Describe the knife with the materials, size, budget and date you have in mind, and makers who do this work send proposals. You pay a 50% deposit on the one you approve, see the finished knife by photos, video call or studio visit, and pay the balance once you approve it; Maker Marketplace holds that payment while it ships.