Post-War Commercial Piggyback Bowie Knife and Companion Knife Set with Leather Sheath, Eagle Motif

*Post-War Commercial Piggyback Bowie Knife & Companion Knife Set with Leather Sheath, Eagle Motif*

A post-war commercial piggyback hunting knife set comprising a large Bowie-pattern knife, smaller auxiliary knife, and black leather sheath designed to carry both together. The larger knife has a broad clip-point blade with three elongated cut-outs to the upper section, simple steel crossguard, shaped wooden grip with finger grooves, and exposed nut-secured pommel construction. The smaller knife follows the same pattern, with matching wooden grip, steel guard and slotted blade, intended to sit to the front of the main sheath.

The accompanying black leather sheath is of piggyback form, stitched in contrasting orange thread and fitted with a secondary retaining strap for the smaller knife. The front is embossed with an eagle device. The press stud is marked **Well-Tex * 488 * **, which appears to relate to the sheath fitting rather than the knife maker. No clear blade maker’s marks are visible from the photographs. Overall this looks to be a mid to late 20th century commercial hunting or display set rather than a military-issue piece.

Approx. Measurements – Large blade length: 27 cm. Overall length: 41.7 cm. Small blade length: 13 cm. Overall length: 23 cm.

History Note:
Piggyback knife sets of this type were widely produced in the post-war period for the civilian hunting, outdoors and souvenir market. They typically paired a larger Bowie-style knife with a smaller utility or skinner knife in a shared sheath. Although inspired by earlier frontier and fighting knife forms, most such sets were commercial products made for export or general sporting sale, often with stylised guards, wooden grips and decorative sheath embossing.

*Condition*
Please see photographs as part of the condition report. Both knives show surface wear, with scattered rust spotting and oxidation visible to the blades and guards. The larger knife remains the cleaner of the two, while the smaller blade shows more noticeable spotting and staining. The grips have general handling wear and minor age-related marks. The metal fittings at the pommels show oxidation. The sheath is worn, with scuffing, some separation/splitting visible along one edge, wear to the retaining strap, and loose or untidy stitching in places, though it remains a presentable and usable display companion to the set.

JAQ#3001B0_8513236731