Knife, bowie type

Made by Jimmy Lile
Stag horn handle, with guard and blade with clipped point. Blade marked “NMLRA 1776 1976 American Bicentennial Commemorative” with “spirit of ‘76” scene.
1976
LOA 13.70
Gift of Frank G. Fusco
This is Jimmy Lile’s interpretation of the classic bowie. It was made to be a part of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association’s Bicentennial Celebration Rifle package. Frank Fusco won the package in 1976 and generously donated the knife to the museum thirty years later. Lile is a member of the American Bladesmith Society (ABS) Hall of Fame, though most of the knives he made were stock removal knives, and not forged. He served on the board of the ABS and was a tireless promoter of the custom knife, helping open the market to subsequent generations of custom knifemakers.