TV and Movie Knives

Darrel Ralph designed this knife for The Expendables.

The knife and edged-weapon collection of a man who once drew the FBI’s attention in the infamous Unabomber case will be the focus of the “Hatchet Man” episode of “Strange Inheritance” on the FOX Business Network tonight at 9 p.m. EST.

Robert Marek dedicated his life to making and collecting knives, swords and axes, including bowies, battle axes, broadswords and more. His collection grew to over 5,000 pieces in all—so many, in fact, that the FBI got wind of it when it was hunting for the-then unidentified domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber. Marek’s interests in weapons and his association with the University of California at Berkeley were enough to move the FBI to interview Marek, though the federal agency quickly ruled him out as a suspect.

Marek passed away in 2015 and left his collection, which lined the walls and rafters of Robert’s Berkeley home, to his brother Tom. Neighbor Sara Wolf remembered one night when Robert invited she and her husband to dinner.

“I was in shock because it was these beautiful wood walls, but floor to ceiling axes and knives,” she recalled. “After we got in and the door closed, I kind of felt like we were never coming home.”

It is just such inheritances that are the subjects of “Strange Inheritance,” which is hosted by Jamie Colby. In its third season, the program is the highest rated one on FOX Business.

In tonight’s program, Tom takes Robert’s collection to auction to determine the value of the vast trove of blades, and the collection winds up being worth in the thousands of dollars. For instance, an early Plains tomahawk fetches $250, a rare Civil War hospital knife brings $550 and a Japanese Gunto sword goes for $700.

According to swordsmith Francis Boyd, probably only about 40 or 50 makers in the world could produce the pieces like the ones in Marek’s collection. Greg Martin of Michaan’s Auctions adds Marek must have conducted extensive historical research into the design of the ancient weapons to reproduce them with such stunning accuracy.

For more on tonight’s show, visit Strange Inheritance.

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Knifemaker Tony Bose, one of the world’s leading crafters of custom slip joints and a long-time knife collaborator with Case, will be the featured attraction of “Handcrafted America” at 9:30 EST tonight on the INSP Network.

Hosted by Jill Wagner, “Handcrafted America” travels the USA to find the very best of what is made domestically, “seeking out extraordinary American artisans dedicated to crafting fine products the traditional way … with their own two hands.”

Tonight’s episode will originate from the Bose “Wilfred Works” knife shop in Shelburn, Indiana, where Tony has made some of the top traditional single and multi-bladed custom folders for many years. Bose, who recently entertained Case fans in the Case booth at the annual Shooting,

Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, was soft-spoken and humble as usual talking about tonight’s program. He said he thought the show would come out well, though he admitted he was not comfortable having to sit still for a makeup session and wear the makeup for the program’s filming.

It will be just the latest in the acclaim the talented maker has received over the years. He has been collaborating with Case on new factory knife designs and modifying old ones for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. His Case collaboration for 2017 is the Case Bose Tribal Lock, a single-blade lockback folder that comes in a choice of nine different handle materials. A regular exhibitor at the BLADE Show, Bose always sells out of knives at the show. His knives are so popular there, in fact, that his customers have to enter their names in a drawing for the right to buy one.

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