RARE Jimmy Lile "Dot" 6-Inch S.O.G. Knife + Leather Sheath (SOLD)

Jimmy Lile was affectionately known as the “The Arkansas Knifemaker”.  He was born in 1933, the son of a coal miner, in Russellville, AR.  Like many of the influential knife makers of the 20th century, he began his knife making career by fashioning a blade from a piece of scrap metal, oftentimes an old file.  Jimmy Lile Knives achieved international fame when he was approached by Sylvester Stallone to design the modified clip bowie survival knife for the first two Rambo movies.  His wife Marilyn engraved his name on many of his early knives.  He has a celebrity list of collectors who own his work, from Hollywood actors to U.S. Presidents, including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.  James B. Lile passed away in May of 1991.

This is an extremely rare Lile Knives S.O.G. Knife, made after Jimmy passed away.  It has a "dot".  This is the only S.O.G. Knife, made after Jimmy's passing, that I have ever seen.  The original Lile S.O.G. Knife was made before Jimmy passed.  However, the pre-death S.O.G. knives, which were originally commissioned by the late Tom Clinton, had 7" blades, whereas this one has a 6" blade.  This particular knife came out of Tom Clinton's collection.  I cannot confirm this with any provenance.  I was informed by the most recent owner that it was purchased from another dealer, who stated that it came from Tom's collection.

According to the book "James B. Lile, The Arkansas Knifesmith - Knifemaker To The World" by Jack Lucarelli and John Henry Hill, Jr., "S.O.G. (Special Operations Group) is a highly specialized military group that as trained for covert military operations in Southeast Asia area during 1964.  At the request of a private collector in Illinois (the late Tom Clinton), Lile began making one hundred specially-designed combat knives designated 'S.O.G.'.  All were delivered between 1987 and 1991.  The 7-inch D2 steel blade is stamped 'LILE' and serial numbered.  Accompanied by a black leather Galco International sheath, this knife has a brass guard and butt cap, red fiber and brass spacers, and wood grain Micarta two-finger groove handles.  A limited number were done with ivory handles.  The overall length is 12 inches, making it an exact copy of the original S.O.G. knife"

This S.O.G. knife is in near perfect condition.  As previously stated, the knife came out of a high-end private collection.  Other than a patina with some light marks on the brass guard and butt cap, it looks to be in almost new condition.  Even the (unmarked) leather sheath and sharpening stone are in excellent condition, with nothing more than some light handling marks.  The sheath's brass buttons have a bit of a patina.  The blade is in perfect, unused, unsharpened condition.  This is a highly coveted Lile knife, and would be a great additional to any custom collection.  A "no dot" S.O.G. would set you back a whole lot more than this one.  Not to mention the fact that finding another Lile S.O.G. - dot or no dot - is nearly impossible.  The knife will also come in a padded, zippered case.

Condition:  Previously owned. Excellent.
                    Never used, carried or sharpened.

• Overall length:   11"
• Blade length:      6"
• Handle length:    5"