Dear knife collectors and enthusiasts,

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to attend Annual American Bladesmith Exposition.

The ABS is excited to say that we have designed a new and exciting venue for the exposition. This is now a two day event that is packed full of positive changes to enhance your knife show experience, understanding and appreciation of the forged blade and the Bladesmiths who preserve this important craft form. The attending makers will be available for fun and conversation throughout the day and evening. What a great way to spend some time with your favorite makers and to meet some of the newer makers as well.

The new show format will have one day –Friday- filled with seminars and demonstrations from 10 AM-3 PM on topics of knife making and collecting. There is an on-going forging demo that will offer the opportunity for some attendees to actually forge a blade with the guidance of a Mastersmith. What a great way to gain an understanding of the forged blade process. There will be a knife preview only from 4 PM- 6PM, with no sales, in the afternoon. Every one that attends will have a unique opportunity to leisurely see all the knives before any sales take place, and an equitable chance to acquire knives. A cocktail period from 6:30 onward will precede the annual banquet at 7 PM. The auction in the evening will follow the banquet and is always a favorite event with all attendees.

Get involved by visiting the collector’s corner. You may bring up to 3 knives from your collection that are made by ABS Smiths to show off, trade, or sell at your discretion. This has been initiated for your benefit to help open your horizons to the other collectors that follow the forged blade.

Another one of the exciting changes of this EXPO is that you will get to see all the knives at the preview times and you will have the opportunity to put your name in a lottery box for any knife that the maker agrees to sell on the lottery system. Our hopes are to level the playing field for all the collectors and dealers that may be interested in the same piece.

Saturday is the day that you will have the opportunity to purchase the fine forged knives that the makers have so diligently made specifically for this EXPO. We’ve asked the makers to make this a special place to bring their finest work, whether it’s a working knife or an exquisite art knife. The show room will open for all to enter and participate in a second preview period from 10am- 11am, with no sales allowed until 11am. At 11:00 am the makers will draw out the lottery tickets (intent to purchase) for those particular knives and for the knives that are not in the lottery status, the open sales will begin. The EXPO closes at 6 PM.

Collectors, don’t be afraid to place as many lottery tickets out there in different boxes as you want (only one name per knife is allowed.) You will have the opportunity to accept the purchase or decline it, if you so choose, and the subsequent ticket holder will then have the same opportunity and so on until the knife is sold. It will be up to you to keep track of the status of the drawings with the makers you have placed lottery tickets with.

We hope that the Collectors Corner, the seminars, and the lottery system will level the playing field and will be added incentive to attend our EXPO. Come for the education, the camaraderie, and to support your passion for the forged blade.

We look forward to seeing you there, it is the event to attend. If you would like to donate something to the auction contact Steve Dunn ( 270-563-9830) or bring it along, it all goes for a good cause.

Don’t miss out getting your trip planned early and booking a hotel room before they are all gone.