What was the original design of The Bowie Knife?

Nobody knows for certain, but the knife shown above could possibly be the original Bowie knife. Even if it is not, it is certainly of the correct style.
This is the famous Bowie #1 from the collection of the Arkansas Historical society. It has been authenticated as having been made by James Black, the smith who made Bowie’s knife. Black built many knives like this in the early part of the 19th century and sold them as “Bowie knives.“
Note that this is a guardless knife, although a firm grip on the coffin-style handle would keep your hand from running onto the blade.
Also note that the blade above is serious eroded, so the original blade style might have been somewhat different — likely with a deeper belly.
The best account we have of the infamous sandbar fight says that Jim Bowie killed one man by running him through, and cut off part of another man’s forearm with a single swipe of his knife. This tells us that the original Bowie knife had a sharp strong point, and a blade heavy enough to deliver an effective chop. The knife above could deliver those kinds of injuries.

It’s also possible that this terribly corroded knife was the original Bowie knife. It was recovered form the Sea of Mud, the site of the encampment of the Mexican Army during and after the Battle of the Alamo, where both Davey Crocket and Jim Bowie died, and Bowie’s famous knife was lost.
Personally, I doubt that this is the original, because the blade lacks the heft and length to cut through a man’s forearm. Though it might very well be a Black …

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