Cold Steel Imperial Tanto, San Mai Damascus, Rare Limited Handmade 10 Of 1000
Item History & Price
Maker: Cold Steel *** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind, and of the first ten produced ***This piece is both extremely rare and highly sought after. Initially intended to be a production run of two thousand in the late 80s through to the early 90s, manufacturing stopped short of the intended target (due, in part, to the production cost of each knife exceeding the sale cost.) Therefore, only one thousand of these were ever made. This piece is numbered #010, and such low numbers ar...e particularly prized. Being one of the first ten produced makes this knife especially valuable and collectible.This is surely among the most beautiful factory knives you'll ever lay eyes on. The production values are simply superlative. Top quality from the design to the execution - and a fit and finish that is truly excellent.Blade length: 5.85 in.Total length: 11.12 in.Blade height (at heel): 1.12 in.Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.17 in.Weight: 8.10 oz.Blade: San Mai blade featuring walls of pool and eye stainless Damascus surrounding a stainless-steel core.Bolster: Stainless steel guardHandle: White ray skin with traditional Japanese cord wrapSheath: Black leather sheath, cloth case, lacquered wood display stand and original storage tubeCold Steel respectfully continued the samurai tradition with their Imperial Series weapons, unsurpassed in toughness and beauty. The blades of this series are razor sharp San Mai stainless Damascus steel, which are heat treated to ensure magnificent edge holding. These blades are carefully and expertly hand polished.Further enhancing the traditional aesthetic is the stunning white ray skin used under the perfectly twisted and knotted traditional Japanese cord wrap. The fittings used in the Imperial series are polished stainless steel. The guard and pommel are perfectly formed, the pommel incorporating both the cord wrap and a lanyard hole.The blade has been constructed in true San Mai fashion, with a hard stainless-steel core supported by two multi layered sheets of Damascus steel. These three pieces have been expertly hammer forged into one inseparable unit comprised of over 160 layers of steel. The resulting blade has earned the name "Imperial Tanto" and is the only stainless-steel Damascus blade ever to pass the grueling American Bladesmith test.
