It depends on his market if he actually gets that much. People who actually know knives know what to look for but if he is in a tourist area then saw mill blades and a slightly rougher appearance might actually help him sell.
I know what he means about no money in it. I have made and sold quite a few knives.
Actually the intended purpose for Bowie knives is a weapon, not a chopper. I make my bowie knives light and fast with thin high grinds. They are intended to mess a man up, not chop wood. Originally a gun would be empty fast with no fast reloads and a bowie could often be used to better effect in close quarters.
RH,
I would venture a guess that some of his value is coming from being in a benefit type setting, I could be wrong though. I would assume that values in that type of setting could be somewhat elevated though.
I agree with you on the intended purpose of the bowie as well, however, for my usage this day and age, if I use it at all, it is more likely to be used for "camp" type scenario's rather than dumping someone's innards onto the ground. For strictly a self defense/close quarter battle weapon a lighter sleeker weapon would be my choice.
