The way someone collects knives usually reveals more than the collection itself. Some buyers chase recognizable names and limited runs, while others spend years following makers whose work matches a specific style, purpose, or philosophy. Celebrity collections expose that divide clearly, because owning expensive knives is not the same as being deeply involved in knife culture.
Serious collectors often build long-term relationships with custom makers. The names include actors introduced to knives through film work, lifelong enthusiasts who collected before becoming famous, and musicians with highly personal tastes in design and craftsmanship.
Three Collectors Who Worked With Custom Makers
Sylvester Stallone, Custom Knife Collector Before Rambo
Stallone was already a collector when he commissioned Jimmy Lile to design the original Rambo survival knife in 1982. Lile produced thirteen knives for First Blood, six of which went directly into Stallone’s personal collection, and the relationship grew from there.
He met Gil Hibben at the 1985 California Custom Knife Show, walked away with several Hibben customs, and the relationship led to the Rambo III survival knife and the Rambo (2008) machete. For the Expendables trilogy, Hibben designed nine knife models and made over 30 pieces for Stallone, including the 17.5-inch “Toothpick” carried by Barney Ross.
Bill Moran made three Damascus knives for Rambo in 2008, and Herman Schneider created a piece used in Cobra. Stallone held a public auction of items from his collection in February 2021, with each knife accompanied by a letter of authenticity. He reportedly keeps a wall in his home displaying the rest.
Anthony Bourdain and the Kramer Meteorite Chef Knife
Bourdain commissioned a custom chef’s knife from American bladesmith Bob Kramer in 2016 for $5,000. The blade was forged from a blend of carbon steel and meteorite, with a polished wood handle. Bourdain had hosted Kramer’s Olympia, Washington, forge on his web series Raw Craft a year earlier, which led to the order.
After Bourdain’s death, the knife went up at iGavel Auctions on October 30, 2019, with a pre-sale estimate of $4,000 to $6,000, and it sold for $231,250. The winning bidder was The English House in Singapore, owned by chef Marco Pierre White, where the knife is now displayed alongside other Bourdain effects. Bourdain’s general kitchen-knife advice in Kitchen Confidential and in later interviews was to buy one high-quality blade rather than a block set.
Steve McQueen and the Von Dutch Folding Knife
Steve McQueen owned multiple hunting knives, several of which his widow Barbara offered for sale at a 2006 Petersen Automotive Museum auction in Los Angeles. His most personally treasured piece was a four-inch folding knife with a brass bolster engraved with an eagle’s claw, inscribed “To Steve from Dutch” by Kenny “Von Dutch” Howard, the celebrated motorcycle and car pinstriper.
He repeatedly gave the knife to her and took it back during their marriage, until he eventually let her keep it. Custom maker Gil Hibben confirmed that he made blades for McQueen during the actor’s lifetime, placing him in the same group of customers that Stallone joined a decade later.
Two Lifelong Collectors Who Started Before Hollywood
Collectors who grew up around blades carry their interest in different ways. The collection is older than the fame and would exist without it.
Angelina Jolie and the Darrel Ralph Balisongs
Jolie has collected knives since she was 11 or 12, beginning with daggers as a preteen. She framed her interest as cultural rather than martial. Different countries make different knives, and that variety is what pulled her in. Her collection includes multiple handmade balisongs by the late custom maker Darrel Ralph, who died in 2021. Ralph’s balisongs typically take months to build and sell at $1,000 to $2,000 each.
She also owns William Henry folding knives with personalized touches, as well as Medieval and Renaissance pieces, antique knives, and swords. On Late Night with Conan O’Brien, she rotated and flipped a balisong on camera, in one of the most widely circulated celebrity knife moments
Theodore Roosevelt’s 1884 Tiffany Bowie
Roosevelt commissioned a custom Bowie knife from Tiffany & Co. in 1884, a silver-mounted hunting knife with a fitted scabbard. The piece dates to his Dakota Badlands period, before his time with the Rough Riders. He regularly wore it throughout the 1880s and was photographed in early studio hunting portraits wearing it.
In 1903, he wrote about using a hunting knife to dispatch a cougar his hounds had cornered. By 1907, he had switched to a plain sheath knife for working use, and the Tiffany piece became a family heirloom. Tiffany & Co. supplied Roosevelt with knives, rifles, and artillery throughout his life, including custom rifles for the Rough Riders at his request.
Three Musicians With Documented Knife Collections
Touring schedules and the lifestyle that goes with them have produced some of the most public knife habits in pop culture.
Keith Richards and the Okapi That Stayed in His Pocket
Richards has carried an Okapi folding knife for decades. The Okapi is a slipjoint with a cherrywood handle and a high-carbon steel blade, originally a German pattern but made in South Africa since 1902. Richards has said the knife became a constant companion after he learned how to use it on a trip to Jamaica.
The most-quoted moment in his knife history came in 1989, when Donald Trump promoted the Rolling Stones’ Steel Wheels dates in Atlantic City and put the band at second billing on the marquee. Richards pulled out the Okapi, stuck it in a table, and told the band’s manager, “You’ve got to get rid of this man.” The incident is documented by multiple sources, including a 1989 backstage recording that the Stones later released.
Steven Tyler at Bonds House of Cutlery
Tyler has collected knives for decades and worn one on his hip during his American Idol judging stint. In 2015, he had a three-hour private demonstration of kitchen and sporting knives at Bonds House of Cutlery in Las Vegas and bought several knives, many of which Tyler gave as gifts to friends.
He is also listed among Ken Onion’s celebrity custom-knife customers, alongside Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, who has commissioned his own Onion work. A double-action two-bladed switchblade made by retired custom maker Charles Dake of New Orleans rounds out the published part of Tyler’s everyday rotation.
Joe Rogan and the Half Face Blades
Rogan has built a reputation inside the custom-knife world by hosting bladesmiths on his podcast and on Instagram. He featured Mareko Maumasi on JRE episode #1168 in 2018, where he called custom knifemaking “an incredibly creative and fascinating world.” A 2018 Instagram Live session with Mike Jones, the founder of Habitual Knife, is what Jones credits with effectively saving his business.
He has been gifted a Tuckamore Miss BeHavin by hunter and filmmaker Donnie Vincent, and owns custom chef knives and hunting blades from Half Face Blades, the company founded by retired Navy SEAL Andrew Arrabito. Some of his pieces were made from elk material Rogan personally hunted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which celebrities collect knives?
Sylvester Stallone, Anthony Bourdain, Steve McQueen, Angelina Jolie, Keith Richards, Steven Tyler, Joe Rogan, and Theodore Roosevelt are among the most documented public-figure knife collectors. Each one has a verifiable working relationship with named custom makers, named auction sales, or extensively photographed collections.
What knives does Sylvester Stallone collect?
Stallone’s personal collection includes pieces by Jimmy Lile, Bob Loveless, Bill Moran, Gil Hibben, and Herman Schneider. He owns six of the 13 original First Blood knives, multiple Hibben customs, and three Damascus Moran pieces from Rambo (2008). He auctioned off a portion of the collection in February 2021.
What knife did Anthony Bourdain own?
Bourdain commissioned a custom Bob Kramer chef’s knife in 2016 for $5,000, forged from a blend of carbon steel and meteorite, with a polished wood handle. The blade is now displayed at The English House in Singapore, owned by chef Marco Pierre White.
Does Angelina Jolie collect knives?
Yes. Jolie has been collecting since age eleven or twelve, with a current collection that includes multiple Darrel Ralph balisongs, William Henry folding knives, Medieval and Renaissance pieces, and antique knives and swords. She has demonstrated balisong handling on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
What knife does Keith Richards carry?
An Okapi folding slipjoint with a cherrywood handle and high-carbon steel blade, made in South Africa. Richards has carried one for decades and used it to dramatic effect in a 1989 backstage incident with Donald Trump during the Stones’ Steel Wheels Atlantic City run.
What knife does Joe Rogan use?
Rogan has owned and shown custom pieces from Half Face Blades, Tuckamore Custom Knives, and Habitual Knife. Some of his Half Face Blades pieces are made from material taken from elk he personally hunted. Half Face Blades was founded by retired Navy SEAL Andrew Arrabito.
What knives did Steve McQueen own?
McQueen owned multiple hunting knives, several of which his widow Barbara offered for auction at a 2006 Petersen Automotive Museum sale. His most personally treasured piece was a four-inch folding knife with an inscribed brass bolster. Gil Hibben also built blades for McQueen during the actor’s lifetime.
Did Theodore Roosevelt have a custom knife?
Yes. Roosevelt commissioned a silver-mounted Tiffany & Co. Bowie hunting knife in 1884 during his Dakota Badlands period. Tiffany also supplied Roosevelt with custom rifles, including pieces for the Rough Riders. The Bowie is held in the Library of Congress catalog record.
Who is Bob Kramer?
Bob Kramer is an American bladesmith based in Olympia, Washington, who builds custom chef knives. He is the only master bladesmith in the United States certified by the American Bladesmith Society to make chef knives. Anthony Bourdain commissioned a meteorite-blend blade from him in 2016.
Who is Jimmy Lile?
Jimmy Lile, “The Arkansas Knifesmith,” was a custom knifemaker based in Russellville, Arkansas. He designed the original First Blood survival knife for Sylvester Stallone in 1982 and continued making “Mission” Rambo designs until his death in May 1991.
Where do celebrities buy custom knives?
The largest annual events are the BLADE Show in Atlanta, the California Custom Knife Show, and the New York Custom Knife Show. Many celebrity commissions are handled directly by the maker rather than through retail, particularly for one-of-a-kind pieces like the Bourdain Kramer or the Stallone Hibben Expendables knives.
