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The most expensive knife in the world isn’t simply a piece of sharpened steel; it’s a collision of art, metallurgy, and human obsession. From gem-studded Persian daggers that once graced royal courts to modern mosaic-Damascus masterpieces fresh off a maker’s anvil, these blades blur the line between tool and treasure.
Collectors chase expensive knives for the same reasons art lovers line up at auctions. Rarity is huge—many high-ticket pieces are true one-ofs, forged from exotic alloys or fitted with fossilized ivory you can’t just reorder. Craft plays a part, too. A maker might sink 120 hours into deep-relief engraving, gold inlays gleaming under every groove. You’re not paying for steel alone; you’re buying the story of the hands that shaped it.
There’s also the thrill of tangible investment. Unlike stocks you never see, a $100-k blade sits on the desk, weighty and real, its value often climbing as the maker’s reputation soars. And let’s be honest: pulling a million-dollar dagger from a suede-lined case makes even the most seasoned collector grin like a kid.
In the pages that follow, we’ll tour record-setting price tags, break down what drives those jaw-dropping numbers, and show why the world’s most expensive knives hold a grip on hearts—and wallets—around the globe.
Image: The World’s 3 Most Expensive Knives
Rare Steels & Alloys
Think of steel as the blade’s DNA—change the alloy and you rewrite its entire character. Factory knives often rely on basic 440C or AUS-8; high-ticket blades climb the periodic table. Powder steels like CPM M398 or ultra-layered mosaic Damascus require special presses, nitrogen atmospheres, and hours of thermal cycling. Add exotic mixes—vanadium for carbide density, niobium for grain refinement—and raw bar stock can cost 30 × a vanilla billet. When a maker forges two feet of that into a flawless edge, you’re holding metallurgical R&D in your hand.
Precious Handle Materials
Handles are where knives slip into the jewelry realm. Fossil mammoth ivory, presentation-grade maple burl stabilized in vibrant resin, or timascus with its oil-slick rainbow—all scream scarcity. Even today’s synthetic marvels, like crystallized titanium or carbon-fiber copper weave, demand aerospace suppliers and precise machining. Each slab is hand-contoured to a client’s palm, so wastage is high and mistakes are costly. The rarer the material, the smaller the margin for error—both factors that pump up the price.
Hours of Hand Engraving & Finishing
Steel leaves the grinder looking raw; true luxury starts when the maker swaps belts for gravers. Deep-relief scrollwork, 24k gold inlays, acid-bloomed patterns—every stroke is time, and time is the hidden currency of expensive knives. A simple satin finish might take an afternoon; a fully sculpted dagger can swallow 100 hours of microscope-level engraving and mirror-polishing. Factor in tool wear, steady-hand skill, and the inevitability of re-do passes, and labor alone can eclipse the cost of materials many times over.
Bottom line: when rare metallurgy, precious handle art, and artisan labor converge, the humble cutting tool transforms into a functional heirloom—and that’s why the most expensive knives command prices that rival fine watches or classic cars.
Blink once: $3.375 million. That was the hammer price for the Mughal-era Shah Jahan Kard dagger, sold at Christie’s “Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence” auction in 2019—the current record for the most expensive knife in the world christies.com.
Image credit: Christie’s Auction
Shah Jahan Kard Dagger – Mughal Majesty in Jade and Steel
Carved in the 1620-1630 window—when the Mughal court was importing ideas, artists and raw jade from half a world away—this 11 ⅝-inch (29.7 cm) kard is the blade that now wears the crown for the most expensive knife in the world. Christie’s knocked it down at US $3.375 million during the landmark Maharajas & Mughal Magnificence sale on 19 June 2019, blasting past every previous knife record.
What makes this dagger eclipse even Warenski’s “Gem of the Orient”? Rarity and narrative. It is a tangible link to Shah Jahan—the emperor who built the Taj Mahal—yet it folds in Persian calligraphy, European portraiture, and Central-Asian jade, all fused by Mughal taste. Those overlapping stories turned a weapon into a $3 million micro-museum—and cemented its place at the summit of expensive knives collecting lore.
| Rank | Knife | Sale Price | Sale Year | Why It Hit the Stratosphere |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Shah Jahan Kard (North India, c. 1625) | $3.375M | 2019 | Royal provenance, jade hilt, gold-inlaid blade, museum-grade rarity |
| #2 | “Gem of the Orient” by Buster Warenski | $2.10M | 2006 | 153 emeralds, 9 diamonds, 10 yrs of hand work |
| #3 | Blue Gem Karambit (CS:GO skin) | $1.40M | 2024 (private trade) | Digital scarcity + real-world collector hype |
| #4 | Jade-Hilted 17th-c. Dagger | $1.20M | 2021 | Imperial craftsmanship, flawless nephrite handle |
| #5 | Gold & Turquoise Knife | $582K | 2019 | Ottoman court artistry, gemstone inlays |
Need the short answer? Even a “budget” entry on the ultra-luxury list rarely dips below six figures, but the ceiling—at least for now—stands at that eye-watering $3.375 million mark. In the next section we’ll dive into why numbers like these make sense to serious investors and history buffs alike.
Before we dive into the price tags that make even seasoned collectors swallow hard, remember this: every slot on this list earned its zeroes through a perfect storm of rarity, craftsmanship, and story. These are the blades that stopped auction rooms cold—one swing of the gavel turning steel, jade, and gold into headlines. From Mughal court treasures to gem-encrusted modern showpieces, each knife here pushed the ceiling of what people will pay for functional art. Ready to meet the record breakers? Let’s count down the ten most expensive knives ever sold and see why each one rewrote the value scale for serious collectors.
Crafted by late American master Buster Warenski, this dagger is the rock-star of modern custom knives. Warenski spent nearly 10 years coaxing life into a forest-green jade handle that vanishes beneath a lattice of 18-karat gold filigree. Set into that filigree: 153 emeralds totaling 10 carats and nine diamonds weighing 5 carats, each stone pinned flush so the grip feels like silk under the thumb.
Warenski finished the piece in 1991 as the second entry in his “Legacy” series, then held it until a private collector paid roughly $1.2 million. A few years later it changed hands again for the headline-grabbing $2.1 million that cements its place on this list.
Why the sky-high figure? Rarity (one of one), gem weight rivaling fine jewelry, and the maker’s legend: Warenski is a Cutlery Hall-of-Famer whose work rarely surfaces on the market. In the art-knife world, owning the Gem of the Orient is like hanging a Rembrandt in your foyer—only sharper.
Image credit: F.Pachi
Digital steel, real-world money. The single most coveted skin in Counter-Strike history is a Factory New Karambit | Case Hardened “Blue Gem,” pattern #387—a knife so awash in royal-blue anodizing that collectors call it “god tier.” In 2021 a Chinese collector known as Newb Rage (青い王) turned down a €1.2 million (~$1.4 M) Bitcoin offer, and subsequent bids have crept toward the $1.5 M mark. AFK Gaming
Why pay mansion money for pixels? Rarity math plays the trump card: the odds of unboxing this exact pattern are roughly 1 in 371 million, and only a single pristine example is confirmed. Add the skin’s “Factory New” float of 0.0480 and a StatTrak counter that’s still at zero, and you have the Holy Grail of esports collectibles.
Unlike museum daggers, this blade lives on a Steam account, yet its price rivals Warenski’s gem-encrusted art knives. That crossover—where blockchain-verified offers meet gaming clout—makes the Blue Gem Karambit the first virtual entry to crash the all-time list of most expensive knives.
Art of the Islamic & Indian Worlds sale, London, 25 Apr 2024) hammered for £945,000—about $1.20 million with premium.
Gem weight rivaling princely jewelry, intact court textiles, and an unbroken blue-chip pedigree pushed bidders to eclipse the £300–500 K estimate and cement the dagger’s place in the upper echelon of the world’s most expensive knives. Christie’s
Image credit: Christie’s Auction
A 7-inch jewel from the Ottoman court, this 16th-century gold-and-turquoise-hilted knife crossed Christie’s London rostrum (Art of the Islamic & Indian Worlds, Lot 300) for GBP 457 250—about $582 K once the hammer dust settled. Christie’s
Why the six-figure buzz?
Add it all up and you have a small, lethal canvas where metallurgy, lapidary art, and Ottoman court ritual collide, explaining how a palm-sized blade joined the pantheon of the world’s expensive knives.
Image credit: Christie’s Auction
The late American legend Buster Warenski spent 5 1/2 years resurrecting the dagger that dazzled archaeologist Howard Carter in Tutankhamun’s tomb. Finished in 1987, this reproduction became the first of Warenski’s three “Legacy Knives,” and in 2022, it re-entered the market with a $500K asking price. BLADE Magazine
Equal parts Egyptology tribute and metallurgy marathon, Warenski’s King Tut Dagger proves that a modern knife—when forged from museum ambitions and a mountain of gold—can still command a half-million-dollar spotlight among the world’s most expensive knives.
A living tribute to Bob Loveless’s classic sub-hilt fighter, the “Full-Integral” Big Bear by Steve “SR” Johnson shattered its own niche ceiling when it listed at $115K on KnifeTreasures—making it the priciest Johnson ever offered.
Why $115K? Integrals this large are brutal on tooling; add gem-grade pearl, master engraving, and the cachet of the Loveless lineage, and the Big Bear becomes a functional sculpture, cementing its slot among the most expensive knives.
Image credit: F.Pachi
Loveless built this fighter in his short-lived Lawndale, California shop (circa 1966-1970)—a period collectors treat like the “pre-war Bugatti” phase of custom knives. The 9 5/16-inch blade (unknown steel, likely early 440C test stock) flows into twin brass sub-hilts and an aluminum pommel, with a crown-stag handle separated by Loveless’s trademark red-white-black spacers. He even checkered the spine so a gloved thumb won’t skate under recoil. Only a handful of Lawndale sub-hilts were ever made, and most now sit in vaults; that scarcity helped drive the asking price to $85K when the knife appeared on the market in 2023. Farina Fine Arts
Why the big number? Two words: early provenance. Lawndale pieces were forged before Loveless adopted his Riverside logo, making them the purest expression of his evolving fighter geometry. Add untouched stag, original leather sheath, and the fact that sub-hilts were a pain to machine on 1960s tooling, and you have a knife that hits every checkbox—historical, aesthetic, and mechanical—earning its spot among the world’s most expensive knives.
Steve “SR” Johnson calls this his ultimate for good reason. Built on a flawless 7 1/4-inch PM 154-CM dagger blade (11 ⅞ in OAL), the piece is a one-maker homage to Bob Loveless, then turned into jewelry by engraver Barry Lee Hands. The 416-stainless bolsters carry three-colour virgin-gold scrolls—23k yellow, 18k green, 22k rose—each leaf shaded and stippled by microscope, then framed with 24k flush-line borders. Exhibition-grade Australian silver-lip pearl scales showcase Hands’s trademark “Gilded Pearl” technique: nineteen 24k gold leaves per side, anchored by 300-series pins set with four brilliant-cut diamonds. Even the quillons wear raised, sculpted 24-k gold foliage. One knife, ten years of cumulative craft, zero shortcuts—that mix of integral grinding, gem work, and elite engraving explains why collectors gladly post $75K for the Ultimate SRJ and why it holds a firm slot on every short-list of the most expensive knives. knifetreasures.com
Image credit: F.Pachi
Bulgarian master-engraver Alex Gev aimed his burins at the Golden Age of Sail and came away with the priciest folder of the Art Knife Invitational 2023. The 4-inch ladder-pattern Damascus blade flips open to reveal frame sides carved in ultra-deep relief: cannon barrels jut from deck planking, smoke curls around flintlocks, and a boarding scene—pirates clashing cutlasses—spills across the handle in multicolour gold, silver, and copper. Every figure stands proud of the steel by several millimetres, then receives microscopic shading and patination for antique depth.
Gev hides modern mechanics beneath the art: a proprietary, fully enclosed liner-lock, caged-bearing pivot, and a seamless back-spacer that doubles as part of the ship’s hull. More than 400 bench hours and a museum’s worth of precious metal went into the single build—hence the show tag of $75K.
American Master Smith Bob Kramer turned a 10-inch chef’s knife into a hive art—and priced it like a sports car. Nicknamed “Queen Bee,” the blade appeared in Kramer’s invite-only website auction on May 20, 2024, with a buy-it-now price of $65,000 Instagram.
The result is a working chef’s knife that doubles as an entomological sculpture—yet another entry on the shortlist and the most expensive chef’s knife.
Expensive pocket knives turn a simple folding blade into a showcase of metals, mechanics, and hand-engraved storytelling. When titanium frames wear 24-karat inlays and pivots spin on watch-grade bearings, the price tag leaps from three digits to five, and collectors line up for the privilege of clipping art to their pocket.
Loerchner’s 9 1/4-inch inter-frame dagger is already rare, but engraver Alex Gev draped the 416-stainless frame in 18-karat gold satyrs and vine scrolls, turning a technical grind into a Renaissance relief panel. The piece surfaced on 1stDibs at $42K and vanished within weeks—typical when a Loerchner carries deep-relief gold work.
Walker’s third-generation D-Lock (patented pivot-release) wears shakudō mokume bolsters and 22k gold inlays. Built for an earlier AKI, the 6 3/4-inch damascene folder hit the CollectorsHive price board at $39.55K, a nod to both mechanism scarcity and Walker’s Hall-of-Fame pedigree.
Overeynder’s button-fire auto hides twin internal compartments—hence “double locket.” Alex Gev’s engraving shows Emperor Yu taming flood dragons, every scale shaded in multi-colour gold. One-off mechanics plus mythic scenery pushed the ask to $38K.
Built and engraved by Gev alone for AKI 2022, this wedge-lock automatic carries gold-and-platinum dragons over a carved stainless frame. Knives Illustrated listed the knife at $38K, noting 400 bench hours and Gev’s seamless pivot cloaked beneath the art.
Walker’s patented Blade-lock (US No 4,979,301) snaps a heat-treated Damasteel blade into a third-gen frame. A full 22k gold scroll inlay and machine-engraved titanium hardware raised the gallery tag to $38.5K.
Lake’s classic 6 1/4-inch tail-lock meets Loerchner’s stippled frame and carved gold, damascus and black-lip-pearl inlays. A rose-gold bale finishes the piece, which lists on multiple collector sites for $33.5K.
French maker Alexis Lecocq teams with engraver C.J. Cai for a pharaonic motif: four 22k yellow-gold cartouches per side over RWL-34 steel. At 8 1/2 inches OAL, the knife commands a $29.9K sticker on Farina Fine Arts.
Fraley’s 10.5-inch Master Splinter flipper pairs a CPM-S35VN blade with stainless scales engraved by C.J. Cai—a full armour-clad samurai frozen mid-draw. The numbered #01 build posted at $24K before selling.
Italian precision-machinist Corrado Moro channels haute horology: a sapphire-windowed pivot lets you watch the clock-style tourbillon movement that tensions the blade. Black-lip pearl and carbon-fiber inlays frame an RWL-34 edge. Recent gallery price: $ 10K.
Video Credit: MelissaBackwoods
Not really. While they’re fully functional and often made from top-tier materials, most ultra-expensive knives are not designed for daily tasks. These are collector’s items—more like functional art than tools. Using them in the kitchen or field would be like driving a vintage Ferrari through a mud trail. They’re meant to be displayed, admired, and preserved—not dulled or damaged through regular wear. That said, some owners do choose to use them occasionally, but always with great care.
Well, it depends who you ask. But from where I stand—after years on the bench—it’s the stuff that’s not just hard to get, but hard to master. Some of the steels we use, like Wootz or a tight-pattern mosaic Damascus, they’ve got character. You etch it, and it tells a story. That matters.
For the handles, I’ve seen everything from bog oak to fossilized tooth. Some of it cracks if you so much as breathe wrong while shaping it. And yet… when it works, when it fits just right—it sings.
Gemstones? Sure, they catch the eye. Emeralds, sapphires, even rough-cut rubies. But the trick is knowing when to stop. A knife overloaded with bling loses its soul. The real value? It’s in the restraint. In the balance between material and maker.
Start with the maker. Most collectible or high-end knives come from a known craftsman or brand—so reach out directly if possible. Reputable makers will gladly confirm details if you send clear photos, especially of any markings, the blade, and the fit and finish.
Look for a certificate of authenticity (COA). That’s often included with custom or luxury knives, especially ones in the $1,000+ range. But beware—COAs can be faked too, so check if the paperwork matches the piece.
Study the knife itself. Engraving quality, symmetry, grind lines, materials—all of that tells a story. If something feels off (cheap screws, weird weight balance, sloppy filework), trust your gut.
And when in doubt, bring in an expert. Dealers, appraisers, or even the knife community on forums can help spot red flags. With the money involved in high-end blades, it’s worth the extra diligence.
That said, if you’re passionate about craftsmanship, then yes—they’re a great investment in terms of enjoyment, pride of ownership, and being part of a collector culture that really values detail. Some collectors buy for resale later, but most just want to own something exceptional.
If you’re careful, buy from reputable sources, and choose pieces that speak to you—not just hype—then it’s hard to go wrong in the long run.
Very carefully—and often, less is more. First rule: don’t treat it like a beater. Even if it’s technically “functional,” most of these knives are meant for display or light handling, not batoning wood or cutting zip ties.
Handle it with clean, dry hands. Wipe it down after every time you pick it up—fingerprints can etch into certain steels or polished finishes over time. Microfiber cloth and a dab of mineral oil or Renaissance Wax go a long way.
If it’s a folding knife, a drop of high-grade pivot oil every few months is enough. Don’t disassemble it unless you really know what you’re doing. And store it dry, ideally in a padded case or display where it’s not touching anything acidic or moisture-prone.
Basically, treat it like a piece of art made of steel. Because in many cases, that’s exactly what it is.
Luxury knives have already crossed from niche craft to blue-chip asset, and every sign says the curve is still climbing. A new generation of makers—many trained on CNC but finishing by hand—are pushing designs that blur categories: integral folders with gem-set pivots, fixed blades whose pattern-welded steel rivals abstract art, even collaborations that bundle a physical dagger with a blockchain certificate for airtight provenance. As global wealth pools in private hands, collectors continue to treat these knives like wearable sculptures—pieces you can admire, insure, and, if the mood strikes, take into the field for a single, satisfying cut.
On the market front, specialized auctions and invite-only shows are expanding livestream bidding, meaning a rare knife hammered in Vegas can set price records in Tokyo five seconds later. Expect greater transparency, too: detailed build logs, maker-signed provenance videos, and third-party grading services are emerging to protect six-figure transactions. Materials will keep evolving—think niobium super steels, lab-grown diamond coatings, even recycled meteorite cores—while classic motifs like gold inlay and high-relief engraving remain the currency of prestige.
Put simply, the horizon for expensive knives is bright and widening. Whether you’re chasing a one-off pirate flipper or eyeing a centuries-old jade dagger, the intersection of artistry, metallurgy, and digital proof will keep driving both value and fascination. Invest wisely, care for your blades like the heirlooms they are, and you’ll hold—not just a tool—but a slice of living history whose story is still being forged.
Author: Aleks Nemtcev | Knifemaker with 10+ Years of Experience | Connect with me on LinkedIn
References:
Noblie Custom Knives: Exclusive Knives Available.
Farina Fine Arts website.
Knife Legends website.
Knife Treasures website.
Bob Kramer Queen Bee Knife
Christie’s Auction
The most expensive daggers Christie’s
How Much Do Custom Knives Cost? Detailed Custom Knife Price List.
Excellent article!
Very informative. These knives are just so captivating.
I own two custom knives I would like to sell. Where can i do this?
Selling custom knives involves selecting appropriate platforms that cater to specialized interests. Options include online marketplaces such as eBay or Etsy, dedicated knife forums, and social media groups. Additionally, attending knife shows or contacting local knife shops can provide opportunities to sell custom knives directly to collectors and enthusiasts.
Excellent
Super
The world of luxury knives is truly fascinating, and your roundup of the most expensive knives in the world puts the spotlight on the extraordinary craftsmanship behind these pieces. It’s amazing to see how materials, history, and artistry combine to create such valuable and coveted works of art. This post has added a few dream pieces to my virtual collection!
Absolutely fascinating to see the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into creating these high-end knives! The materials, history, and detail are truly a testament to the knife-making art. While I’d love to own one of these masterpieces, my budget might force me to just admire from afar. Out of curiosity, does anyone here own a knife in this price range? How does it compare in terms of performance to more ‘average-priced’ knives?
In fact, the most expensive knife is the blue gem karambit with a price of 1.5 million dollars.