An all-time-record-high number of successful applicants for journeyman smith status and knives by domestic and international member makers judged best of the best were among the highlights of the American Bladesmith Society’s annual awards presentation at the BLADE Show June 3-5 in Atlanta.
The ABS held its annual awards program show Friday night in the Chancellor Room of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly. ABS President Steve Dunn served as master of ceremonies—and also won the Don Hastings Award by a unanimous vote of the ABS board of directors.
But first the award-winning knives and bladesmiths.
South Africa’s Neels Van Den Berg not only earned his ABS master smith stamp at the show, he also won the B. R. Hughes Award for the best knife by a master smith applicant—the Leaf Dagger, a stunning quillon dagger that was one of the five test knives he submitted to the master smith judging panel earlier in the day.
