C12 Civilian
The Civilian is a knife with special qualities. It’s a collectors dream with all it’s variations, different steels, etc. Originally developed for self-defence the civilian is both beautiful with it’s reverse S blade and very useful if you have self-defence needs but no or little formal training.
Appearance in catalogs
The Civilian appears in the 2000 dealer's catalog[1], the 2001 dealer catalog[2], the 2002 dealer's catalog[3] and with the newer bladesteel (VG-10) in the 2003 dealer's catalog[4] The Matriarch appears in both the 2002 and 2003 catalogs.
Designer
Unknown at this time, probably Sal Glesser
History, mentionings etc. from the forums
A little info from Sal on Numbers of CF Civilians from the Spyderco- forum:
There is a change in the quantity of CF Civvies being made. From 500 to 1200. We learned when ordering began that 500 would not be enough. If 100 (half) collectors order all variations (4), that's 80% of the run. After Spyderco crew, there would not be any available for anyone else. I do not believe that this change will affect the long term value of the piece. Thank you for your kind understanding to this change sal[5]
Information from the Spyderco catalog on the web
"In the 1990s Spyderco was approached by a specialized branch of U.S. law enforcement about making a knife for their undercover agents. These plain-clothes LEOs found themselves in situations where they often could not carry a firearm but carrying a knife was not a problem. Most had no formal training in self-defense tactics or MBC but as a last resort could use a blade to protect or extricate themselves from a life-threatening situation. This was how the Civilian model came to be. The Civilian has a patented reverse "S" blade that's intended to be used like an oversized claw. The tip is ground to an ultra-thin profile. Deeply curved and full at the belly, the VG-10 hollow-ground blade excels in slicing and is available fully SpyderEdged. Because of its distinctly specialized features it is not intended or designed for general utility or everyday use. Curved in all the right places for ergonomic use and retention of the knife, the handle is black G-10. Mounted for tip-down carry with a custom curved black clip, the knife rides deeply and unobtrusively in a pocket. One of the most specialized CLIPITS in the Spyderco line-up, the Civilian is available in limited quantities."[6]
Variations
The Spyderco C12 Civilian and Matriarch is a Spyderco that has been made in several variations. All made in Seki city in Japan. The Carbonfibre handled Civilian appears in many forms with pouch or box, numbered and unnumbered. In addition, there's also a slight difference in how the handles are put togheter. Some are all screw construction and some are partially screwed and pinned. It has not been possible to figure out why that is or where the change occured. There seems to be no system to which is what. These are not listed as variants in the list here.
Variations of the Civilian
SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Clip | Clip positions | Collectors club |
C12S | Original first civilian in untreated aluminum with Kraton inlay in handle and in clip |
SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | ||
C12TUFS | Tufram coated aluminium handle | SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | ||
C12TUFS | Tufram coated aluminium handle | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | ||
C12TUFP | Tufram coated aluminium handle | PE | GIN-1/G-2 | 229,95$ | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Kraton Civilian clip | ||
C12GS | Black G10 handle | SE | GIN-1/G-2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | 3- screw old standard clip | ||
C12GS | Black G10 handle | SE | ATS-55 | 214,95$ | N/A | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12GP | Black G10 handle | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Extremely limited Japan only | less than 100 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12GS | Black G10 handle reinforced tip | SE | VG-10 | 249,95$ | Current one[6] | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | PE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFLHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | PE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Left handed | 150 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFRHS | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | SE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFLHS | Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch | SE | ATS-55 | 229,95$ | Left handed | 150 | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle unnumbered in box | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip | ||
C12CFRHP | Carbonfibre handle numbered in box | PE | ATS-55 | N/A | Right handed | N/A | Hollow grind | Half- moon clip |
Variations of the Matriarch
SKU | Handle | Edge | Steel | MSRP | Note | Number made | Grind | Clip | Clip positions | Collectors club |
C12SBK | Black FRN | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | Slightly smaller than the Civilian, original South African distributors model, no Boye dent. | N/A | N/A | Barrel bolt clip | ||
C12SGY | Grey FRN | SE | ATS-55 | N/A | Sprint run version made in low numbers. Slightly smaller than the Civilian. | 500 [7] | N/A | Barrel bolt clip | ||
C12SBK | Black FRN | SE | VG-10 | N/A | Slightly smaller than the Civilian, regular run for the US. | N/A | N/A | Barrel bolt clip |
Most collectible variation
The C12S in bare aluminum or the C12GP in G10 are the two variations believed to be most collectible Civilians. The Carbon fiber Civilians are of course collectors items as well.
The C12SGY grey FRN Matriarch is the one believed to be the most collectible Matriarch, although there might be few of the ATS-55 Black matriarch in circulation as well.
Questions regarding collecting the C12
Some interesting questions we are looking for an answer to:
- Was there ever a G10 Civilian with the gin-1 steel and Boye dent?
- Was there ever a G10 Civilian with the ATS-55 steel without the Boye dent?
- Who designed the Civilian?
- How many made of the different knives?
Questions with an answer:
- Was there ever a Matriarch in Grey FRN with the VG-10 steel? No! [8]
Technical information
Typical measurements (mm and grams) of the C12 Civilian:
Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
233 | 132 | 105 | 12 | 3 | 134 |
Typical measurements (Inches and ounces) of the C12 Civilian:
Length overall | Length closed | Length edge | Hole Ø | Blade thickness | Weight |
9 3/16" | 5 3/16" | 3 3/4" | 15/32" | 1/8" | 4,5 oz. |
References
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2000 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2001 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2002 is available for download here
- ↑ Spyderco's dealer catalog from 2003 is available for download here
- ↑ The entire thread containing Mr. Glesser's comment can be found here.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The C12 Civilian in Spyderco's online catalog
- ↑ Found here
- ↑ Confirmed by Spyderco