C12 Civilian

C12 Civilian.

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.

Appearance in catalogs

The Civilian appears in the 2000 dealer's catalog, the 2001 dealer catalog, the 2002 dealer's catalog and with the newer bladesteel (VG-10) in the 2003 dealer's catalog

The Matriarch appears in 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

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.

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 following variations of the Civilian are known:

SKU	knife	Edge	Steel	MSRP	Note	Number made
C12S	Original first civilian in untreated aluminum with kraton inlay in handle and in clip	SE	Gin-1	N/A	N/A	N/A
C12TUFS	Tufram coated aluminium handle	SE	Gin-1	N/A	N/A	N/A
C12TUFS	Tufram coated aluminium handle	SE	ATS-55	N/A	N/A	N/A
C12TUFP	Tufram coated aluminium handle	PE	Gin-1	229,95$	N/A	N/A
C12GS	Black G10 handle	SE	Gin-1	N/A	N/A	N/A
C12GS	Black G10 handle	SE	ATS-55	214,95$	N/A	N/A
C12GP	Black G10 handle	PE	ATS-55	N/A	Extremely limited Japan only	less than 100
C12GS	Black G10 handle reinforced tip	SE	VG-10	249,95$	Current one	N/A
C12CFRHP	Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch	PE	ATS-55	229,95$	Right handed	N/A
C12CFLHP	Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch	PE	ATS-55	229,95$	Left handed	N/A
C12CFRHS	Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch	SE	ATS-55	229,95$	Right handed	N/A
C12CFLHS	Carbonfibre handle numbered in pouch	SE	ATS-55	229,95$	Left handed	N/A
C12CFRHP	Carbonfibre handle unnumbered in box	PE	ATS-55	N/A	Right handed	N/A

The following Matriarch variations are known:

SKU	knife	Edge	Steel	MSRP	Note	Number made
C12SBK	Black FRN Handle	SE	VG-10	N/A	Slightly smaller than the Civilian	N/A
C12SGY	Grey FRN Handle	SE	ATS-55	N/A	South African distributors model. Rare version made in low numbers. Slightly smaller than the Civilian	N/A

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?
• Was there ever a Matriarch in Black FRN with the ATS-55 steel?
• Was there ever a Matriarch in Grey FRN with the VG-10 steel?

Most collectable variation

The C12S in bare aluminum or the C12GP in G10 are the two variations believed to be most collectable Civilians. The C12SGY grey FRN Matriarch is the one believed to be the most collectable Matriarch. The Carbon fibre Civilians are of course collectors items as well.

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.

Pictures

Some of the different C12 Civilians, in order of appearance: C12S,C12TUFP,C12TUFS, C12TUFS, C12GS,C12GS,C12GS, C12CFRHP (Unnumbered in box):

The two known variations of the C12 Matriarch: