Morphy Auctions will sell a Bowie knife belonging to Jim Bowie's brother, Rezin, in Las Vegas on January 19.

Jim Bowie was an American frontiersman whose exploits on the lawless Texas border made him famous.

Jim Bowie is credited with designing the knife that bears his name

He famously died defending the Alamo in 1836.

While he didn't create it himself, Jim Bowie worked with various makers over the years to improve the knife bearing his name.  

It was based on Spanish fighting knives commonly used by pirates. It was popularised after Bowie's brawl with a Major Norris Wright in 1827 - an incident known as the Sandbar Fight.

Bowie's prowess with the weapon led to a run of orders from manufacturers across the nation.

This knife is one of four Rezin Bowie ordered from New York maker Chevallier in 1835.

They were intended to honour his brother's feats of courage and were presented to four men - one of whom was the Shakespearian actor Edwin Forrest.

This was Forrest's knife. He later gave it to Joseph Davis, brother of confederate president Jefferson Davis.

The knife is a remarkable piece of American history and is expected to bring in around $100,000-200,000.

The record for any American knife was set for the hunting knife presented to Teddy Roosevelt just before he left office in 1909.