I ordered a Buck fish knife from SMKW.  The shield is in the shape of  a bass fish.  The normal shield is nickel silver.  However ten of the knives were made with a gold plated shield.  The recipients of these ten knives are the winners of a Bill Lowen prize package.  There is a winner's certificate packaged with these ten knives.

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Buck/Buck%C2%AE+Bill+...

I received my knife Saturday.  When I opened the packing box, I found the knife box had already been opened.  There was no sign of damage to the packing box or that it had been opened since leaving SMKW.  So the knife box was definitely opened before it left SMKW.  This is a picture of the way I found the box.

When I started examining the knife it looked like a golden shield.  Inside under artificial light it was hard to tell for sure.  Depending on lighting and angle, sometimes it looked golden, sometimes it was hard to say for sure.  But when I took it outside in the natural sunlight, it definitely is golden.  In the sunlight or shadow, it looks golden.  Angle doesn't matter.

Here is a picture I took outside.  Compare the shield to the bolster.

But there was no winner's certificate in the box.  I am convinced that someone at SMKW opened the box and took the winner's certificate.

I plan to contact SMKW Monday and see what they can do.

The knife itself is fine.  I love it.  It will make a great addition to my fish knife collection.  I would just like to be able to claim my prize package!