Unusual Vintage WWII Era Theater Made Fighting Or GP Knife One Of A Kind
Item History & Price
Offered for your consideration is an unusual and very solidly made WWII era theater-made fighting and/or general purpose knife. Theater knives were made by the tens of thousands during times of war. They can span the spectrum from crude, rudimentary knives, to elaborate, high-quality knives. They were crafted by soldiers, generally in the theater of battle, and were made out necessity, to battle boredom, or simply as a hobby. They were generally crafted from materials available to sold...iers in the field, although many of the more elaborate knives were made aboard ships in their well-equipped machine shops. This knife came from a huge (well over 750+) life-long collection of theater-made knives. While the exact provenance of most theater knives is usually impossible to determine (unless of course, they were signed or passed down as family heirlooms), these knives usually have a very distinctive design and appearance. Theater knives and homemade knives with cast aluminum handles were very common, although the majority were fairly crudely made. I've owned dozens of these knives over the years and this example is another very nicely made knife. It's well above average in quality and workmanship for this type of knife. It features some unique and distinctive design elements. The knife was very nicely executed all the way around. It was obviously the work of a highly skilled craftsman. The knife appears to have been made from a factory produced blade. In fact, it's very possible that the blade was actually from a U.S.M.C. fighting utility knife. Ka-Bar made a version with a blued blade and a very similar blade profile including the wide fullers
The knife appears to have seen light use, although it's hard to tell for sure whether any blade wear occurred prior to the knife being made. The knife has not been polished or buffed and remains completely as made.
This knife has a much more refined appearance than the average theater-made knife. It has a very nice and very secure feel in the hand. The sturdy carbon steel blade was crisply ground and features wide fullers on each side. It has a deeply blued finish that was mirror polished. The blade is free of any significant corrosion or pitting with just a couple scattered small spots of the usual fine surface peppering as shown, mostly just forward of the guard. The blade is free of errant grinder marks or harsh abrasions with just some fine, hairline abrasions mostly around the tip as shown. It has been lightly sharpened and the upper edge of the clip has not been sharpened, remaining original. The edge is free of any nicks, chips, dings, or damage with just a bit of normal light wear. The needle-sharp tip is intact and original with no blunting, burrs, or bending and the spine is free of any dings, dents, marring, or damage. The blued finish remains almost completely intact with just a couple scattered spots and some lighter discoloration around the area just forward of the guard where the work was done to mate the blade to the handle. The blade was very nicely centered in the guard and the blade/guard junctions were skillfully brazed. The guard was crafted from brass backed with a thick, hard rubber and it exhibits nice symmetry. The guard is rock-solid and free of any looseness or play with no marring or damage. The handle was beautifully executed all the way around and the shape closely resembles that of a very popular German dagger handle. It was crafted from stacked clear acrylic segments. Acrylic was a very popular handle material for theater knives due to both its properties and its availability on the battlefield, as well as on military bases. The acrylic was highly finished and it remains very clear with no staining, cloudiness, or discoloration. The handle is free of any marring or damage with very little wear. It's also free of any environmental damage. All handle components remains tight and correctly aligned with no looseness or play. The handle is capped by a thick hard rubber pommel. The pommel displays excellent symmetry as well and it remains rock-solid.It exhibits some light, shallow abrasions/scuffs, although it hasn't been used to hammer and it's free of any significant marring. The entire knife remains rock-solid and completely tight with not a wiggle or rattle anywhere.
The knife measures 10-1/2" in overall length.
The heavy, thick leather belt sheath appears to be the original and it is of very high quality. It remains in excellent condition with no problems and just a bit of normal light wear as shown. All stitching remains intact and tight, as are the eight steel rivets. The retainer strap is the original and it snaps tightly closed. The leather is free of any cuts, tears, punctures, or degradation. It remains soft and supple with no dryness or cracking. It's just an outstanding sheath all the way around.
If you're a collector and/or enthusiast of theater knives, this an unusual and interesting piece that's almost certainly one-of-a-kind.
A very well-made and very unique theater knife with lots of character and a very functional design!!
Sorry but no international shipping.
The knife appears to have seen light use, although it's hard to tell for sure whether any blade wear occurred prior to the knife being made. The knife has not been polished or buffed and remains completely as made.
This knife has a much more refined appearance than the average theater-made knife. It has a very nice and very secure feel in the hand. The sturdy carbon steel blade was crisply ground and features wide fullers on each side. It has a deeply blued finish that was mirror polished. The blade is free of any significant corrosion or pitting with just a couple scattered small spots of the usual fine surface peppering as shown, mostly just forward of the guard. The blade is free of errant grinder marks or harsh abrasions with just some fine, hairline abrasions mostly around the tip as shown. It has been lightly sharpened and the upper edge of the clip has not been sharpened, remaining original. The edge is free of any nicks, chips, dings, or damage with just a bit of normal light wear. The needle-sharp tip is intact and original with no blunting, burrs, or bending and the spine is free of any dings, dents, marring, or damage. The blued finish remains almost completely intact with just a couple scattered spots and some lighter discoloration around the area just forward of the guard where the work was done to mate the blade to the handle. The blade was very nicely centered in the guard and the blade/guard junctions were skillfully brazed. The guard was crafted from brass backed with a thick, hard rubber and it exhibits nice symmetry. The guard is rock-solid and free of any looseness or play with no marring or damage. The handle was beautifully executed all the way around and the shape closely resembles that of a very popular German dagger handle. It was crafted from stacked clear acrylic segments. Acrylic was a very popular handle material for theater knives due to both its properties and its availability on the battlefield, as well as on military bases. The acrylic was highly finished and it remains very clear with no staining, cloudiness, or discoloration. The handle is free of any marring or damage with very little wear. It's also free of any environmental damage. All handle components remains tight and correctly aligned with no looseness or play. The handle is capped by a thick hard rubber pommel. The pommel displays excellent symmetry as well and it remains rock-solid.It exhibits some light, shallow abrasions/scuffs, although it hasn't been used to hammer and it's free of any significant marring. The entire knife remains rock-solid and completely tight with not a wiggle or rattle anywhere.
The knife measures 10-1/2" in overall length.
The heavy, thick leather belt sheath appears to be the original and it is of very high quality. It remains in excellent condition with no problems and just a bit of normal light wear as shown. All stitching remains intact and tight, as are the eight steel rivets. The retainer strap is the original and it snaps tightly closed. The leather is free of any cuts, tears, punctures, or degradation. It remains soft and supple with no dryness or cracking. It's just an outstanding sheath all the way around.
If you're a collector and/or enthusiast of theater knives, this an unusual and interesting piece that's almost certainly one-of-a-kind.
A very well-made and very unique theater knife with lots of character and a very functional design!!
Sorry but no international shipping.
