Unique Vintage WWII Era Theater Made Hunting Or Fighting Knife One Of A Kind
Item History & Price
Offered for your consideration is an unusual and especially well-made WWII era theater-made utility and/or fighting 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 soldiers ...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 definitely one of the more solidly made knives that I've seen. It's well above average in quality and workmanship for this type of knife. It features some very unique and distinctive design elements. The knife was very nicely executed all the way around. It was obviously the work of a skilled craftsman and an experienced knifemaker.
The knife appears to have seen quite a bit use, although it's hard to tell for sure as the blade may have been ground from re-purposed steel. The knife has not been polished or buffed and remains completely as made.
Initial glances at this knife can be certainly be deceiving. This is a very nicely made knife that has a certain "all business" kind of personality. It has an excellent feel in the hand and just gives a sense of rugged durability. It seems the maker's focus was on crafting a knife that would perform with less on focus on how it would look on one's belt or on display. The thick, sturdy carbon steel blade was crisply ground and shows excellent symmetry. The blade exhibits some scattered old surface corrosion as shown, although there doesn't appear to be any active corrosion. The blade has little taper and it remains very sturdy right out to the tip, offering no flexibility. The blade is free of errant grinder marks or harsh sharpening abrasions and shows little sharpening loss. The spine features crisp ridges from the guard to the clip, which really helps to lock in the grip. The blade was perfectly centered and the blade/guard junctions were almost seamlessly brazed by a very skilled hand. The guard was crafted from brass and it's free of any marring or damage with no grind marks. The blade/guard junctions are very clean and appear to have been soldered by a skilled hand. The guard is rock-solid and free of any looseness or play. The guard, handle, and pommel appear to have been crafted from solid brass as a single-piece sleeve that a rat-tail or threaded tang slid through. The handle was covered with alternating segments of aluminum, vulcanized rubber, and either leather or some type of pressed fiber spacers. All of the segments/spacers remain completely solid and tight with no looseness or play. They all remain correctly aligned as well. The handle is free of any cuts, degradation, or damage with the exception of a small spot where the handle covering materials appear to have worn through to the brass as shown. This was likely the result of a ring on a finger during repeated use. The thick pommel is of brass and it displays excellent symmetry as well. The pommel remains rock-solid and the tang can be seen centered. It's free of any marring or damage and it's never been used to pound or hammer. The handle has a thin profile with an excellent feel in the hand. It allows for great responsiveness and blade control.
The knife measures just over 10-1/2" in overall length.
The leather belt sheath appears to be a factory sheath, although it's obviously been with the knife for a very long time...likely from the beginning. It's largely intact, although there is some loose stitching around the tip. There's also just a bit of degradation around the edge where the loose stitching is. The retainer strap is torn on one side and missing the snap on that side.
If you're a collector and/or enthusiast of theater knives, this a very unusual and interesting piece that's almost certainly one-of-a-kind. Someone really put some time and effort into crafting this piece.
A very well-made and very unique theater knife with tons of character!!
Sorry but no international shipping.
The knife appears to have seen quite a bit use, although it's hard to tell for sure as the blade may have been ground from re-purposed steel. The knife has not been polished or buffed and remains completely as made.
Initial glances at this knife can be certainly be deceiving. This is a very nicely made knife that has a certain "all business" kind of personality. It has an excellent feel in the hand and just gives a sense of rugged durability. It seems the maker's focus was on crafting a knife that would perform with less on focus on how it would look on one's belt or on display. The thick, sturdy carbon steel blade was crisply ground and shows excellent symmetry. The blade exhibits some scattered old surface corrosion as shown, although there doesn't appear to be any active corrosion. The blade has little taper and it remains very sturdy right out to the tip, offering no flexibility. The blade is free of errant grinder marks or harsh sharpening abrasions and shows little sharpening loss. The spine features crisp ridges from the guard to the clip, which really helps to lock in the grip. The blade was perfectly centered and the blade/guard junctions were almost seamlessly brazed by a very skilled hand. The guard was crafted from brass and it's free of any marring or damage with no grind marks. The blade/guard junctions are very clean and appear to have been soldered by a skilled hand. The guard is rock-solid and free of any looseness or play. The guard, handle, and pommel appear to have been crafted from solid brass as a single-piece sleeve that a rat-tail or threaded tang slid through. The handle was covered with alternating segments of aluminum, vulcanized rubber, and either leather or some type of pressed fiber spacers. All of the segments/spacers remain completely solid and tight with no looseness or play. They all remain correctly aligned as well. The handle is free of any cuts, degradation, or damage with the exception of a small spot where the handle covering materials appear to have worn through to the brass as shown. This was likely the result of a ring on a finger during repeated use. The thick pommel is of brass and it displays excellent symmetry as well. The pommel remains rock-solid and the tang can be seen centered. It's free of any marring or damage and it's never been used to pound or hammer. The handle has a thin profile with an excellent feel in the hand. It allows for great responsiveness and blade control.
The knife measures just over 10-1/2" in overall length.
The leather belt sheath appears to be a factory sheath, although it's obviously been with the knife for a very long time...likely from the beginning. It's largely intact, although there is some loose stitching around the tip. There's also just a bit of degradation around the edge where the loose stitching is. The retainer strap is torn on one side and missing the snap on that side.
If you're a collector and/or enthusiast of theater knives, this a very unusual and interesting piece that's almost certainly one-of-a-kind. Someone really put some time and effort into crafting this piece.
A very well-made and very unique theater knife with tons of character!!
Sorry but no international shipping.
