Catt 225Q 10" knife with custom handle

[menzoman]

This knife and sheath were given to me by my father who purcahsed them in 1945 while active duty in Manilla, Phillipines. The handle has been customized. Inside the plastic [or some clear material] is a portion of a circuit board from a downed Japanese Zero fighter plane. Are these modifications common? Does the modification reduce or increase the avlue of the knife?
This knife has great sentimental value to me as my father passed away this last December. Any information or comments about the knife are appreciated.

[Miller Bro's]

Nice Cattaraugus 225Q Quartermasters knife. They are fairly common, a lot were made and are still around. You can`t kill these things are so hefty!

The leather handles rotted in combat use and the handles were often replaced and they are considered "theater' knives due to this modification.

As far as value I don`t really know what they are going for.

BTW to AAPK

[coffeecup]

If you watch for a couple months, you can usually pick up an issue 225Q for $25=35 plus shipping, sometimes with a ratty sheath included. "Theater knives" built on the 225 Q, without provenance (documents--and ideally photos taken during wartime showing the knife), seem to go in the $35-$75 range. It depends on a lot of factors, including the style of the work, materials used, condition of the knife, etc. (Price tends to go down for some of the rarer knives if re-worked as theater knives.)

Provenance is important because it establishes that the work was actually done in-theater, rather than after the war. I've seen a couple of "theater knives" that the owners acknowledged re-working post-war, or their kids re-worked in shop class in the '50s and '60s. Not with any intent to deceive, they were just customizing their knifes.

With good provenance, prices tend to go up a bit. The highest I've seen a 225Q theater knife go for was around $400 BUT it included a very nicely done knife and sheath, dated photos of the owner working on the knife and sheath while recovering from injuries, and a couple photos taken in-theater of him wearing the knife while receiving a couple medals. But that was a rare example.

Hope that helps, and welcome to the forum!