Collins & Co No. 18...

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Pablo
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Collins & Co No. 18...

Post by Pablo »

A friend showed me this Collins & Co Legitimus No. 18 knife that belonged to her late father. Asked me if I knew if it was worth anything and if I could clean it up. I researched it and different sights say different things... made pre WWII and throughout the war... Marine Corps Raiders carried them... several made for civilian market afterwards... but also a few fakes are floating around there. Also saw that if they are original they can bring in a pretty penny. Blades in good shape, got stains and some surface rust (no pitted rust that I can tell). Minor nicks and scratches on the brass guard and handle. Doesn't appear to have ever been used nor sharpened. Sheath is in decent shape. So to my questions... How do you tell if it's an original? What do you think it's worth? And the most controversial one of all... TO CLEAN OR NOT TO CLEAN? Any info would greatly be appreciated. Sorry the photos aren't that great... camera's not that great either.
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Be a radical... use common sense.
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WelderBob
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Re: Collins & Co No. 18...

Post by WelderBob »

Pablo, Very nice knife, from your pic's it looks correct...the stamp looks right and having the original sheath in good shape is a plus.

As for cleaning...NO...other than keeping rust at bay I with oil or wax. Shinny doesn't sell in military knives to well.

This picture is out of M.H. Cole's book.


Bob
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Bob

"To Ride, Shoot Straight, And Speak The Truth" - Jeff Cooper
Pablo
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Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:20 pm
Location: North GA Mountains

Re: Collins & Co No. 18...

Post by Pablo »

Thank you Bob, I appreciate the information and the excerpt from the book. Pretty neat stuff, no? I guess I will oil the ol' knife up and return it to my friend.
Be a radical... use common sense.
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terryl308
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Re: Collins & Co No. 18...

Post by terryl308 »

Pablo, you got some good advice, DONOT CLEAN, just keep the rust at bay with some type of oil or wax. I have been messing around with knives and guns most of my 73 years and have seen more than one collectable ruined by over doing the cleaning, especially power buffing and reblueing. Your friend has what appears to be a really nice collectable military knife. Thanks for asking about cleaning. As far as value, in the right place, it could bring anywhere from $100-400. but I am not an expert on putting a value on your knife, too many variables . ::tu:: Terry I just checked ebay "sold" listing for your information and they have sold for $178-427-231-331-200-129 and one for "best offer". Hope that helps you out,
If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
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