1918 mark 1 trench knife real ?

[Firechief501]

Good afternoon , I recently bought a knife collection from an older gentleman who said it was “time to start getting rid of things “. I purchased an old Al Mar 1005 in its original box , probably early 80s , I purchased some Gerber mark IIs from him , some old Kershaw knives in the boxes , and a few other gems . At the end of our transaction he said he had one more knife he wanted me to have for free … it was this trench knife . He said an older gentleman gave it to him approx 40 years ago for some work he did . I am certainly no expert on military items . I tried doing research on my own and so far I have been unable to prove or disprove its authenticity . The blade does measure exactly 6 3/4 “ on the dot . I’ve seen many knives that appear identical to this one specifically the lettering that claim to be genuine , and sold for approx $1200 and up . I would love to hear any thoughts from this group on opinions of this appears to be an authentic piece or a repro . Thanks in advance for all the expertise !!! Being that his collection I bought contained some really nice ,, higher end knives , I’m hoping for this one to be a legitimate piece .

[Ripster]

Good afternoon , I recently bought a knife collection from an older gentleman who said it was “time to start getting rid of things “. I purchased an old Al Mar 1005 in its original box , probably early 80s , I purchased some Gerber mark IIs from him , some old Kershaw knives in the boxes , and a few other gems . At the end of our transaction he said he had one more knife he wanted me to have for free … it was this trench knife . He said an older gentleman gave it to him approx 40 years ago for some work he did . I am certainly no expert on military items . I tried doing research on my own and so far I have been unable to prove or disprove its authenticity . The blade does measure exactly 6 3/4 “ on the dot . I’ve seen many knives that appear identical to this one specifically the lettering that claim to be genuine , and sold for approx $1200 and up . I would love to hear any thoughts from this group on opinions of this appears to be an authentic piece or a repro . Thanks in advance for all the expertise !!! Being that his collection I bought contained some really nice ,, higher end knives , I’m hoping for this one to be a legitimate piece .

It looks like the real deal based on some research. Here’s a pic and info from Mr Silveys book of U.S. Military knives .

[Ripster]

Some info from Mr Cole’s book

[Firechief501]

Awesome !!! Thank you Ripster !! I just measured the overall length and it is exactly 11 1/2 “ as the material you supplied suggests . It also has the copper appearance on the sheath as the literature suggests that it should . I’m getting pretty excited !! Thanks for sharing this info sir !!

[Ripster]

Awesome !!! Thank you Ripster !! I just measured the overall length and it is exactly 11 1/2 “ as the material you supplied suggests . It also has the copper appearance on the sheath as the literature suggests that it should . I’m getting pretty excited !! Thanks for sharing this info sir !!

You are most welcome. Please let us know if you verify one way or the other . Don’t see them for sale often!

[1967redrider]

That is a really nice one, hardly handled too. The blacker this version is, the more pristine.

[Firechief501]

Thanks Redrider . That’s the one thing that makes me a little nervous about this thing is its condition . It really is in damn nice , pristine condition . Been reading more and more online and I still can’t find anything to disprove that it is authentic and not a repro .

[1967redrider]

Thanks Redrider . That’s the one thing that makes me a little nervous about this thing is its condition . It really is in damn nice , pristine condition . Been reading more and more online and I still can’t find anything to disprove that it is authentic and not a repro .

Oh, it's % bona fide, I guarantee.

This guy literally wrote the book on Mark I Trench knives.

[Firechief501]

Thanks Redrider ! You’ve been a great help to me sir . I appreciate everyone jumping in and being so helpful , and kind . Now I’m feeling super jazzed to own such an awesome piece of history and being able to add it to my collection . You guys are great , thank you !!!

[eveled]

Wow! Wonderful example.