All About Pocket Knives

Hi all,

Been a long while since I was on AAPK. Life has taken me in many directions, including dealing with Covid. Thankfully my family has been well. I hope your families are too!

I wanted to ask you about a knife I've been bidding on in a private auction I was invited to. It's a Robeson USMC. I really don't know much about it so I wanted to see if anybody could fill me in on model, rareness, etc. Thanks in advance for your help!

Steve

Nice looking knife for sure. I’d be tempted myself.

It looks like a re handle job to me. It should look like a KA-BAR MK2 Stacked leather handle flat steel guard thick steel pommel.

I wish there was a way to tell if these knives are authentic war time “trench art” or done after the war.

I think Robeson is the rarest manufacturer of the mk2 knife. As such it is desirable. In its modified state it’s really hard to value. It’s got some blade loss too.

Definite rehandle.

Robeson blade, theater made handle. I think it's pretty cool, I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. Plexiglass and aluminum were plentiful for making things with, I would bet this knife saw some action.

From Price & Zalesky's 15th Edition. Your knife with a leather grooved handle is the cream of the collecting crop as far as Mark 2s go.

Thanks guys, appreciate the info!

Hard to tell from the photos, but for Robeson Mark II’s, there are old grind and new grind blades.

Old grind blades were a touch wider and the clip less severe.

Old grind USMC Robeson Mark II’s with a blued blade are high dollar knives.

The theater handle job, however, puts it in a completely different category. It’s no longer collectible as a Robeson Mark II or as an issue knife.

It’s a “Theater Knife, but luckily, there are those that collect such knives.

I have no idea how to value them.