All About Pocket Knives

Trying to help my son here who just purchased 700+ knives in an estate sale.

Trying to identify an older combat knife. All metal. No markings. Heavy. Looks like they may have used copper to secure the handle to the blade.

Any thoughts on origins would be greatly appreciated.

Just my opinion, but looks like a modern knife that has been repaired. Especially since it has no markings. Other military collectors will add more informed advice.

Machinist made or home made, definitely not factory made. Possibly a "theater" knife made in-theater during WW2 but could have been made later, or made here by a machinist for a soldier.

I also think that it is homemade. but he's cool

Is that a bayonet?

butter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:45 am Is that a bayonet?

If it was a bayonet, there would have to be some attachment points for it to fit onto a rifle. I can't see any either on the hilt or on the pommel.

I believe you're all correct. If it were made for the military there should be a "mil-spec" number or something similar on it.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 5:42 pm

butter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 4:45 am Is that a bayonet?

If it was a bayonet, there would have to be some attachment points for it to fit onto a rifle. I can't see any either on the hilt or on the pommel.

I think he meant is it a shortened bayonet. Some old bayonets were long enough to make two knives. So they were sacrificed to help the war effort. In the beginning of www2 there was a shortage of fighting knives. Every shop class and machine shop tried to help out.

That shortage put both Buck knives and Randall Made Knives on the map.

Probably a theater made knife, made by soldiers in their downtime to keep busy. A lot have aluminum and plexiglass handles, both were readily available at the time or other discarded materials, the blades were usually cut down bayonets and such. Just my 2¢ and a cool piece of military history.