All About Pocket Knives

An acquaintance sent me these images and asked if I could find out what it was. Apparently no tang stamps. Something in a foreign language etched on the blade. An image of a (soldier? scout?) in the (celluloid?) handle. A similar image embossed into the sheath. I certainly don't know what it is; hoping someone does.

My old eyes can't tell what the etch is. Ask him if he can write down a close approximate of what the letters are for each word, that way we might possibly figure which country and language it is. But basically it looks like someone personalized a knife for someone and replaced the handles with a cutout of a photo underneath. And what is the figure to the left of the etching on the blade?

It's cool! I'd say Scouts. Looks like Balkan or something nearby. J.O'.

I’ve tried every way I know to make it out, but can’t. I have this nagging hunch that it’s Greek. But my wife informs me that I’m wrong from time to time so........

Looks kinda Greeky to me, as well.

I think it's Greek too, but I've seen a number of knives with those exact same deeply engraved markings on the blade sold as "Cretian Souvenir Knives". Some of them are dated.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174044111535?h ... SwSVhdgiVA

I think you cracked the code!

tongueriver wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:42 pm I think you cracked the code!

I ran it through the a translation program (which is notoriously bad), I set it to translate Greek (which makes sense if it’s from Crete) and got something to do with Spring Break. Again, translation programs are notoriously bad, but maybe that is a jumping off point for figuring this out.

Colonel26 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:04 pm

tongueriver wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:42 pm I think you cracked the code!

...got something to do with Spring Break...

I assume that they were not talking about broken knife springs. LOL

I can add nothing to the conversation except to say I like it.

tongueriver wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:21 pm

Colonel26 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 3:04 pm

tongueriver wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 2:42 pm I think you cracked the code!

...got something to do with Spring Break...

I assume that they were not talking about broken knife springs. LOL

Lol, I would think not!

Probably from Crete. These dancers from that area are similarly garbed:
Eric

The sheath is a Boy Scout knife sheath. The stamped outline is that of a saluting scout in short sleeved shirt, short pants and garrison cap. I've seen that sheath before, but I can't remember which brand of knife was with the sheath.

Also, he might spread some flour across the blade to fill the engraving with flour. I used that trick before to figure out a light engraving/stamping.

zzyzzogeton wrote: ↑Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:30 pm The sheath is a Boy Scout knife sheath. The stamped outline is that of a saluting scout in short sleeved shirt, short pants and garrison cap. I've seen that sheath before, but I can't remember which brand of knife was with the sheath.

Mora makes one like that today, but I have a '60s KJ Eriksson (which merged with Frosts to form Morakniv) with that exact same sheath around here somewhere.

I believe it is a Greek souvenir knife similar to these;only with a transparent handle and added picture. I think it commemorates a battle between Greece and Cyprus in 1821

Actually looking more closely at the pic I posted it almost looks like the same guy!
Eric