Unusual WWII Era Theater Fighting Knife & Leather Sheath! Bayonet Blade! Unique!

Description

Offered for your consideration is a unique and very interesting WWII era theater-made fighting knife. Theater knives were made by the tens of thousands during times of war. They can span the spectrum from crude, rudimentary knives, to elaborate, high-quality knives. They were crafted by soldiers, generally in the theater of battle, and were made out necessity, to battle boredom, or simply as a hobby. They were generally crafted from materials available to soldiers in the field, although many of the more elaborate knives were made aboard ships in their well-equipped machine shops. This knife came from a huge (well over 750+) life-long collection of theater-made knives. While the exact provenance of most theater knives is usually impossible to determine (unless of course, they were signed or passed down as family heirlooms), these knives usually have a very distinctive design and appearance. The blade on this example appears to have been ground from a salvaged bayonet blade. It's much thicker than usually seen with long, narrow fullers down each side. The knife has a patriotic handle theme with a red, white, and blue color scheme under the stacked clear acrylic segments.
The knife appears to have seen moderate use after it was made. It has not been buffed, polished, or altered and remains exactly as it was made. It looks as though the blade was lightly cleaned when the knife was made.
This knife was very solidly built and it has a well-balanced, very capable feel in the hand with a long, thick blade. The design is versatile and the knife is well-suited for use as a large general purpose/utility knife as well. The thick carbon steel blade was very nicely ground and it's free of any significant corrosion or pitting with just some of the usual scattered small spots of fine surface peppering as shown. The spine is almost 1/4" thick just forward of the guard. The blade is free of heavy errant grinder marks or deep sharpening abrasions with just some fine sharpening abrasions, mostly along the edge as shown. The edge is free of any cracks, chips, dings, or damage and remains very nice with just some normal wear. It remains somewhat sharp and the knife is ready for immediate use, although a quick touch-up would have it razor sharp in no time. The spine has not been pounded or batonned and it's free of any dings, dents, marring, or damage. The double guard was crafted from thick steel (nearly 1/4" thick) and it shows nice symmetry with the blade nicely centered within the guard. The guard remains rock-solid and it's free of any marring or damage. The handle is of stacked clear acrylic (Lexan) segments. The tang was covered with some type of red, white (although some of the white is now yellowish), and blue material under the acrylic as shown. The colors do exhibit some fade from time. The segments are free of any cracks, chips, marring, or damage and they remain clear with no cloudiness or discoloration. The pommel plate was shaped from aluminum and it's free of any dings, dents, marring, or damage. It has never been used to pound or hammer. The handle components remain mostly tight, although the two acrylic discs that make up the pommel will turn a bit if forced. This is likely due to just a bit of drying over the years.
The blade is 7-1/2" and the knife measures 11-5/8" in overall length.
The sheath is the one that came with the knife and it appears to be the original. It's a factory-made sheath and it's of excellent quality. The sheath has a thick composite insert as shown. The insert appears to have been crafted from fiberglass. The thick leather is free of any cuts, punctures, or damage with just some normal light wear as shown. The retainer strap is the original, although the snap is broken. All of the original stitching is intact and tight.
If you're a collector and/or enthusiast of theater knives or U.S. military knives, this is a unique and very solid piece that's certainly one-of-a-kind.
An unusual and interesting theater-made fighting knife!
Sorry but no international shipping.