Jet Pilots knives 5 1/2 inch

[Capt.Case]

I have a Utica Cutlery Co marked Jet Pilot Knife which is not parkerized.  The blade, guard and pommel are all shiny.  Knife appears to have been made this way and does not looked cleaned or polished. Some staining on the blade.  Original sheath with a Norton Pike stone.   Does anyone one know why it was made this wood be?   Thanks.

[opseccc]

Cant.Case,  During large conflicts, like in Vietnam in the late 60's and early 70's, companies making issue Jet Pilots Knives would have a lot of extras after the conflict ended.  Camillus offered these knives as a Camping / Survival knife, and would sell them to the civilian market with a bright blade.   My guess is that your example may have been one for the civilian market.

[Capt.Case]

That is surely a possibility.  Thank you for the help.   I have read that the Utica's are scarce, I wonder what the time frame was that they made them. There seems to be very few around. I have read some articles on Jet Pilots knives  but all have little to say about Utica's. 

[VNAMVET70]

From everything I'v read, the general consensus seems to be the Utica JPSK was made around 1965-66,  give or take a year. Camillus did not date stamp the JPSK until 1967. 

[Capt.Case]

That would indeed be a short run for Utica's then.  Maybe this one came from a factory board or was indeed made later from old parts for the civilian market as OPSECCC mentioned.  The old  Utica factory is only 50 miles west of me but I went the years ago and there was no museum and no one to talk with.

[thorin6]

My recently acquired Utica JPK is also in the white. Cole's Book 3 (pages 147-8) states that they were parkerized like the rest of the JPK ones.  Don't know if this helps or not.

[Capt.Case]

Thorin6 is your whole knife shiny to include the guard and pommel as well as the blade?

[thorin6]

Yes.

[Capt.Case]

Thats a good sign ,  thanks

[sactroop]

The issued knives would have been parkerized in order to meet specs.  Moving the stamping from the blade to the pommel and adding the date did start with the Camillus knives in Jan-1967.  Ontario got their first pilot's knife contract the following year.

I agree that both the MILPAR and Utica knives seem to be smaller orders.  Possibly to fill production needs at the time.

From the picture the metal parts almost appear to be plated, but that could be a trick of the light.

I remember seeing a 5 inch Marble's JPSK also in the white.  It's here somewhere.  Not trying to tease.

[Capt.Case]

You are correct Marbles did make a white Jet Pilot knife for civilian sales.  I actually have one tucked away some where.  So it makes sense that Utica may have done the same. 

[Charlie Flick]

Sounds like a neat knife.  I have a parked example but have never seen a bright blade example.  

 

The major reason that there is so little hard information about these and other Utica blades is that Utica Cutlery has historically been completely unforthcoming about its history of making edged weapons for the U.S. military.  Precisely why that is the case remains a mystery.  The people who worked for Utica must have taken a blood oath of silence as very, very little hard info has leaked out of Utica over the years.  What a shame for collectors.

 

Regards,

Charlie

[Capt.Case]

Thanks Charlie , I appreciate the intel.  It is too bad.  I'll have to look through old magazines from the 60's to see if was ever advertised.

 

Thank you, Rocco 

[VNAMVET70]

3 hours ago, Capt.Case said:

Thanks Charlie , I appreciate the intel.  It is too bad.  I'll have to look through old magazines from the 60's to see if was ever advertised.

 

Thank you, Rocco 

Capt. Case, I have five (5) copies of Leatherneck Magazine: Oct 1962, Sept 1967,  Jan 1968,  July 1971, and Oct 1971.The Jan 1968 Leatherneck magazine is the only one that has an ad for a JPSK. The Utica JPSK shoiuld have been in use by then. Attached is photo of the ad. No manufacturer is listed. There are several other knife ads including Peter Lagana's Tomahawks, Ka-Bar MK2's  and John EK's "Fighting Knife"

[Capt.Case]

Thanks for showing that ad.  $8.95 plus $1.00 shipping in 1968,  probably not considered cheap for then.  Does the magazine show a price for the John EK's?

[VNAMVET70]

6 hours ago, Capt.Case said:

Thanks for showing that ad.  $8.95 plus $1.00 shipping in 1968,  probably not considered cheap for then.  Does the magazine show a price for the John EK's?

Capt. Case, The John EK "Fighting Knife" ad appears in the Sept 1967 Leatherneck magazine, page 17. At $25.00, not cheap in 1967.

[Capt.Case]

VNAMVET70, Thanks for that information. I was curious so I did some quick research, not sure if they are correct but it said it takes $9.00 today to equal $1.00 in 1967.  I would think more than $9.00 myself.  So the John Ek would be $225.00 and the JPSK would be just over $80.00 now.  Interesting you can still get JPSK's for $80.00 and even less today but I'd buy every EK I could find for $225.00 today.