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Murphy "Clause Combat" Knife eBay Score


TALLYHO
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Stumbled upon this knife while perusing my usual blade haunts on eBay. Its a Clause Combat knife. The knife differs slightly from the Murphy Combat knife in that the guard is straight rather then slanted, the pommel flare is a bit different, no makers name or USA on handle, and a narrow 1" wide blade. Said to be harder to come by than a Murphy. Pictured exactly how I received it, the blade is 6 5/8" in length x 1" wide, LOA is approximately11 1/2".

The sheath leaves a little to be desired in that the keeper is broke, otherwise with a treatment of Pecards it should look great. I understand that Clause was a neighbor of Murphy. Can anyone shed some light on the the history and ballpark value of this rare knife?

Thank you in advance! Clay

 

 

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Still-A-Marine

Never heard of a Clause knife. Frank Barteaux made some Commando knives that were patterned after the Murphy knife. I think they were made from Murphy rejects.

 

Bill

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Hi Bill, When I researched the knife I came up with the following info. The first is an excerpt from Wikipedia. The second a prior sale description that had photographs of the knife on Worthpoint as well as a reponse to a question on Knifeforums.

1. Murphy Knives also made about one hundred knives a year of a lesser known model called the Clause Combat knife.[2] This knife was unmarked and similar to the Murphy Combat knife with a narrower blade. These Clause Combat knives were made from left-over parts from Murphy Combat knives between 1942 and 1949 by Mr. Clause, a neighbor of the Murphy's in Oregon.[2]

 

2. Look what I found in a group of knives that I purchased!! ,this is what I believe to be a rare WW2 Dave Murphy "Clause" Combat fighter,from what I read on the internet its my understanding that unmarked Murphys are known as" The Clause Combat Knife"and are very scarce, this knife is ummarked,the aluminum handle looks similar to other murphys I have seen on ebay,but this handle looks like it has a slightly different shape to me,the condition of the knife is very good with light patina on the blade,the blade measures aprox 6-5/8" x1" wide,the handle is 4-1/2" ,overall 11-1/4".....

 

I have owned three Murphy knives, one WWII, one Clause Combat (which was made from leftover parts by Murphy), and one commemorative. Only the Clause was unmarked. The other two were marked Murphy Combat with USA on the obverse. Additionally, M. H. Cole, US Military Knives, Bayonets and Machettes, Book #4 Page 157, shows that the Murphy knives.

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Never heard of Clause either. Wikipedia is nothing more than the banter that occurs in the public square. Sometimes good information and sometimes just the recent gossip. The statement under (2.) sounds like Barteaux was replaced by Clause for some reason. If there actually was a Clause this would be the place to find someone who's heard of him.

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Frank Trzaska

The proper spelling is Clouse. He was a drinking buddy of Murphy in the blade making days of World War Two. Clouse made a few knives in the Murphy shop at times for friends and relatives and a few too sell. I have held two of them in my lifetime and do not remember any ever being sold. It is a beyond rare knife, in fact so rare the most have never heard of them. Being that rare hurts it in value and desirability. Few want what no one has ever heard of. I have looked for many years for one and never seen one for sale at any price.

 

Speaking with TallyHo I asked for better photos of the name in the grip, I can not tell from it what it says. Of the two I have seen they were marked in the grip. Those of you that read my article in Knife World November 2012 might remember when I wrote about Clouse, Murphy and Barteaux in a little more detail than shared here. Here is the photo I have and published in that article.

 

All the best

Frank Trzaska

 

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On the bottom picture of the knife it almost looks like it has a boss where there may or may not been a name. But it could be the way the handle is made. Neat knife.

Dennis aka nifman

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First off, Thank you Frank for clarifying the Clouse knife (as well as the spelling). My knife obviously is not a Clouse. Nor do I believe it is a Murphy. It lacks the name MURPHY COMBAT on one side and U.S.A on the other. Also the guard is perpendicular to the blade rather than at an angle as on the Murphy and the pommel has a different flare to it. That being said, If not a Clouse or Murphy, could it be a Barteaux? I read that his knives were unmarked and the style of this knife, in my opinion, is too close not have been associated with Murphy. Any thoughts?......... Clay

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First off, Thank you Frank for clarifying the Clouse knife (as well as the spelling). My knife obviously is not a Clouse. Nor do I believe it is a Murphy. It lacks the name MURPHY COMBAT on one side and U.S.A on the other. Also the guard is perpendicular to the blade rather than at an angle as on the Murphy and the pommel has a different flare to it. That being said, If not a Clouse or Murphy, could it be a Barteaux? I read that his knives were unmarked and the style of this knife, in my opinion, is too close not have been associated with Murphy. Any thoughts?......... Clay

 

I have to say it does look much closer to the Barteaux models I've seen, than Murphy or Clouse. Below is more or less the standard Barteaux WWII profile -

 

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Frank Trzaska

Tallyho,

Look closely at the markings on the grip, could it say COMMANDO possibly? That is a Barteaux marking they used in WW II. See the photo in Mike Silveys Knives WW II Book on page 81. I believe that to be the style knife you have.

 

Very good find!

 

All the best

Frank Trzaska

 

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Frank, Yes I believe it does spell out COMMANDO. I can make out the first letters CO and for sure the last letter O. It`s my understanding that Barteaux opted at some point to alter the mold to obscure the lettering. . I don`t know how true that is or perhaps the mold needed to be cleaned. Thanks again Frank! Best regards, Clay

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Here are 3 Barteaux's' from my collection. The COMMANDO and USA markings seem to have gotten cast lighter through the production run. I'm don't know anything about the top knife in the picture. I'm assuming it to be of the same make, but the grain in the handle is different slightly.

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Yes, The bottom example of yours accurately mirrors mine. Do you have any idea the number of this style were made? One source puts it in the thousands.

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