Pawn shop find - LF&C 1918

[joefriday22]

Hello gents,

 

I picked this up at a local pawn shop and thought someone may be interested in seeing it. I have another modified similar to this and a minty one in original steel scabbard as well.

 

Best,

Rob

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sundance]

Congrats. Nice find.

[Jay V]

Ditto Nice score

[knucvks7]

Nice knife.

[siclfde]

I actually like the shaved off ones better than the original. It proves to me that somebody either carried it, or intended to carry it, vs it got issued and went in the sock drawer for the duration.

 

[Allan H.]

I have one of these that came straight from the paratrooper who carried it in WWII- down to the M8 scabbard. I have a second attributed to a paratrooper that is only ground down on one side of the guard. It too is in an M8 scabbard. Ed Hicks recently showed some of his ground down M1918 knuckle knives with paratrooper provenance. Thank you for sharing this one.

 

Allan

[SKIPH]

Nice find! Thanks for showing. SKIP

[sgtdorango]

Man thats a beauty!....wish i could find one like that in the wild...mike

[joefriday22]

I actually like the shaved off ones better than the original. It proves to me that somebody either carried it, or intended to carry it, vs it got issued and went in the sock drawer for the duration.

 

 

I feel the same way..

 

Thank you guys..

 

The only paratrooper knife that I have ever been able to get straight from the vet is this one. Complete with pictures and a tattered newspaper with a picture of him at Monte Casino. He lives in the US and actually found the newspaper at a flea market here. He didn't know the picture existed before that. Chance of a lifetime for me with this one.

 

The newspaper was in one piece before his son carried it to school for "show and tell" for years. I found the digital picture on the internet and the other picture I found in a book on WW2 German paratroopers.

 

 

 

[joefriday22]

Another picture of the newspaper from the internet:

 

[thorin6]

Nice find on the 1918. A question; are the metal strips to hold the knife in the scabbard present? I tried to insert my 1918 into an M8 scabbard with the metal strips, and it didn't fit.

[joefriday22]

Thank you. The metal clips have indeed been removed.

 

Best,

Rob

[sactroop]

Growing up I remember my friends Dad having one of those gravity knives he brought back from the war in a tool box. We never could get him to talk about the War, we learned early on to stop trying.