Latest Find--6-inch Kinfolks Knife

[thorin6]

This is one of the 6-inch knives that the US Army purchased in 1942, before they went to the M3. There were six manufacturers: Kinfolks, Queen, Williams, Case, Ka-bar, and PAL. Picked this up at a nearby antique festival in NC. Correct Kinfolks marked sheath, lightly sharpened condition, guard and leather washers very tight.

[thorin6]

Here are the markings on the sheath and blade.

[thorin6]

Some close ups of the pommel and guard.

[thorin6]

And a final rant about the place we all love to hate. I paid a reasonable price on this knife given it's condition. It is not a particularly rare blade (but in very good to excellent condition); there are several like this for sale on ebay most times I look (which is about 3-4 times a week). However, when I went on to see what prices were being asked for Kinfolks in this condition, I saw the prices in the $125 range (over twice what I paid). I have noticed over the past two or so years that the prices of decent WW2 knives on ebay have more than doubled what I was paying back in 2016 and earlier. With these prices it will be hard for a new collector (with limited funds) to acquire nice knives in the future. Without new collectors, this hobby will slowly atrophy until there are just a few of us left (until we age out).

This may be evolution, but where will this hobby go?

[sundance]

Great knife. During WW2 I believe Kinfolks was in Little Valley in Western NY. A beautiful little village in a largely agricultural area. You just think these companies would be in cities.