Greg Robinson Posted August 25, 2007 Share #1 Posted August 25, 2007 I recently got to handle this piece. Although it has issues such as wrong scabbard and sharpening which lightly scratched the blade it's essentially unused. A nice enough example to show of why collectors go ape over these. It's the handsomest and highest quality of all the WW2 USMC 1219c2 fighting knives. According to Alec Tulkof's "Grunt Gear", only 10,000 of these were made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted August 26, 2007 Share #2 Posted August 26, 2007 Greg, What a beauty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted August 26, 2007 Author Share #3 Posted August 26, 2007 Greg, What a beauty! Yeah....I liked it also but it was more money than I could put into one of those, especially one with "issues". Holding that knife was one of those times I wish I had unlimited money to spend. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted August 30, 2007 Share #4 Posted August 30, 2007 Hey guys, I've just registered on this impressive forum and I'm coming with lots of questions! Actually I try to collect information about Ka-Bars, since I don't know how to distinguish a WWII-era made Ka-Bar from a post-war one. I only know the different manufacturers : Ka-Bar, Pal, Camillus, Robeson. Looking forward to hearing from you alll, Fox PS: please have a look on my introduction where people are supposed to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted August 30, 2007 Share #5 Posted August 30, 2007 Hey guys,I've just registered on this impressive forum and I'm coming with lots of questions! Actually I try to collect information about Ka-Bars, since I don't know how to distinguish a WWII-era made Ka-Bar from a post-war one. I only know the different manufacturers : Ka-Bar, Pal, Camillus, Robeson. Looking forward to hearing from you alll, Fox PS: please have a look on my introduction where people are supposed to do so. If you want a good education on WWII fighting knives, then just start working your say through the posts in the EDGED WEAPONS section: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?showforum=8 - there's a wealth of info there and I have learned by asking questions of Greg and some others guys with similar experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted August 30, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted August 30, 2007 Hey guys, I've just registered on this impressive forum and I'm coming with lots of questions! Actually I try to collect information about Ka-Bars, since I don't know how to distinguish a WWII-era made Ka-Bar from a post-war one. I only know the different manufacturers : Ka-Bar, Pal, Camillus, Robeson. Looking forward to hearing from you alll, Fox PS: please have a look on my introduction where people are supposed to do so. Hey Fox Welcome aboard!! After the end of WW2 no more "k-bars" were made until 1960. And those are easily to spot by their markings. Instead of maker name and branch of service markings the post ww2 knives are marked "US" / and maker name. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted August 31, 2007 Share #7 Posted August 31, 2007 I try to collect information about Ka-Bars... Fox, You've come to the right place. Greg Robinson has forgotten more about Mark 2 knives than most of us will ever know! Welcome aboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted August 31, 2007 Share #8 Posted August 31, 2007 After the end of WW2 no more "k-bars" were made until 1960. And those are easily to spot by their markings. Instead of maker name and branch of service markings the post ww2 knives are marked "US" / and maker name. Thus, the only difference is about the markings? So, for example: if a blade has 'Ka-Bar' or 'Camillus' (maker name) at one side and 'USMC' or 'USN' (branch of service) at the other, it means it was made before 1960? What about the finition of the blade itself? Should it be shiny, 'blue', 'black'...? I also thought there could have been some differences about the handle, the pommel -- type of metal used, type of nail, etc. Thanks a lot, I feel at home right here! Regards, Fox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjoe Posted September 1, 2007 Share #9 Posted September 1, 2007 very nice greg..how much was he asking if you dont mind me asking.. welcome fox...you are in the right place for all your questions ..i will be in normandy 06/09/07..staying at La Madeleine, Ste Marie du Mont just down from utah beach..did you know there is a militaria fair on saturday 08/08/07 in normandy..all the best bigjoe ( usmc collector ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted September 2, 2007 Share #10 Posted September 2, 2007 First time in Normandy, BIGJOE? Well, is anybody here able to answer my questions? Thanks, Fox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted September 2, 2007 Share #11 Posted September 2, 2007 Thus, the only difference is about the markings? So, for example: if a blade has 'Ka-Bar' or 'Camillus' (maker name) at one side and 'USMC' or 'USN' (branch of service) at the other, it means it was made before 1960? What about the finition of the blade itself? Should it be shiny, 'blue', 'black'...? I also thought there could have been some differences about the handle, the pommel -- type of metal used, type of nail, etc. Thanks a lot, I feel at home right here! Regards, Fox The basic differences between new and old can be pretty easy to figure out, but the details of the pommel, etc help determine when it was made in WWII. The best thing to do is to just start with the oldest posts in the EDGED WEAPONS section and start looking through those one at a time. Blade condition is an area of study all itself, but as someone who owns a few WWII kabars, I find they are all cool to own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted September 3, 2007 Share #12 Posted September 3, 2007 I've been looking around for an hour and a half on the forum and found very interesting information about what I'm looking for. Now, I'd like to know how much I should pay for an original Mk 2 combat knife with USMC (or USN) markings, made by : -Ka-Bar? -PAL? -Camillus? -Robeson? Concerning the sheath, is a leather one better than a plastic one? Thanks for your help, Fox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted September 3, 2007 Share #13 Posted September 3, 2007 Fox, If this was my first Mark 2, I would buy a WWII USMC issue Mark 2, specifically a Ka-bar. They are the ones that made these knives famous. Greg has one for sale on this forum for a fair price. Like he says on the post, if it's not a nice one, it would not be in his collection. It has the correct leather sheath, which is more desirable for a USMC Mark 2. The plastic scabbards go better with a USN Mark 2. Here is a link to it: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...amp;#entry56640 Now, I don't know if Greg ships to France--you would have to ask him. After this knife, I would buy the book "Military Knives: A Reference Book" published by Knife World. After reading through it, I would then decide which one I would get next if I wanted another one. These are my 2¢ worth. Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted September 3, 2007 Share #14 Posted September 3, 2007 Very nice, Gunbarrel. Thanks a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Robinson Posted September 6, 2007 Author Share #15 Posted September 6, 2007 The topic of all the US issue "k-bars" is just too broad to discuss on a single forum posting. There have been some good suggestions made such as reviewing the forum archives and buying books. The one edited by Frank Trzaska which is a new edition of the M H Cole books is a good one. I'm fortunate to own the original M H Cole books and they've been a fantastic reference since they contain line drawings of all the known varations showing markings. As for scabbards, you want to stick with leather ones for USMC knives since the Marine Corps never adopted the plastic Navy Mk 2 scabbard. Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fox Posted September 7, 2007 Share #16 Posted September 7, 2007 Roger that, Greg. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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