Better than an M3

[J_Andrews]

I have a no-bail that I got from a veteran of the 501st Para Bn who had it from 1941 at Benning, and retained it as he went to the 509th and then to OSS. He said the bales were added by Schrade at the request of The Para School/Provisional Para Gp in late 1941 or early 1942. He recalled the "new style" arriving, but he did not need one. He was trained as a rigger, and was given his personal knife (to keep) as part of his rigging kit.

[F15MC]

so I've had this schrade for a long time (my dad found it in the trunk of a 47' mercury in the sixties) and i always thought it was strange that 'presto' was stamped twice. Today i was looking at it and noticed an 'a' in the 'o' in presto. on closer inspection i found the 'u' and 's' on either side of the 'T' in presto. I assume this is the 'made in u.s.a.' Is this weird, is this normal? Any info helpful.

[WarBaby]

On 12/21/2007 at 3:45 PM, dustin said:

I believe the concensus among the knife guru's is that the black plastic or imitation bone handles are post WWII.

No. Geo. Schrade marked knives are late war issue, Schrade Walden marked knives are also questionably late to post war manufacture. No doubt about the Geo. Schrade Presto marked examples being of WW2 issue.

[sactroop]

As I have come to understand it.  The Schrade Walden mark only begins after Albert Baer acquired Schrade after the end of WW2.  Schrade was brought into the Imperial Associated Knife Companies and years later eventually became Imperial Schrade.

As far as black plastic scales on WW2 pocket knives, those became common by 1944.