TRR Posted February 22, 2015 Share #1 Posted February 22, 2015 How rare are these Kabar knives? I have had a few, but never came across one that was worth this outside of WW2 era. Any info? Are there any reproductions or fakes of these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-US-Mk2-MSI-Fighting-Knife-Ka-Bar-Type-Mark-2-/221697036881?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339e2c5251 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayonetman Posted February 22, 2015 Share #2 Posted February 22, 2015 The listing is correct as far as the information about the knife is concerned - 5500 is a very small production run, and like any knife, condition is very important to some collectors. They were delivered in 1982-83. A small number of these were included in a surplus sale by the Marines on Okinawa several years ago, and it appears that they may have been the only quantity to have hit the market. We have to thank Frank Trzaska for knowing anything about this knife - after years of searching, the record was actually found in the files at Camillus and Frank was responsible for revealing it. What is it worth? In a case like this, whatever a serious collector feels it is worth paying to add what might be the knife to fill that one hole in his collection. To me, no (but I already have one). I have seen a few on eBay over the last few years, but not that many. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hudson Posted February 22, 2015 Share #3 Posted February 22, 2015 I think the one on ebay is on the highend: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRR Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted February 22, 2015 Thanks Gary! Great information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRR Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted February 22, 2015 Looks like climbing prices Bob, better economy or higher demand maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted February 22, 2015 Share #6 Posted February 22, 2015 The couple of "MSI" versions I've seen, just are too high for what I want to pay for one. I'll stumble on one sooner or later at a more reasonable price. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayonetman Posted February 22, 2015 Share #7 Posted February 22, 2015 I will say that I think it is considerably overpriced, but I have seen a lot of that on the Buy It Now pricing recently. Seems like a lot of sellers want to see if they can catch someone unaware, even on things that are common. As Skip properly points out, if you are patient, one will usually come along at a price that makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted February 22, 2015 Share #8 Posted February 22, 2015 I believe I have one of the Okinawa MSIs. On a gun forum several years ago someone put 5 up for sale, and I bought the best one for $80 shipped (if I remember correctly). The lowest priced one was $55 but its condition wasn't that great. Mine is matched to its sheath by an etched number on the blade near the guard, and the same number stenciled on the sheath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted February 22, 2015 Share #9 Posted February 22, 2015 Sheath marking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still-A-Marine Posted February 22, 2015 Share #10 Posted February 22, 2015 I paid just under $100 for mine a few years ago. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Flick Posted February 22, 2015 Share #11 Posted February 22, 2015 Gentlemen: That price does not surprise me. It is an issue of relative scarcity and increasing interest by collectors in the post-war Mark II type blades. I note that ebay has two other examples listed with BIN prices of $400 and $275. The one in question is in high condition. With only 5500 ever made the number that have survived in high condition must be a fraction of that figure. I guarantee that 10 years from now we will be having a discussion here again about the MSI blades but we'll probably be talking about the 'good old days' in 2015 when examples in high condition could be bought on ebay for $263. Buying the highest condition examples of scarce USGI knives has always been a good strategy for building a quality collection. Regards, Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Trzaska Posted February 22, 2015 Share #12 Posted February 22, 2015 It took me over ten years to find one that was for sale. This is pre internet days mind you but I would have paid double that to find one. As it stands I purchased my first one in 1997 for $225.00 and I did not blink an eye. These knives were super hard to find until the sell off in 2004 of the Okinawa group of thousands of knives. At that point I owned 4 of them just from buying 50 sealed packages and opening them to see what was inside. Since then I have bought and sold a few of them, usually in the $200.00 to $250.00 range in used condition. I might be biased but I think that one listed above is a good deal. Just rambling... All the best Frank Trzaska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRR Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted February 22, 2015 Thanks fellas for all the information. I learned more than I expected as always around here. The seller has posted a few more that look like old stock, must have found a collection from the myriad of other items they sell. Are unused K-Bars pretty common for the VN years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted February 22, 2015 Share #14 Posted February 22, 2015 The sheath looks to be a little wrinkled and used. I suspect it may not be the original sheath. Anyone else feel the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted February 23, 2015 Share #15 Posted February 23, 2015 No looks like the same as mine and two others I've seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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