SKIPH Posted October 25, 2019 Share #1 Posted October 25, 2019 Hey Gang! Just found this Aerial "blade-dated" M3 on ebay.Ebay item # 174075920239. What's wrong with this you say? Aerial never produced "blade-dated" M3s. They made blade stamped, and guard stamped "ACC" M3 trench knives. I don't know the seller, but he states in his ad, "Jaeger Bros. Aerial knife WW II, 1943 M3 Fighting knife". He also states "Jaeger Bros." owned "Aerial", that I don't know. He also states he has 13 "Aerial" knives for sale, (only 1 M3 that I saw"). Anyway, don't get fooled or over anxious to be the owner of an Aerial blade-dated M3. Again, study your hobby! If someone could post this ad it would be appreciated. THX SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #2 Posted October 25, 2019 > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckC Posted October 25, 2019 Share #3 Posted October 25, 2019 https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F174075920239 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #4 Posted October 25, 2019 > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #5 Posted October 25, 2019 > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #6 Posted October 25, 2019 > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #7 Posted October 25, 2019 > Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share #8 Posted October 25, 2019 Thanks Aznation, and ChuckC for posting the pics, and ad. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aznation Posted October 25, 2019 Share #9 Posted October 25, 2019 No problem SKIP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckC Posted October 25, 2019 Share #10 Posted October 25, 2019 Youre welcome Skip! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share #11 Posted October 25, 2019 Looking at the knife, and comparing to other Aerial M3s, I see some differences. I could be wrong, but the back cut in the ad appears to be almost a 90* angle, where as most have a slightly more rounded one. Also the Aerial blade stamp is a lot closer to the guard than is normally seen. The handle looks about right, and so is the duel pommel pins. I can't figure this one. The seller said he was selling all the knives at a $49.95 start price. I just have to go with at date, and maybe the Aerial stamp as some type of enhancement. What are other observations, or opinions? SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy69 Posted October 25, 2019 Share #12 Posted October 25, 2019 The 3 in the date and in M3 look different to me in shape. Close, but not exact and I would expect them to be exact. This is looking on my phone and not in hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckC Posted October 25, 2019 Share #13 Posted October 25, 2019 I agree, Jeremy. Also, the size of the font for the date is larger than the M3 font. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted October 25, 2019 Author Share #14 Posted October 25, 2019 Agree with both Chuck, and jeremy. My biggest red flag is the date, followed by the other, things. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted October 26, 2019 Share #15 Posted October 26, 2019 Is it me or does the distance of the "U.S. M3" from the guard look shorter on this knife than the examples in my references? Don't know what to make of this one, but I wouldn't expect it to take more than 75 years to find the first blade dated Aerial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share #16 Posted October 26, 2019 sactroop- The distance is shorter. Much closer to the guard than normal Aerial M3s. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misfit 45 Posted October 26, 2019 Share #17 Posted October 26, 2019 Hi folks, What do you think was the history of this knife? If the entire blade mark is spurious, then was it originally sterile? Is the majority opinion that just the date has been added to this M3? If you look at the reverse side of the blade, it is pitted and polished, yet the obverse is polished too but the markings seem too crisp to be original; especially the "1943". Marv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share #18 Posted October 26, 2019 Marv- I'm kinda at a loss myself. The Aerial stamp is about the deepest, most crisp, that I have ever seen, the date of course is a huge NO GO. The knife looks like an Aerial. The seller is from the Wisconsin area, maybe he got a hold of some old Aerial stamps. Don't know. But, most of the other knives he's selling are Aerial. It may have been aftermarket, Aerial did some pretty cool modifications after WW2 to former M3s. All we can do is speculate. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sactroop Posted October 26, 2019 Share #19 Posted October 26, 2019 To be clear I have no intention of trying to in anyway give an impression of legitimacy here. The location of the "U.S. M3" is similar to what you see on blade dated and blade marked PAL M3's. Most other M3's the location of the "U.S.M3" is more consistently located closer to the guard in both dated and marked blades. As a probable non original curiosity, I wouldn't be opposed to having it my collection for the right price. Keeping in mind I tend towards cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy69 Posted October 30, 2019 Share #20 Posted October 30, 2019 Sold for $787.77 Who knows what it really is/was. Without any documentation I would not have dropped much coin as a curiosity perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted January 2, 2020 Author Share #21 Posted January 2, 2020 That Aerial blade-dated M3 came up again on ebay, item # 402021888998. Same one we discussed before. Looks like the buyer figured out there were no blade-dated Aerials. He has a starting price of $800, more than the $787.77 that he paid for it. Assuming this was the buyer. Can't keep harping on study your hobby. Hate to see folks get burned. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinO Posted January 2, 2020 Share #22 Posted January 2, 2020 Feedback score is the same on high bidder and new seller, so I would assume same person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted January 2, 2020 Author Share #23 Posted January 2, 2020 Good to know information. It appears based on his "other items for sale", that the guy is a dealer, or selling off a collection. But, as AustinO pointed out it was the same guy. THX SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccyooper Posted January 3, 2020 Share #24 Posted January 3, 2020 Skip, you might want to study the barwood scabbard too, just saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKIPH Posted January 3, 2020 Author Share #25 Posted January 3, 2020 Guess it was sold! Couldn't pull it up. Maybe we'll see it again some time. SKIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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