WWII US Navy divers knife?

[bruv]

I picked this up with some bayonets and guns from a vets son the other day. From what I could find, it is the US version, not the German version because of the serrated blade. It is very heavy, nice patina, nice shape. There are no markings on it anywhere. Am I correct in what I have? I wanted to make sure before I post it for sale. I see prices all over the place on these. What is a fair value for this item? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Dave

[Charlie Flick]

What you have there is a Mark V diver's knife.  That same design, established by the US Navy almost a century ago, was manufactured by a number of companies including Morse, Ka-Bar, Bomar, Batteryless, DESCO and maybe some others that I have forgotten about off the top of my head.  

Since your blade and sheath are unmarked I believe that they were probably manufactured by DESCO.  It may be a little hard to believe, but DESCO still makes these blades and offers new examples for about $500.   Morse made them up until about 20 years ago.  Your example is missing the leather strap which allow the knife to hang from the diver's belt so that is a small negative. 

On value, I will admit that I have not paid close attention to prices in recent years, but given the nice condition of your blade I would value it somewhere in the $400 to $500 range.  Of all of the makers of the Mark V knife DESCO and Morse were the most prolific so they are not particularly hard to find.  Those made by the other makers were more likely to have a naval connection and, thus, bring higher prices in my experience.  

I hope that information is helpful to you.

Regards,

Charlie

[bruv]

Thank you so much for that information. That helps a great deal.

Dave