1953 Pilot Knife

[Arisaka99]

Local auction find for $15 (came with another knife in the lot for $30). Second type 1953-57 pilot survival knife. No markings but the consensus is unmarked Camillus? Since this sight has the best info on the web, as well as the experts who first ID'ed these as more than a variation of the Navy Mark1, I wanted to post here and started my membership just to do so. Now suddenly I am buried in all the great info on this sight. I have no excuse for my 2020 arrival, I have been on the gunboards.com forums pretty much since they started in the mid-90s. I have been missing out!

 

 

 

[SKIPH]

Arisaka99- It could be a Camillus, Schrade Walden, or an Imperial.  They all made a similar knife. I'm kinda leaning towards an Imperial. Reason being my Camillus, and Schrade have "V" cut grooves in the handle, and my Imperial has straight cut like yours. I did not think to check the peening on the pommel. Could be wrong since the knives are otherwise identical. SKIP

[Arisaka99]

Thanks Skip. I'm interested in any comments about specific attributes and visual comparisons since this one is sterile and a lot of folks don't know what these are. (I didn't until last month). I know sometimes Frank Trzaska who ID'ed these  chimes in, as well as yourself and others. 

[sactroop]

From an article that Frank wrote for Knife World in December 1998 and reproduced in the book ( Military Knives a Reference Book):

Schrade used Brown spacers

Imperial used brown or Black spacers

Camillus used black spacers.

Both my own marked Camillus and my sterile knife have square grooves and black spacers.  I think the trend towards assuming the sterile knives are Camillus is because we know that at least some of them were made by Camillus. But who can say that Imperial didn't? 

[Doctorofwar]

One heck of a buy at $30 let alone $15- you did great.  

[Frank Trzaska]

Another nice find, you are a very good hunter, keep at it! 

 

Camillus and Schrade and Imperial often worked together. They did have the same owner (Albert Baer) at one point so much of the parts, systems, etc were shared. They also shared contracts, Camillus was the largest contract cutlery maker I know of. They made knives under different names for most other cutlery companies out there.