COLLINS & CO No. 191 Machete

[Greg Robinson]

Early in 1942 the Marine Corps purchased approximately 5000 No. 191 machetes from Collins & Company. Although the written specification called for it to be marked "USMC" none have ever been seen with such markings. So impossible to know for sure today if a No 191 has USMC provenance. My example was sold to me by an antique dealer who said he found it at an estate sale of a WW1-WW2 era Marine veteran. That's good enough for me. It came without scabbard but that's how they were purchased and stored by the Marines. They were "organizational property" and when necessary to be carried by individual Marines they were forced to improvise. So I mated mine with a 1942 dated Navy Mk 2 sheath which seemed like a logical match up. My No. 191 is a bit the worse for wear but that's how most are found nowadays and I feel lucky to have found one at all. They're one of the rarer military machetes of WW2.

[J_Andrews]

Machetes were often contracted for as integral parts of Tool Kits -- Engineer, Pioneer, Signal and so on -- and were packed WITHOUT SCABBARDS in tool chests. A former supply sgt told me that machete scabbards were just one of the items that were always hard to order, because their stock numbers and/or nomenclature were "buried". Only experienced supply guys knew the "secrets" to get the right data. And he recalled getting the longer, leather scabbards (and even RIFLE scabbards) when he asked for the shorter, canvas ones. The jerks at depots apparently saw/understood only the word "scabbard".

[BOB K. RKSS]

Depots issue by supply/stock NUMBER: not nomenclature (sic :"scabbard"); so the only "jerk" would be the guy who ordered/requested the wrong number.

[gunbarrel]

Rare, indeed. I waited for years to get one. Here is a picture of a Marine clowning around with one.

[Bob Hudson]

This is a Collins 191 machete in a USN MK 2 sheath. When I first pulled it out of the sheath I thought there was something wrong with the blade: but it appears it is still covered with Cosmoline preservative from when it was new!

 

As mentioned above (and elsewhere) , the 191 was a USMC machete and the Marines did use the Navy MK 2 sheaths for them. The USMC origin is also backed up by http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/knife_knotes_10.htm which mentions that there was a commercial version of the 191 with a 25-inch blade, while the Marine Corps version was about 20.5 inches, which this one is:

 

 

 

 

[cargopusher]

On 5/7/2008 at 5:20 AM, gunbarrel said:

Rare, indeed. I waited for years to get one. Here is a picture of a Marine clowning around with one.

 

Apologies for blowing the dust off this old thread. Could someone tell me where the two pictures were found showing the same guy waving a machete. While browsing the U.S. National Archives, I found four other photographs which suggest to me that he may have been a Coast Guard cadet. You be the judge.

 

https://catalog.archives.gov/search?q=camouflaged Coast Guard cadets&typeOfMaterials=Photographs and other Graphic Materials

 

[cargopusher]

Marine sergeant identified as Thomas J. Tighe. Looked around for more information but could not verify his name and service number.

[cargopusher]

The man at far left holds what looks like a Collins No. 191 machete. For comparison, one of the moderators posted the second photo in another thread. I cropped and sharpened it for a closer look.