November 24, 201114 yr #1 Got this today and thought it was some sort of US bolo about which I knew nothing. Well, after some research I still know nothing. It has a name scratched on the scabbard and LUZON carved into the grip. It is not like any of the Philippine-made weapons I've had - it very much seems like something made for the military, but there are no marks and I haven't yet found anything like it online. I did find one reference to a US Marine in 1919 with a name that matches the scabbard info:
November 24, 201114 yr #3 Agreed They were made by Case cutlery during the war and are sterile(unmarked).
November 24, 201114 yr #4 More treasure, just when you want it.......before Christmas!! Nice Find! :thumbsup:
November 24, 201114 yr Author #6 More treasure, just when you want it.......before Christmas!!Nice Find! :thumbsup: I need to sell it before the Black Friday sales start!
November 24, 201114 yr #9 There is another variation of the Case OSS Smatchet that has a black bakelite handle. Both are scarce.
November 24, 201114 yr Author #10 There is another variation of the Case OSS Smatchet that has a black bakelite handle. Both are scarce. What's the timeline on the scabbards? Most of the ones I see online seem to have those black leather-covered wood ones.
November 24, 201114 yr Author #11 I had wondered about the Cross of Lorraine on the scabbard. It was the symbol of the US 79th Infantry Division. But. I found a reference tonight which says, "The Cross of Lorraine is primarily identified as a French resistance symbol." When I combine that info with the very French name "De Vere," and the OSS connection, I have to wonder... Of course, I also have to wonder how "Luzon" came to be marked on the grip...
November 24, 201114 yr #12 I had wondered about the Cross of Lorraine on the scabbard. It was the symbol of the US 79th Infantry Division. But. I found a reference tonight which says, "The Cross of Lorraine is primarily identified as a French resistance symbol." When I combine that info with the very French name "De Vere," and the OSS connection, I have to wonder... Of course, I also have to wonder how "Luzon" came to be marked on the grip... Yeah, the 79th Infantry Division was no wear near Luzon. They did, however, participate in the Normandy Invasion and saw a lot of action in Northern France. I wonder if the smatchet was traded between someone in the OSS and a French resistance fighter. That does then leave open the question as to how it got back here in the states. Any back history you can provide on where you got it, where they got it from, and so on? I think it's an awesome piece regardless of its provenance, which may be lost to the 'sands of time'. Tim
November 24, 201114 yr Author #13 That does then leave open the question as to how it got back here in the states. Any back history you can provide on where you got it, where they got it from, and so on? I think it's an awesome piece regardless of its provenance, which may be lost to the 'sands of time'. Tim I got it from a guy who previously sold me a lot of Japanese stuff his dad brought back after WWII. He had said his dad served in occupied Germany and Japan and yesterday while helping him go through some papers (found in a box beneath piles of ammo) I found his discharge showing he had indeed been in Europe and Asia then. I do think the cross is for the resistance and not the 79th.
November 24, 201114 yr #14 Just a thought. Perhaps the blade was introduced to the scabbard at a later date, that is to say they are not original to each other? :think:
November 24, 201114 yr #17 I had a minty Case XX unmarked smatchet , with brown scabbard from Homer Brett..bought in the early 1980's..Then I had a /l\ marked British bright blade smatchet, from Australia..I sold them all with my Aussie machete bayonet, and RNZAF/Aussie/Brit survival knives..
November 25, 201114 yr #18 There is a town in France called Lucon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%A7on Possibley the person misspelled the name when engraving the grip???
November 25, 201114 yr Author #19 There is a town in France called Lucon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lu%C3%A7on Possibley the person misspelled the name when engraving the grip??? I had thought about that too: an American GI gets something said to be from "Lucon" and spells it the way he saw the word in Stars and Stripes.
November 25, 201114 yr #20 Ron's "Lucon/Luzon" theory seems entirely plausible. I think I'd be inclined to take that as read and look no further!
November 25, 201114 yr Author #21 Ron's "Lucon/Luzon" theory seems entirely plausible. I think I'd be inclined to take that as read and look no further! The French formally spell it "Luçon" with the accent under the "c" and couple of sources say that the English and Tagalog version is "Luzon." There is a listing of French real estate for sale and the listings for Luçon have the word "Luçon" in the title and then in the English translation they use "Luzon." An example: The French also use the word Luçon in reference to the Luzon area of the Philippines.
November 25, 201114 yr #23 I need to sell it before the Black Friday sales start! So, Bob, it's Black Friday. Did you sell it? :dunno:
November 25, 201114 yr Author #24 So, Bob, it's Black Friday. Did you sell it? :dunno: Yes, and now I can go to Joe's Discount Appliance and Tire Outlet and get my wife the Self-Basting Amana Microwave with Auto-Flush Leftover Regurgitation and pseudo-digital controls she's always wanted. I've even got enough money now to get the Green Iridescent pearl finish!
November 25, 201114 yr #25 I thought a lot about Ron's theory, and started to research it last niight. Upon waking, I find ALL the "heavy lifting" is done! Great thought Ron, and great follow through by FS, Ian.
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