Tommy knife ?

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,774
Berlin
I give you 12 plus the shipping costs to Berlin.

I don't need it, but would of course take such a bargain.

WW 2 stuff is climbing up in the prices pretty fast. I recommend to keep such stuff and maintain it well.

Such a little thing is ideal to gift it to the own children, grand children, nephew and niece. A little piece of national history in the own writing desk drawer.
Serves as a letter opener, can be used in the rare cases that one needs to open an old fashioned tin without pull ring, reminds on the Grandpa for ever.

A historic pocket knife is the ideal gift in the own family.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,774
Berlin
No, really, I think the value is much higher although they had been mass produced.

Currently olive green west German army equipment from the seventies and eighties starts to cost as much as the Wehrmacht stuff in the eighties!

And Wehrmacht equipment became so expensive that you really think twice before you use it for camping.

Although my Wehrmacht equipment is totally fine, I replaced all and everything with current equipment, because I don't want to leave it unobserved in a youth hostel or on a touristic camping ground. The value became simply too high to do that.
 

gra_farmer

Full Member
Mar 29, 2016
1,911
1,087
Kent
I know this isn't the Sale's Thread but what do you think I should ask for mine?.
To be honest, I think £20 is fair with postage. I bought a brand new British steel challenge clasp knife for a few pounds at a bootfair, the chap had 300 of them to sell, like this one

prod_5863.jpg
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,774
Berlin
But these are current production.
The black ones are antique.

In 20 years they are 100 years old, my dear!
 

Riven

Full Member
Dec 23, 2006
432
137
England
IMG_3376.JPGBought mine for £7 about ten years ago from an antique shop and considered it a bargain. It's also dated 1943 and I agree with Erbswurst these are becoming a WW11 rarity.
 
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tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
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Rossendale, Lancashire
The knives with the black Bexoid scales where in production up until at least 1952 with the ones for the Belgium army even later , the earliest know production is 1939 but its claimed they possibly go back as far as 1933 but I've never seen any before 39.

The all metal versions were briefly made in 1939 - 1940 but main production started in 1944. Tellingly these were known in the trade as Burma knives and were far more resistant to corrosion, the earlier Bexoid scales being moisture traps.

There's also loads of civilian versions of the army issue knives, made by the same folk who had the army contracts ( and they are legion ) something that continues to today. Over all millions were made and value is related to condition and scarcity of that exact version and manufacturer.

All that aside they are great, sturdy knives and are one of the few things I've kept when I stopped collecting.

The Navy had alloy scaled versions of the clasp knife into the 1970s but the version with the can opener is very rare, I've only seen the one in Ron Flooks book

The one I'm after, either issue or a civilian version is the pre 1938 jack/ clasp knife which has the older sort of can opener, like a thick oyster knife blade with a stud on the side. I want it as a user so even a good replica would do. It's the sort they used in the Boer and Great Wars.

ATB

Tom
 
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Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
8,462
8,338
Mid Wales
www.mont-hmg.co.uk
Sadly, my father's issued knife went 'missing' after he died :(

I do have this very old Scout version made by C. Johnston Western Works, a company that I believe made some of the forces issued knives.

scout knife 1.jpg
 
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JB101

Full Member
Feb 18, 2020
146
79
Watford
The knives with the black Bexoid scales where in production up until at least 1952 with the ones for the Belgium army even later , the earliest know production is 1939 but its claimed they possibly go back as far as 1933 but I've never seen any before 39.

The all metal versions were briefly made in 1939 - 1940 but main production started in 1944. Tellingly these were known in the trade as Burma knives and were far more resistant to corrosion, the earlier Bexoid scales being moisture traps.

There's also loads of civilian versions of the army issue knives, made by the same folk who had the army contracts ( and they are legion ) something that continues to today. Over all millions were made and value is related to condition and scarcity of that exact version and manufacturer.

All that aside they are great, sturdy knives and are one of the few things I've kept when I stopped collecting.

The Navy had alloy scaled versions of the clasp knife into the 1970s but the version with the can opener is very rare, I've only seen the one in Ron Flooks book

The one I'm after, either issue or a civilian version is the pre 1938 jack/ clasp knife which has the older sort of can opener, like a thick oyster knife blade with a stud on the side. I want it as a user so even a good replica would do. It's the sort they used in the Boer and Great Wars.

ATB

Tom
Like this ?IMG_4131.jpegIMG_4132.jpeg
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
55
Rossendale, Lancashire
Go on, rub it in! Yes that's the baby. I keep looking for a user but the only ones ive seen have been Great War era ones with antique shop prices.

Still its nice to know there's still some out there!

Cheers!

Tom
 

Laurentius

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 13, 2009
2,530
697
Knowhere
View attachment 68990Bought mine for £7 about ten years ago from an antique shop and considered it a bargain. It's also dated 1943 and I agree with Erbswurst these are becoming a WW11 rarity.
Mine had the scales like that, and the tin opener (with part of the blade broken off) but it also had the Marlin spike. Where it is now I do not know, I parted company with it more than fifty years ago and it was hardly new then.
 

JB101

Full Member
Feb 18, 2020
146
79
Watford
Also this one (took me a day or so to find it ! )
Very likley to have been my Grandfather's (Father side) who was in the ASC in WW1
IMG_4162.jpegIMG_4161.jpeg
 
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Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,851
3,270
W.Sussex

That‘s quite a thing, lovely. It’s amazing how many different designs of these there were, I’ve never seen that short prying blade before. As a kid our pocketknives we’re the black handled ones, and as we lived on the coast where there were chandlers the stainless steel handled knives with the marlin spikes became very much the thing for us to save up for.
 

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