Designed to give the Marines a robust knife that would be suitable for fighting and for more mundane utility tasks, the Ka-Bar was adopted in late 1942 and replaced various privately purchased hunting and utility knives, the USN Mark 1 knife, and eventually even the Marine Raider stiletto. Originally issued to elite formations and marines armed with weapons not carrying bayonets, by 1944 they were available to combat Marine who wanted one.

This one is in very good condition, with smooth metal to the blade, no pitting, no edge nicks or chips, and a good point. The phosphate coating of the blade has worn, giving it a dull silver gray color mixed with darker areas and some age spots. The edge and clip point are very good. The edge shows some striations from old sharpening, but the edge is not worn. The guard and pommel match in color, just a bit darker than the blade. The stacked leather handle is very good, with crisp grooves and raised sections. The pommel is pinned. The obverse ricasso has a “USMC” blade stamp. No scabbard, but a very good example of a famous knife that has seen use, but not abuse.  [sr]

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