$175.00
Quantity Available: 1
Item Code: 169-660
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Devoted to saving lives under fire, service as a Marine hospital corpsman took a special kind of courage. These wide bladed knives with rounded points were intended not for fighting, but to cut wood and bamboo to fashion temporary splints, poles, stakes, stretchers, or whatever else might be necessary to aid or evacuate a casualty in the dense jungles of the Pacific islands- though, of course, they might also come in handy in last ditch hand-to-hand fighting. This is in very good condition with good edges and US Marine Corps markings, and comes with a 1943 dated, contractor marked scabbard.
These were manufactured by several makers. The blade on this one is marked on the reverse, in line with blade, U.S.M.C. / BRIDDELL, with just the tops of the “U.S.” a bit light or worn. The company is known to have provided these with a dull finish and this is muted silver gray. The blade has a good edge all along the cutting edge and around the broad, curved point. The surface is smooth metal with gray spots along the edge on the reverse, not affecting the company name, and on the obverse more toward the tip. The wood grips have a nice light color: some grips are walnut, others a lighter colored oak or maple. They are secured by four brass rivets, showing dark, with some green, two of which are in line on the pommel, which is flared to give a better grip and prevent the hand from slipping. The wood has a good surface, without flakes or chips, and the grips are stable, though there is a hairline crack on the obverse, showing a red tone, running back from the base of the blade through the first rivet and fading out toward the second.
The scabbard is the regulation pattern made of heavy brown leather with blackened brass throat and small grommet at the tip for a tie-down thong. The leather shows dark stains front and back from oil, sweat and use, along with various scratches, rubs, and pressure dents, but generally good surface with only one or two deeper abrasions. The wire belt hook on the reverse is in place, held by a sewn and riveted billet itself sewn and riveted to the scabbard body. Between the four rivets holding the billet for the wire loop the scabbard is maker marked: USMC/BOYT/43 with “BOYT” barely visible, but the company, based in Des Moines, IA, and a major supplier of leather gear in the war, was the only maker of these scabbards.
This merits a place in a collection of US military knives, USMC material, or a collection display devoted to selfless medics and corpsmen. [sr][ph:L]
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