Item:
ONSV7109

Original U.S. WWII USN Mark 1 RH Pal -35 Fighting Knife with USN MK1 Scabbard

Item Description

Original Item: Only One Available. This is an excellent condition example of the USN Mark 1 fighting knife, manufactured by the PAL Cutlery Company.

According to The Official Price Guide of Collector Knives by C Houston Price & Mark D Zaleysky, PAL was originally used as a trademark by the Utica Knife & Razor Company of Utica, NY from about 1924-1939. PAL marked knives of that era used blades imported from Germany, and the blades typically bore the word "Germany" as well. Another company using the name PAL was established in Chicago in 1934. This company was known as the Pal Blade Company of Chicago, and was started by Otto Kraus. In 1935 the two "PAL" companies merged into one, known simply as the PAL Blade Company, and opened a manufacturing facility in Plattsburg, NY. Around 1940 PAL purchased the cutlery division of the Remington Arms Company, including of their existing stock of completed knives and knife parts.

While PAL was originally a manufacturer of pocketknives, after the Remington acquisition they expanded their range of products to include a variety of fixed blade knives as well. PAL received a number of US government knife contracts during World War II and produced thousands of combat knives during the war years. Pal went out of business in 1953.The USN Mark 1 combat knife was produced by a variety of manufacturers during World War II and was issued to Navy personnel by the thousands. It had a 5 ¼" long blade and was patterned after typical hunting and sideknives of the era. The subsequent Mark 2 knife had a longer 7" blade.

This particular example was manufactured by the PAL Cutlery Company and is clearly marked on the blades ricasso: RH (PAL) -35 / MADE IN USA on one side and U.S.N / MARK 1 on the other side. The knife is in good used condition, though most of the factory finish is worn off.  The blade shows only light staining, though it has been sharpened several times, so the blade is slightly shorter than as issued. The hilt is composed of multiple thin leather washers, with the ones closest to the cross guard being of black, red, yellow and black plastic. This same multi-colored washer pattern occurs near the cast aluminum pommel cap as well. 

The scabbard is the early MK 1 version, very similar in construction to the M8 scabbard for the M3 fighting knife, with a thermoplastic impregnated cotton fabric body, metal throat, and canvas frog and securing strap. The front of the throat is marked U.S.N MK 1, and the rear is marked NORD - 8114 B.M. Co. with a stylized V P logoThe NORD number is for the US Navy contract it was produced under, which was delivered between March 1945 and May 1945. It was manufactured by Beckwith Mfg Co. a division of Victory Plastics. Scabbard is in good condition, though there is some staining on the canvas from corrosion to the brass and steel rivets, as well as a chip/cut on the side of the scabbard body.

No collection of World War II US military knives is complete without a Mark 1, and this is the perfect opportunity to acquire one with a great patina of age.

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