{"product_id":"original-u-s-wwii-custom-m-1918-inspired-knuckle-duster-fighting-knife-published-in-reference-book-signed-by-author-page-270","title":"Original U.S. WWII Custom M-1918 Inspired Knuckle Duster Fighting Knife-Published in Reference Book Signed By Author - Page 270","description":"\u003cp\u003eOriginal Item: One-of-a-kind. As seen in the fantastic book \u003cstrong\u003eKnuckle Knives of the Second World War\u003c\/strong\u003e by Greg Aloisio on \u003cstrong\u003epage 270\u003c\/strong\u003e, this knife is a custom made cast fighting knife with leather sheath. The author used this knife and a specimen for his wonderful book and even signed page 270 where this knife is featured. The signed copy of the book accompanies the purchase of this knife.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese knives were made by the armorers and engineers, usually in the Pacific theater. The large ships needed to have skilled fabricators on board to make repairs and modifications to weapons and gear. Usually the blades were made from existing weapons or from steel components, and the hilts were cast from metals such as aluminum or zinc.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis knuckle knife is in good condition. The knuckle guard is constructed from cast aluminum. The blade has not been sharpened (recently) and is in lovely condition with minor surface rust. The top of the aluminum guard has \u003cstrong\u003e1918\u003c\/strong\u003e stamped on one side with \u003cstrong\u003eU.S.\u003c\/strong\u003e stamped on the opposite side. This is definitely a blade that was inspired by the famed M1918 trench knife. The blade appears to be retained by a single brass rivet running through the center of the handle. There is no play or movement to the blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe heavy war time made leather scabbard has stood the test of time with only minor stitching loss. There are notches cut into the scabbard and were probably made by the original user to test the sharpness of his blade. The leather of the scabbard appears to have been built around a sheet metal inner structure giving it a decent weight to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA wonderful and unique example of a theater made knuckle knife that comes ready to display!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBlade Length: 6 ⅝”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHandle Length: 5 ⅜”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eTotal Length: 12”\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eScabbard Length: 11 ½”\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Original Items","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40038660997189,"sku":"ON22ACSS008","price":795.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1524\/1342\/products\/ON22ACSS008__01.jpg?v=1651256669","url":"https:\/\/www.ima-usa.com\/products\/original-u-s-wwii-custom-m-1918-inspired-knuckle-duster-fighting-knife-published-in-reference-book-signed-by-author-page-270","provider":"International Military Antiques","version":"1.0","type":"link"}