Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. Theater knives are knives made by military personnel in the various theaters of war. Each knife is unique in its own way due to the maker's style, preferences and materials available. Most theater knives were made from spare parts, wreckage, tools and already existing blades.
These knives were made by the armorers and engineers on request. The larger 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.
This very interesting theater-made knife was put together by a Marine who inscribed his name on the top of the crossguard:
SPENCER P. COREY
U.S. MARINES
The knife is a double-edged bolo style example with a custom ivory grip. The blade measures 9⅜” with an overall length of 13⅞”. The blade shows heavy use and sharpening, and is still extremely sharp on both sides.
The original custom sheath is really a thing of beauty. The leather cover was attached beautifully with leather braids over what looks like a custom-cut tin container for Colgate-Palmolive Glycerine. The inner tin container can still be removed from the outer leather sheath and is just a great custom piece. The sheath is missing the securing strap, and the belt loop is broken off at the back. It measures 13⅝” overall.
We couldn’t find much information about Corey’s service, but from what we found, he served with the 6th Marine Division and would have been present at Okinawa. Definitely requires more research!
A great custom-made Marine fighting knife, ready for further research and display.
Dimensions:
Blade Length: 9⅜”
Grip Length: 4⅜”
Total Length: 13⅞”
Scabbard Length: 13⅝”
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