New Member With Old KA-BAR

L

Leo Barnes

Joined
Feb 2, 2023
Messages
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First post here. I have my FIL's Camillus issued during the Korean War. US Navy Mark 2 with original sheath. Anyone know what it might be worth?
 
Leo Barnes said:
First post here. I have my FIL's Camillus issued during the Korean War. US Navy Mark 2 with original sheath. Anyone know what it might be worth?
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You should read the rules - a basic membership can't ask for values. If you upgrade your membership you can then ask for values.
It would also be good to see what it looks like, we all like photos.
 
Ruari said:
You should read the rules - a basic membership can't ask for values. If you upgrade your membership you can then ask for values.
It would also be good to see what it looks like, we all like photos.
Click to expand...
Oops, my bad. I'll buy the upgrade and start over. Thanks.
 
In the meantime you can learn plenty of things about there and study your own blade and scabbard. Where and what are the markings on both?
 
Well, the sheath is marked on the front of the bolster USN MK2. The back of the bolster is marked NORD-4723, and under that B. M., a number 6 with a line over it, and then the letters VP.

The knife itself has the marking USN MARK2, and CAMILLUSNY

The knife was found in a box of my FIL's old navy stuff from his service in the Korean war.
 
Leo Barnes said:
First post here. I have my FIL's Camillus issued during the Korean War. US Navy Mark 2 with original sheath. Anyone know what it might be worth?
Click to expand...
Welcome to BladeForums!

Sounds like you have a neat piece of history, and those old knives are pretty cool.

What kind of condition is it in?

Looking forward to learning more about your Mark 2.

Imgur is a free hosting site for pics that you could use to attach a pic here.
 
Thanks.
The condition is good. The scabbard has no damage and shows no wear. The web belt loop and snap are in new condition. The blade has no rust and is wicked sharp, and the leather handle is like new. I believe the knife lived in a box on a shelf for the last 65+ years.
 
Depending on where the markings appear on the knife, and a few differences in pommel design you can better date your knife. Are the markings on the blade or on the guard?

The NORD-4723 (Naval ORDnance number) puts the scabbard in early production; but scabbards were not made with knives and the two were put together sometime down the road. So, an early scabbard can appear with a late model knife.

There's a bit more information here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/wwii-camillus-mark-2-information.211499/

And from a different forum: https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/183445-help-date-camillus-usn-mark-2-knife/

Mine is a 1944-1945, guard marked, Camillus made USN Mk 2 in a NORD-4723 scabbard, which sounds very much like yours.

This forum has rules about asking for values (must be a gold member) so I can't help you there, but in the past I've used closed auctions to value my items.

This is mine under a late 90's/early 2000's KA BAR
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The markings on my knife are on the blade side of the guard, not on the blade itself. The knife and scabbard look just like the bottom two in your photo. My FIL was in the Navy in the Pacific starting in 1951. I'll get that gold membership and post some photos soon, I hope.
 
It sounds like basically the same knife I have, so 1944-1945 manufactured with an early scabbard. They are nice knives. The one I have I purchased for my father from a surplus store near Moss Landing CA. His original USN Mk 2 (traded for during the Vietnam war) was stolen when someone broke into his vehicle. That was the knife he used for his 2 weeks a year with the Marines. I bought the KA-BAR on the top of the picture as a replacement, but he never used it (he said because of the leather sheath, but I think he thought it was "too nice" to use); so I purchased the USN Mk 2 that he then used till the end of his career. Little did he know, that Mk 2 was worth more than that late 90's/early 2000's vintage KA-BAR.

Of course I didn't know it at the time either, I just knew he wanted a "Kabar" in a fiber scabbard.

There were a LOT of those knives made, but Camillus stopped making them in 1945 IIRC. The old stock was held onto and issued to people during the Korean war, and even into the Vietnam war.
 
Leo Barnes said:
Well, the sheath is marked on the front of the bolster USN MK2. The back of the bolster is marked NORD-4723, and under that B. M., a number 6 with a line over it, and then the letters VP.

The knife itself has the marking USN MARK2, and CAMILLUSNY

The knife was found in a box of my FIL's old navy stuff from his service in the Korean war.
Click to expand...
What does it mean if the number is a 2 insted of a 6
 
The 4723 indicates that the scabbard was part of Naval Ordnace contract 4723, which was ordered in November 1943.

The VP refers to Victory Plastics Co., a division of Beckwith Manufacturing Co.

Victory Plastics made the thermoform bodies of the sheaths and Beckwith Manufacturing completed the assembly.

The number between B. M. CO. and VP should have another number OVER the line above the 2 or 6, such as 1/2 or 2/6 or ..... These numbers refer to the run number of the particular batch of steel used for the throat pieces. 2 / 6 would mean 2nd run using steel batch 6. These numbers were for Beckwith's own quality control processes so that they could track any issues thatmight arise down the road.
 
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