SOLD
Gerber Mark II double-edged combat dagger (I bought this around 1985 and I don’t think that it has ever been used, but it has banged around in a drawer for a couple decades..)
Serial No. D3160S (1985)
440C steel (57-59Rc I think)
No blade offset
Straight blade waist
Coarse serrations
Logo (first vertical logo used)
Very goot to Excellent condition, with a few light wear marks on the handle and some wear on the snap fasteners on the sheath.
No box or papers. I am the only owner.
$225. [Now $200] Post or PM me for questions or any information you may have. PayPal is fine. Price includes Priority Mail postage with confirmation in US.
The information below comes from the best sources I could find and matched to this knife..
Wikipedia:
The Gerber Mark II was a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1966 to 2000, with an additional limited run of 1500 in 2002. It had a double-edged spear-point wasp-waisted blade, and used a distinctive handle similar to that of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife developed during World War II. Later versions used a partially serrated blade, with the serrations located where the earlier blades were wasp-waisted. The Mark II was commonly carried by US troops in the Vietnam War, and is second only to the KA-BAR knife in fame. The Mark II gained additional fame when it was featured in a memorable scene in the scifi/action blockbuster Aliens. The MK II was the suggested blade in Paladin Press's controversial how-to book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors.
During the Vietnam war, some production runs of this knife had a 5-degree offset between the blade and the grip in order to ride in the sheath more comfortably. This offset was intended to compensate for the angle of attack between the clavicles and position the blade for a more accurate strike into the vital organs when performing a rear overhead strike or upward thrust into the abdominal area from behind (as used for sentry removal). Ironically, the military's base/post exchanges discontinued selling these knives under the reasoning 'of not in good taste' or 'too brutal'
Other sources:
The Gerber Mark II Combat knife was designed on May 15th, 1966 by Captain C.A. “Bud” Holzman, U.S.A., Retired, of Gerber Legendary Blades of Portland, Oregon. A prototype was made and then field tested and evaluated at Fort Lewis, Washington by members of the U.S. Army’s Fourth Infantry Division in July, 1966. Following their suggestions, a second prototype was made and tested in August 1966. Their design was finalized and the Mark II went into production in October 1966. Advertising started in December 1966 with the first shipments made in early 1967. The original factory brochure stated “A good man deserves a good fighting knife – and that’s what we made!” Production started with serial number 1001 and by the end of 1967 about 4000 had been made. The original knives had the gray “Steel-Grip” handles and non-serrated “wasp” blades with a 5 degree cant in straight, staple reinforced, brown leather sheaths w/round tips. Approximately 2,746 knifes {sn#1001-sn#3747} were made in the original variation. At least 235,000 were made in the first thirty years of production between late 1966 and 1997.
Detail information:
Much of this info comes from: http://www.militarycarryknives.com/Sheaths.htm
Unused, original black Cordura sheath.
The Cordura® nylon sheath types are the only non-leather sheaths associated with the Mark II. They are a re-design, use different sheath materials and produce a more durable sheath. These sheaths are constructed of a black colored Cordura® ballistic nylon fabric similar to that used for making luggage. Cordura® has roughly twice the abrasion resistance of ordinary nylon. Additional advantages of Cordura® are quick drying, resists mold and mildew and is non-acidic so there is less chance of knife corrosion.
The sheaths measures 2 3/8 inches wide by 12 1/2 inches long with a narrowing to 1-1/2 inches at the tip. They are quite complicated in their construction, with multiple layers of fabric, stiff inserts and a welt made of a rubber-like material all stitched together with heavy nylon thread. The welt, a narrow piece of rubber, is sandwiched between the sheath's front and rear pieces on both sides and the bottom. The welt protects the stitching from the knife edge as well as allowing easy insertion and withdrawal of the knife. The end of the stitching at the sheath throat is reinforced with large headed rivets made of steel. The top of the sheath is folded-over in several different ways to form a belt loop. A small loop of nylon strap is sewn in at the tip, through which a 36 inch black nylon chord leg tie is threaded.
The knife is retained in the sheath by either one or two 1 inch wide nylon retaining straps which secure the knife by means of "DOT" snap fasteners. Sewn on the rear of some of these sheaths is a Bianchi® "Quick-Lock" belt fastener, the type used for military pistol holsters. Sheaths without the belt fastener are not marked. One of the sheath configurations has snaps on the belt loop and two have a sharpening stone pocket sewn to the front face. Although of a complicated design, they are probably less costly to manufacture than previous sheaths made of leather.
I believe this is the rare (for 1985) C2 : CORDURA TYPE 2 ; "SURVIVAL"; BLACK CORDURA® NYLON; FLAT-TIP; WITH WELT; TWO STRAPS - LOW ACROSS & UPPER WRAP-AROUND ; NO STONE POCKET; NO BIANCHI® FASTENER; FOLDED-BACK BELT LOOP W/ 2 DOT SNAPS; NO SHEATH STAMP; SINGLE NYLON LEG TIE; I believe this is the second Cordura® design and probably very few were made. The Cordura® Type 2 sheaths are black colored, nylon cloth sheaths with two knife retaining straps and without the Bianchi® belt fastener. The top of the sheath is of the folded-over towards the back design and forms a belt loop. The belt loop narrows at the top. There are 2 black "DOT" snaps holding the belt loop closed. By undoing the snaps, this design allows the sheath to be mounted on a web belt without unfastening the belt and threading it through the sheath belt loop.
The knife is retained in the sheath by means of two 1-inch wide nylon straps. The first strap is sewn to the center of the rear sheath piece and folds over the left knife guard and is secured by means of a "DOT" snap fastener. A second nylon strap is sewn 3-1/2 inches above the sheath throat, is of the "wrap around" type and is fastened around the knife handle and secured by means of a second "DOT" snap fastener. No belt hanger is sewn to the rear of the sheath. They have no identification anywhere on the sheath.
The Cordura® Type 2 sheaths are rare. I've only observed one example on a mid 1985 knife, serial number D3243S. This design with the double "DOT" snaps holding the belt loop was used on the late Guardian II camouflage knife sheaths. Possibly an experiment since the Bianchi® belt fastener was introduced on Gerber sheaths in mid 1985. I have never seen a Cutlery Shoppe CS serial knife with a type C2 sheath.
To the best of my knowledge and online historical records
:
Made in 1985 (6,818 production run) (BA4: BLACK ARMORHIDE TYPE 4 : "SURVIVAL"; ARMORHIDE; 440C STEEL; STRAIGHT; 8 TEETH/IN.; BRUSH FINISH BLADE; VERTICAL 1 LOGO) In 1982, several changes in the production of the Gerber Mark II were made. (1) A different serial numbering system was adopted. Instead of the previous 6 digit numeric serial number, an alphanumeric numbering system was used. The new serial consisted of an alpha character followed by a 4-digit number and ending with the letter "S" for stainless. The new serial numbering system started with serial A1001S. (2) The Gerber "Sword in Stone" logo was changed to the Vertical 1 type. The new logo has the sword positioned vertically, rather than at a slant. The BA4 knives are found on early 1982 to late 1985 knives in the approximate serial range of A1442S - D4272S.
Handle: black Armorhide (Very late in 1977, Gerber changed the color of the Mark IIs handle to black. This was a change from the previous "Armorhide" textured coating system based on vinyl dispersion resins to an electrostatically dry powder coated, baked on finish.
Electrostatic coating employs a difference in electrical charge between the coating spray and the item to be coated. As the item is sprayed the dry coating particles are attracted to its edges and back side resulting in what is commonly referred to as the "wrap around" effect. The advantages are a very even coating with no thick spots and little waste in the form of over spray.
The bare handles to be coated are electrically grounded so that the charged powder particles projected at them adhere to the handles and are held there until melted and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven.)
Logo: First Vertical Logo: This is the third logo to appear on Gerber Mark II blades and is distinguished in several ways. First, the sword axis is vertical and in line with the knife blade's long axis rather than being slanted and the sword has a more stylized look. Second, the stone part of the logo is made up of mostly 4-sided angular shapes stacked together rather than the previous jagged mound shape with cracks. Third, of the two blocks of the "stone" to the left of the sword, the one further to the left is lower than the one closer to the sword. Forth, the letter "G" in the Gerber name has the normal horizontal portion pointing back to the inside of the letter. This logo was used during the years 1982-1989 in the approximate serial number range of A1001S to I4190S. The logo change was made when Gerber changed to the alphanumeric serial numbering system
Gerber Mark II double-edged combat dagger (I bought this around 1985 and I don’t think that it has ever been used, but it has banged around in a drawer for a couple decades..)
Serial No. D3160S (1985)
440C steel (57-59Rc I think)
No blade offset
Straight blade waist
Coarse serrations
Logo (first vertical logo used)
Very goot to Excellent condition, with a few light wear marks on the handle and some wear on the snap fasteners on the sheath.
No box or papers. I am the only owner.
$225. [Now $200] Post or PM me for questions or any information you may have. PayPal is fine. Price includes Priority Mail postage with confirmation in US.
The information below comes from the best sources I could find and matched to this knife..
Wikipedia:
The Gerber Mark II was a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1966 to 2000, with an additional limited run of 1500 in 2002. It had a double-edged spear-point wasp-waisted blade, and used a distinctive handle similar to that of the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife developed during World War II. Later versions used a partially serrated blade, with the serrations located where the earlier blades were wasp-waisted. The Mark II was commonly carried by US troops in the Vietnam War, and is second only to the KA-BAR knife in fame. The Mark II gained additional fame when it was featured in a memorable scene in the scifi/action blockbuster Aliens. The MK II was the suggested blade in Paladin Press's controversial how-to book, Hit Man: A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors.
During the Vietnam war, some production runs of this knife had a 5-degree offset between the blade and the grip in order to ride in the sheath more comfortably. This offset was intended to compensate for the angle of attack between the clavicles and position the blade for a more accurate strike into the vital organs when performing a rear overhead strike or upward thrust into the abdominal area from behind (as used for sentry removal). Ironically, the military's base/post exchanges discontinued selling these knives under the reasoning 'of not in good taste' or 'too brutal'
Other sources:
The Gerber Mark II Combat knife was designed on May 15th, 1966 by Captain C.A. “Bud” Holzman, U.S.A., Retired, of Gerber Legendary Blades of Portland, Oregon. A prototype was made and then field tested and evaluated at Fort Lewis, Washington by members of the U.S. Army’s Fourth Infantry Division in July, 1966. Following their suggestions, a second prototype was made and tested in August 1966. Their design was finalized and the Mark II went into production in October 1966. Advertising started in December 1966 with the first shipments made in early 1967. The original factory brochure stated “A good man deserves a good fighting knife – and that’s what we made!” Production started with serial number 1001 and by the end of 1967 about 4000 had been made. The original knives had the gray “Steel-Grip” handles and non-serrated “wasp” blades with a 5 degree cant in straight, staple reinforced, brown leather sheaths w/round tips. Approximately 2,746 knifes {sn#1001-sn#3747} were made in the original variation. At least 235,000 were made in the first thirty years of production between late 1966 and 1997.
Detail information:
Much of this info comes from: http://www.militarycarryknives.com/Sheaths.htm
Unused, original black Cordura sheath.
The Cordura® nylon sheath types are the only non-leather sheaths associated with the Mark II. They are a re-design, use different sheath materials and produce a more durable sheath. These sheaths are constructed of a black colored Cordura® ballistic nylon fabric similar to that used for making luggage. Cordura® has roughly twice the abrasion resistance of ordinary nylon. Additional advantages of Cordura® are quick drying, resists mold and mildew and is non-acidic so there is less chance of knife corrosion.
The sheaths measures 2 3/8 inches wide by 12 1/2 inches long with a narrowing to 1-1/2 inches at the tip. They are quite complicated in their construction, with multiple layers of fabric, stiff inserts and a welt made of a rubber-like material all stitched together with heavy nylon thread. The welt, a narrow piece of rubber, is sandwiched between the sheath's front and rear pieces on both sides and the bottom. The welt protects the stitching from the knife edge as well as allowing easy insertion and withdrawal of the knife. The end of the stitching at the sheath throat is reinforced with large headed rivets made of steel. The top of the sheath is folded-over in several different ways to form a belt loop. A small loop of nylon strap is sewn in at the tip, through which a 36 inch black nylon chord leg tie is threaded.
The knife is retained in the sheath by either one or two 1 inch wide nylon retaining straps which secure the knife by means of "DOT" snap fasteners. Sewn on the rear of some of these sheaths is a Bianchi® "Quick-Lock" belt fastener, the type used for military pistol holsters. Sheaths without the belt fastener are not marked. One of the sheath configurations has snaps on the belt loop and two have a sharpening stone pocket sewn to the front face. Although of a complicated design, they are probably less costly to manufacture than previous sheaths made of leather.
I believe this is the rare (for 1985) C2 : CORDURA TYPE 2 ; "SURVIVAL"; BLACK CORDURA® NYLON; FLAT-TIP; WITH WELT; TWO STRAPS - LOW ACROSS & UPPER WRAP-AROUND ; NO STONE POCKET; NO BIANCHI® FASTENER; FOLDED-BACK BELT LOOP W/ 2 DOT SNAPS; NO SHEATH STAMP; SINGLE NYLON LEG TIE; I believe this is the second Cordura® design and probably very few were made. The Cordura® Type 2 sheaths are black colored, nylon cloth sheaths with two knife retaining straps and without the Bianchi® belt fastener. The top of the sheath is of the folded-over towards the back design and forms a belt loop. The belt loop narrows at the top. There are 2 black "DOT" snaps holding the belt loop closed. By undoing the snaps, this design allows the sheath to be mounted on a web belt without unfastening the belt and threading it through the sheath belt loop.
The knife is retained in the sheath by means of two 1-inch wide nylon straps. The first strap is sewn to the center of the rear sheath piece and folds over the left knife guard and is secured by means of a "DOT" snap fastener. A second nylon strap is sewn 3-1/2 inches above the sheath throat, is of the "wrap around" type and is fastened around the knife handle and secured by means of a second "DOT" snap fastener. No belt hanger is sewn to the rear of the sheath. They have no identification anywhere on the sheath.
The Cordura® Type 2 sheaths are rare. I've only observed one example on a mid 1985 knife, serial number D3243S. This design with the double "DOT" snaps holding the belt loop was used on the late Guardian II camouflage knife sheaths. Possibly an experiment since the Bianchi® belt fastener was introduced on Gerber sheaths in mid 1985. I have never seen a Cutlery Shoppe CS serial knife with a type C2 sheath.
To the best of my knowledge and online historical records
:
Made in 1985 (6,818 production run) (BA4: BLACK ARMORHIDE TYPE 4 : "SURVIVAL"; ARMORHIDE; 440C STEEL; STRAIGHT; 8 TEETH/IN.; BRUSH FINISH BLADE; VERTICAL 1 LOGO) In 1982, several changes in the production of the Gerber Mark II were made. (1) A different serial numbering system was adopted. Instead of the previous 6 digit numeric serial number, an alphanumeric numbering system was used. The new serial consisted of an alpha character followed by a 4-digit number and ending with the letter "S" for stainless. The new serial numbering system started with serial A1001S. (2) The Gerber "Sword in Stone" logo was changed to the Vertical 1 type. The new logo has the sword positioned vertically, rather than at a slant. The BA4 knives are found on early 1982 to late 1985 knives in the approximate serial range of A1442S - D4272S.
Handle: black Armorhide (Very late in 1977, Gerber changed the color of the Mark IIs handle to black. This was a change from the previous "Armorhide" textured coating system based on vinyl dispersion resins to an electrostatically dry powder coated, baked on finish.
Electrostatic coating employs a difference in electrical charge between the coating spray and the item to be coated. As the item is sprayed the dry coating particles are attracted to its edges and back side resulting in what is commonly referred to as the "wrap around" effect. The advantages are a very even coating with no thick spots and little waste in the form of over spray.
The bare handles to be coated are electrically grounded so that the charged powder particles projected at them adhere to the handles and are held there until melted and fused into a smooth coating in a curing oven.)
Logo: First Vertical Logo: This is the third logo to appear on Gerber Mark II blades and is distinguished in several ways. First, the sword axis is vertical and in line with the knife blade's long axis rather than being slanted and the sword has a more stylized look. Second, the stone part of the logo is made up of mostly 4-sided angular shapes stacked together rather than the previous jagged mound shape with cracks. Third, of the two blocks of the "stone" to the left of the sword, the one further to the left is lower than the one closer to the sword. Forth, the letter "G" in the Gerber name has the normal horizontal portion pointing back to the inside of the letter. This logo was used during the years 1982-1989 in the approximate serial number range of A1001S to I4190S. The logo change was made when Gerber changed to the alphanumeric serial numbering system
