Gerber MKII inquiry

[Raggz]

Hello, I have here a Gerber MkII. I am seeking a valuation / appraisal help. Thank you.

What I know of it: (Some info is copy/pasted from an online source.)

Combat 1967 Narrow Wasp Cat's Tongue with Canted 5 Degree blade. It has a sharpening stone in the sheath, as well as what appears to be the original leather cord on the bottom. The leather has some weathering where it would have touched the body of the carrier, and there are streaks on the blade. I can only assume it was used in combat from the story I heard about this knife when I was given it. The original owner had had it stored, wrapped up in a blanket, under their house. My Uncle was a realtor. He found the knife under the house he was selling while doing a home inspection. He presented the item to the home owner, but the owner refused to take it and instead gave it to my uncle as a thank you for the work he was doing, wishing not to take it with them to their new home and leave their past behind. My father, who my uncle gave the knife to, is a former USMC Vietnam veteran, and this connection was why my uncle gave it to him in the first place. If there was other information known about it, I cant ask my Uncle as he passed away earlier this year.

RT2S sheath: "RT2S: ROUND-TIP TYPE 2S; "COMBAT"; BROWN LEATHER; RIGHT-STRAP W/ ROUND END; WHITE STITCHING; SMALL RIVETS AT THROAT, STEEL POCKET TOP & HANGER; 2-LINE SHEATH STAMP FACING RIGHT; BRASS HANGER; WITH SGSC STEEL; BROWN LEATHER TIES;

"The RT2S sheaths were used for a limited number of knives. Possibly feedback from military users alerted Gerber that the narrow staples used to reinforce the stitching in the earlier Type RT1 and RT1S sheaths, would rip through the leather under rough use encountered in the field. The RT2S sheaths have the same materials and construction as the RT1 and RT1S sheaths except Gerber replaced the staples with rivets that have small 1/8 inch diameter heads."

"The RT2S sheaths are found on 1967-1968 knives in the approximate serial number range of 003479 to 005352."

The knife is in pretty decent shape, and was probably wrapped up in that blanket for decades. There is some rust on the blade, on both sides, near the base of the blade going into the handle. The serial number is visible, and is 003492.

My Dad believes the marks on the blade resulted from hand to hand combat, but this is speculation based on his judgement and knowledge from Marine Corps training.

The blade does appear to be canted, there is a definate curvature to it.

I have many more photos and can take close up pictures of anything that may need a better view.

Thank you for your assistance. I greatly appreciate the help this community has provided me so far regarding this knife.

 

[sgt1372]

Looks like it was one of the 1st made in 1967, right in the midst of the VN War.

See: https://militarycarryknives.com/MKDATETABLE/MkDateTable.htm

Value will depend on its condition, whether or not you can prove it was actually carried by someone engaged in combat in VN at that time & who is interested in buying it.

Mark II's of that vintage without any such provenance can easily sell for $1k in excellent condition.

My guess is that combat carried/used Mark II's, even in poor condition, could easily sell for 2-3x's more but proof of combat use would be essential.

 

[Raggz]

Looks like it was one of the 1st made in 1967, right in the midst of the VN War.

See: https://militarycarryknives.com/MKDATETABLE/MkDateTable.htm

Value will depend on its condition, whether or not you can prove it was actually carried by someone engaged in combat in VN at that time & who is interested in buying it.

Mark II's of that vintage without any such provenance can easily sell for $1k in excellent condition.

My guess is that combat carried/used Mark II's, even in poor condition, could easily sell for 2-3x's more but proof of combat use would be essential.

Thank you sgt, I don't have any way to prove it was carried in war, just have suspicion it was due to the info my late uncle had provided about it and the markings on the blade itself. I appreciate your feedback!

- Raggz

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

I can tell you no knife I carried in the jungle for anything more than a very brief time during the dry season would have survived with its sheath in that good of condition. Nice MK-II otherwise.

 

[Raggz]

I can tell you no knife I carried in the jungle for anything more than a very brief time during the dry season would have survived with its sheath in that good of condition. Nice MK-II otherwise.

Thanks Sidehill, I can definitely see how MOS would influence the condition of the knife sheath depending on the carriers exposure to environment and the duration of exposure from deployment. Thanks for your observations and insight regarding this knife, much appreciated.

-Raggz