"India" stamped Khukri

[Robin Shooter]

I was at an outdoor antique market this morning. Believe it or not, I see khukri knives there often, but they are always either souvenir quality junk, over-priced, or rusted beyond recognition.

Today I saw one that I really liked. It was around 15" in length and looked like a WWII configuration khuk. It had a polished blade with wide, deep grooves along the spine (as I've seen only on older examples). The blade had a polished finish and the wood handle had a beautiful patina to it. The sheath and accessory knifes looked to be correct.

The only marking on the blade was "India", which kind of turned me off. It suggested to me that it was manufactured for export. There were no kami markings and I could not tell if the steel had been heat-treated. Can anyone comment on the marking? I know it's tough to evaluate without a picture...

The knife was offerd to me for $75., so the real price would be a couple dollars less. It will probably be there again next week.

 

[Berkley]

The only marking on the blade was "India", which kind of turned me off. It suggested to me that it was manufactured for export. There were no kami markings and I could not tell if the steel had been heat-treated. Can anyone comment on the marking? I know it's tough to evaluate without a picture...

All that can be said about the kukri from the marking is that it was made for export sometime after Indian independence in 1947. In India the men (or boys) who make kukris are known as lohars, not kamis, and in the big shops there they don't sign their work. A picture won't tell anything about the quality of the steel or heat treat. Seventy-five dollars is too high for even a good-quality plain postwar Indian kukri; I've seen (and bought) ivory-handled ones for less.
Of course, if you want a serious user with an unmatched warranty, proudly signed by the kami who made it, you know where you should be looking.