Serial numbered, army issued khukuris

[golok]

I was told some time ago that those army issued khukuris are next-to-impossible to obtain.

With this in mind, I guess this type of khukuri would definitely be a collector's item.

If one were to look for khukuris like this, where would be the most likely places where one would find them?

 

[JDP]

Golok,
It depends on what era military kukri you are looking for. The earlier the kukri, the harder to find. Anything pre-1900 is really difficult not only to find, but to identify.

The markings on issued military kukris are not serial numbers, but model types, date of manufacture and issue and contractors. In some lucky cases there will be a random 3 or 4 digit number on the blade (or grip) and that will be the individual soldier's ID. You can then trace the knife back in some cases for a good provenance.

The later issued knives for the Nepalese Army are not difficult to find, but many are just copies that say Nepal Army. In many cases they are made at the same armoury and are just put up for sale so they are good solid knives. As with all things Gurkha or kukri "caveat emptor" applies.