The old Gerber Mark 1

The Mark I is a great boot knife/dagger. I carried one for a number of years. I no longer have the first one, but have a second one that I picked up probably in the late
70s but never carried. I occasionally think of selling it, but have never been able to get myself to do it.
 
Jeff Clark said:
I've got both Mark 1 and Mark 2's. I guess I'll have to take another look at my Mark 1, it definitely has a gray handle, my memory may fail me on the cat's tongue surface. My Mark 2 is from 1968 and my Mark 1 pretty old as well.
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If you have a Mark I with a gray handle it is not original from Gerber.

Mark II's were made in 1968 but in 1969 the cats tongue steel grip was discontinued sometime before serial number 10,000 approximately. If your Mark II was made in 1968 it will have the weld applied steel cats tongue gray grip and will have a serial between approximately 5001 and 9900. Gerber discontinued use of the Cats Tongue at that time, except for anniversary editions of the Mark II. After 1969 Mark II's were painted with and epoxy based paint, with grit in it for improved grip, called Armorhide but retained their gray grip and black pommel and fingerguard.

The Mark I was first made in 1976 and had an OD Green Armorhide handle and leather sheath that year only. Up through 1976 the Mark II had the gray and black armorhide handle, but in 1976 had a OD green leather sheath the same color as the Mark I. In the following years the Mark I as well as the Mark II had black handles and black sheaths.

Gerber Mark I's never had Gray handles or cats tongue handles in any version. They were always either OD Green or black armorhide, except for several presentation models made with wood and Ivory handles.
 
My opinion is the Mark I is a excellent knife good steel great balance looks and feels good, bought my first on in 1982 just after jump school and shortly after arriving at Fort Lewis got it at the PX for about 30.00 and wore it on my LBE left side up side down for easy access to be able to cut parachute cords if necessary.
 
The trick with the Mark 1 is to buy one made before 1981 or so. The Mark 1 never had the forged L6 blade I the early Mark 2's from 68-74 or so, but they did have the stock removal L6 blade for those first 5!or so years of production.
 
any of you out there who can tell me about the different Gerber logo's diamond rock and sword I have 2 tilted sword and sword straight up and down ??????
 
jdm61 said:
The trick with the Mark 1 is to buy one made before 1981 or so. The Mark 1 never had the forged L6 blade I the early Mark 2's from 68-74 or so, but they did have the stock removal L6 blade for those first 5!or so years of production.
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Got a serial # on when the change took place?
 
I have always had at least one. I carried one in my ruck to use as a spare blade should I need it. These things were great for stripping wire.
 
I have a Mark II that i purchased from the PX in Kaiserslautern Germany in 1981/2. It has the double serrations. Not good for much but dispatching the enemy---whoever that may be.
 
Ebbtide said:
Got a serial # on when the change took place?
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No. I found out the hard way that they had switched. My 1979 vintage model got stolen out of my car in 80 and when I replaced it in around 81' they had gone to stainless.
 
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