Trying to identify unmarked tanto

M

Mint_Chip

Joined
Sep 14, 2022
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8
Hoping to see if I can find anything out about this knife I got, zoom in for detail

https://imgur.com/Y6i9Kvh

https://imgur.com/elGMP5Q

-Unmarked (except for rust)
-looks almost exactly like a master tanto but with a 7in blade and full length of a bit over 12in
-seems to have a factory edge
-no sheath

Supposedly it's from an "estate collection" owned by someone who "did work for the company that made knives for Cold Steel at one time". Regardless I figured I should check to see if it's anything special before I do anything with it. Obviously it could be a fake too but I haven't seen one before of this model.

Let me know if any of you recognize anything about it
 
Is the handle material Kraton? Is the whole knife, including bolster and pommel black? Seems that way from the photos.
 
Subject to further information, I would guess at this time that the odds are extremely high that it is simply a copy (fake) of a CS Master Tanto but with 7 inch blade. The predominant reason being no marks at all. It's not a counterfeit since it does not have CS marks.

There is I suppose a remote possibility that it has some real history with CS. But apart from Camillus and the rumored Buck on the original Recon Tanto, all other Tantos were made in Japan until 2016. And Camillus never made Tantos. Was the owner Japanese who worked at a Seki factory? Otherwise, I would not put too much into that "story".

Taylor Cutlery under the Seto-Taylor label did make a Cold Steel copy, MCR11 which came in all black, camo and Cold Steel colors. But I believe they were
all 6" and 6.5" blades. Plus they were clearly marked as in the photo below.

I would ask jlauffer jlauffer to look at this.

kTeMTp.jpg
 
Without the story, would dismiss it as a clone. The spine of the blade has noticeably more curve than the edge, and the guard is out of proportion, giving it an overall awkward look.

But the handle and pommel look good, as does the fit/finish, so if there is any truth to the story, it could be a prototype. The guard is longer than normal, and looks like a cross between the original brass version and the later stainless version. If it is real, could have been from when they were transitioning from brass to stainless and were trying to nail down the shape. Also remember that after the original 8 3/4" Magnum Tanto, there was the 7 1/2" Magnum Tanto II. Maybe they were thinking of ditching the tsuba-style guard and offering a longer regular Tanto.
 
KenHash said:
Is the handle material Kraton? Is the whole knife, including bolster and pommel black? Seems that way from the photos.
Click to expand...
Yes I think the handle is Kraton but thats the only black part, the bolster and pommel are satin finish/polished.
The black is a lot darker in person
 
jlauffer said:
Without the story, would dismiss it as a clone. The spine of the blade has noticeably more curve than the edge, and the guard is out of proportion, giving it an overall awkward look.

But the handle and pommel look good, as does the fit/finish, so if there is any truth to the story, it could be a prototype. The guard is longer than normal, and looks like a cross between the original brass version and the later stainless version. If it is real, could have been from when they were transitioning from brass to stainless and were trying to nail down the shape. Also remember that after the original 8 3/4" Magnum Tanto, there was the 7 1/2" Magnum Tanto II. Maybe they were thinking of ditching the tsuba-style guard and offering a longer regular Tanto.
Click to expand...
Yeah I noticed some similar features on those older style brass versions as well as the similar size to the magnum when I was researching on my own, it just raises more questions about the origin. Maybe some kind of Frankenstein prototype or one-off fake.
 
KenHash said:
Subject to further information, I would guess at this time that the odds are extremely high that it is simply a copy (fake) of a CS Master Tanto but with 7 inch blade. The predominant reason being no marks at all. It's not a counterfeit since it does not have CS marks.

There is I suppose a remote possibility that it has some real history with CS. But apart from Camillus and the rumored Buck on the original Recon Tanto, all other Tantos were made in Japan until 2016. And Camillus never made Tantos. Was the owner Japanese who worked at a Seki factory? Otherwise, I would not put too much into that "story".

Taylor Cutlery under the Seto-Taylor label did make a Cold Steel copy, MCR11 which came in all black, camo and Cold Steel colors. But I believe they were
all 6" and 6.5" blades. Plus they were clearly marked as in the photo below.

I would ask jlauffer jlauffer to look at this.

kTeMTp.jpg
Click to expand...
Don't have any more info about the owner unforunately, I think you're right about the odds of it probably being a fake tho. Not too worried either way since it didn't cost me much
 
jlauffer said:
Without the story, would dismiss it as a clone. The spine of the blade has noticeably more curve than the edge, and the guard is out of proportion, giving it an overall awkward look.

But the handle and pommel look good, as does the fit/finish, so if there is any truth to the story, it could be a prototype. The guard is longer than normal, and looks like a cross between the original brass version and the later stainless version. If it is real, could have been from when they were transitioning from brass to stainless and were trying to nail down the shape. Also remember that after the original 8 3/4" Magnum Tanto, there was the 7 1/2" Magnum Tanto II. Maybe they were thinking of ditching the tsuba-style guard and offering a longer regular Tanto.
Click to expand...
The only info I've been able to find on the unmarked aspect is this thread you started but I really doubt it's related, also not sure if it's relevant but the pommel can be screwed off.
 
Mint_Chip said:
Hoping to see if I can find anything out about this knife I got, zoom in for detail

https://imgur.com/Y6i9Kvh

https://imgur.com/elGMP5Q

-Unmarked (except for rust)
-looks almost exactly like a master tanto but with a 7in blade and full length of a bit over 12in
-seems to have a factory edge
-no sheath

Supposedly it's from an "estate collection" owned by someone who "did work for the company that made knives for Cold Steel at one time". Regardless I figured I should check to see if it's anything special before I do anything with it. Obviously it could be a fake too but I haven't seen one before of this model.

Let me know if any of you recognize anything about it
Click to expand...

It is an intriguing knife that I can't identify. A couple of attributes look "Cold Steel," but most do not. Even if it is a prototype, I can't see why it wouldn't possess any markings or a sheath. Without corroboration, the story that the owner once worked for one of Cold Steel's manufacturers doesn't hold any weight.

To me, it looks like a clone or a fake. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it's an unmarked (note second photo below) C. Jul Herbertz, which made numerous Cold Steel lookalikes and other tanto styles over the years, including some made in Seki.

IMG-3967.jpg


IMG-4008.jpg


IMG-3984.jpg


IMG-4012.jpg


IMG-4010.jpg



With the Kraton handle, Linder is another candidate, though I've only ever observed tsuba guards on Linders.

IMG-4013.jpg


IMG-4016.jpg



-Steve
 
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