Vietnam pilot knife question

S

Snowbaron

Joined
Jan 13, 2024
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I saw a knife at an antique mall and it looks like a 1962-1966 Vietnam pilots knife. I think it had 3 lines on the riscotto and the blade had factory machined ribbing on the blade. What is a fair price for this and the only way it made 5” was to measure from the tip to behind the hilt/hand guard. Then it was exactly 5”. Is this how to measure this knife? Btw it fit the metal reinforced sheath perfect. He wanted $200. I offered $150. Thanks in advance.
 
Most are date marked on the pommel. The early ones had a 6” blade. They are mostly common knives made by a number of companies then and now. Pricing would depend on configuration, brand and condition.

N2s
 
Camillus made three versions of the of the jet pilot's survival knife. As N2s said, the first version had a 6" blade. The second version, which it sounds like you have, had a 5" blade and was marked on the ricasso as you describe. The third and final version was marked on the pommel "Camillus/N.Y./"month-year" and was produced starting in January of 1967. I've had a number of these knives and some have had blades that were a little under 5" long.

These knives are not too hard to find and, in my view, $200 seems like a pretty high price unless it's in pristine condition.
 
wharncliffe said:
Camillus made three versions of the of the jet pilot's survival knife. As N2s said, the first version had a 6" blade. The second version, which it sounds like you have, had a 5" blade and was marked on the ricasso as you describe. The third and final version was marked on the pommel "Camillus/N.Y./"month-year" and was produced starting in January of 1967. I've had a number of these knives and some have had blades that were a little under 5" long.

These knives are not too hard to find and, in my view, $200 seems like a pretty high price unless it's in pristine condition.
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Thanks. He was firm so I passed on it.
 
Snowbaron said:
I saw a knife at an antique mall and it looks like a 1962-1966 Vietnam pilots knife. I think it had 3 lines on the riscotto and the blade had factory machined ribbing on the blade. What is a fair price for this and the only way it made 5” was to measure from the tip to behind the hilt/hand guard. Then it was exactly 5”. Is this how to measure this knife? Btw it fit the metal reinforced sheath perfect. He wanted $200. I offered $150. Thanks in advance.
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Can't be that old, or the scabbard has been replaced.

The scabbard was plain through late 1967. In 1968 they started adding a metal tip, and in mid 1974 they went to an all metal back plate. Camillus offered plain or metal backed with their civilian sales models for decades afterward.

The reenforcement of the scabbards was something that was asked for unofficially for a long while. The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) recommended tip protection, and a metal throat stiffener all the way back in the late 50's. The tip protection became official, the throat stiffener did not.


Read this thread - https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/134069-the-jet-pilots-survival-knife/ .

Study this article - https://www.knifemagazine.com/darwinism-in-the-knife-field-jet-pilots-knife/ (click the blue box at the end for the PDF article to load) .

There are 100,000s of JPSK out there, Many still in great condition. You can wait till you have confidence in your knowledge of them.
 
Snowbaron said:
I saw a knife at an antique mall and it looks like a 1962-1966 Vietnam pilots knife. I think it had 3 lines on the riscotto and the blade had factory machined ribbing on the blade. What is a fair price for this and the only way it made 5” was to measure from the tip to behind the hilt/hand guard. Then it was exactly 5”. Is this how to measure this knife? Btw it fit the metal reinforced sheath perfect. He wanted $200. I offered $150. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing it's an Italian knife?

Sam⚔️⚔️
 
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