WWII SMF German paratrooper knife, real or reproduction

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rc51kid

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I inherited this as part of a larger collection. From what i can tell it is a WWII German paratrooper knife. It is marked SMF, from what i can tell most of the marking look correct for SMF. But i cant find any definitive guides or information about these knives. I would be inclined to assume it is a reproduction, but the more i look the more I am not sure. I would hate to assume it is just a "cheap reproduction" and fail to recognize a historic knife. Any opinions or definitive way to tell if this is fake or real?
20250508_184134.jpg20250508_184143.jpg
 
Don't quote me - I am not an expert on German paratrooper knives. However, because of the mere fact it looks brand new I am inclined to think it is a repro.

And edit: the maker mark on the blade is precisely etched - not a feature on any knife before or during WW2.
 
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RPZIP said:
Don't quote me - I am not an expert on German paratrooper knives. However, because of the mere fact it looks brand new I am inclined to think it is a repro.
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You may well be correct, but I learned long ago that condition is an indicator of only one thing. Condition. I've seen blades that were hundreds of years old be pristine, while something made in the 90s was only a corroding relic.
 
Triton said:
You may well be correct, but I learned long ago that condition is an indicator of only one thing. Condition. I've seen blades that were hundreds of years old be pristine, while something made in the 90s was only a corroding relic.
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Yes. I bought a new old stock, freshly cleaned of cosmoline, Springfield 1873 govt 45-70 trapdoor rifle in 1995 that was absolutely pristine in all ways. I've had several new in box Imperial M-7 bayonets that look the same as the day the were made in 1974. Condition is usually dependent on the effort put into keeping it.
 
RPZIP said:
Well I have just edited my post. That precision etched makers mark on the blade tells me it is not a 1930s/40s item.
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That's outside my knowledge but I believe you. I wonder if the famous rostfrei showed up on military knives at that time also. I have no doubt someone will be along to tell us.😀
 
I seriously doubt any German blades that were issued battlefield implements were marked "rostfrei".
 
If you search "German Paratrooper Knife" you'll see lots of pictures of WWII period knives marked Rostfrei or Inox but I didn't see the same Soligen mark.

Is that a takedown version? If it is you might be able to find more marks on the mechanism.

Your best bet is to find someone familiar with German paraphernalia and let them inspect it in person.
 
Danke42 said:
If you search "German Paratrooper Knife" you'll see lots of pictures of WWII period knives marked Rostfrei or Inox but I didn't see the same Soligen mark.

Is that a takedown version? If it is you might be able to find more marks on the mechanism.

Your best bet is to find someone familiar with German paraphernalia and let them inspect it in person.
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I know next to nothing about these knives. But i believe it is a take down. I did slide the "cap" off and gently pivoted the side panels. I did find an arrow under the ca that matched the arrow stamped on the outside. I will take a look again in a few days when i get home.
 
rc51kid said:
I inherited this as part of a larger collection. From what i can tell it is a WWII German paratrooper knife. It is marked SMF, from what i can tell most of the marking look correct for SMF. But i cant find any definitive guides or information about these knives. I would be inclined to assume it is a reproduction, but the more i look the more I am not sure. I would hate to assume it is just a "cheap reproduction" and fail to recognize a historic knife. Any opinions or definitive way to tell if this is fake or real?
View attachment 2870559View attachment 2870560
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Looks to be legit.

DSC07482.jpg


edited to add:
This site, also
epicartifacts.com

Early Gravity Knife SMF - Epic Artifacts Original WWII

Epic Artifacts LLC, Buys and Sells Early Gravity Knife SMF as well as All Other Edged Weapons, Headgear, Uniforms, and Awards!
epicartifacts.com epicartifacts.com
 
RPZIP said:
Don't quote me - I am not an expert on German paratrooper knives. However, because of the mere fact it looks brand new I am inclined to think it is a repro.

And edit: the maker mark on the blade is precisely etched - not a feature on any knife before or during WW2.
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I 100% agree. Which is why at first this got tossed in a ziplock bag with 20 other knives and sat in a box for 6 months.

But i learned my lesson a few months ago. I did the same thing with a cheap Gerber boot knife from the same estate. Turns out it is an near mint 1968 Vietnam Gerber Mark II.20250118_120809 (1).jpg
 
A real one would have Waffenant markings, proof markings, etc. Many of them were made with parts that were hand fitted and the parts all had the same numbers stamped on them. Look in places like the back of the release tab or the base of the spike. If there are no markings, its doubtful thats its real.
 
rc51kid said:
I know next to nothing about these knives. But i believe it is a take down. I did slide the "cap" off and gently pivoted the side panels. I did find an arrow under the ca that matched the arrow stamped on the outside. I will take a look again in a few days when i get home.
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Search for "reproduction SMF paratrooper knife" and you'll find information about it.
 
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The concencis seems to be that this paratrooper's knife might or might not be vintage WW-II or a reproduction. . . .no group agreement.

Is there any way to make that determination. . . . . . how would a museum curator figure that out?

My uninformed, inexpert first reaction on seeing the photos ws that it was not WW-II vintage because it looked so new. WW-II re-enactments are popular and common today. About every thig is available in "re-pop" for the enthusiast.

In viewing images WW-II era Randall and Ek knives on -Bay, they all look well used. However, images in solid collector's books often show near perfect examples . . .so they can be found.

Wa etching on the blade a standard practice for that knife in that time period? I don't know, but that would be a question in my mind. Is there a manufacturer or factory code on it? German army stuff was well documented then and is a deeply researched area now. . .this stuff is known somewhere I'll bet.
 
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Thanks guys. I will dig into it more after the weekend when i get home. I am inclined to think t is a reproduction. But then there is the situation of the Gerber from the same estate. So i try to be carful about what I assume. It does have some parts pointing to being real, the marking looks good compared to some obvious fakes. It is stamped on the "trigger" in two spots, the two arrows on it also look correct for a SMF.

The owner of this estate wasnt known to spend a lot of money on expensive rare knives (except his Randall collection). He like surplus and military stuff. So I dont think he would have bought this knife at a collector's price. But he was stationed in Germany during the 70s and 80s. I have a Walther PP that he bought back then while stationed over there. So it is 100% possible that if these were "cheap surplus" back then he could have grabbed it then. That was kind of his style of collecting. He probably ended up with the Gerber the same way
 
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