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Everitt Knuckle Knife - Very Fine & Scarce Green Handled WWII Fighting Knife

Everitt Knuckle Knife - Very Fine & Scarce Green Handled WWII Fighting Knife

  • Product Code: EWSK-1621-SOLD
  • Availability: Out Of Stock
  • $1.00


This is a VERY FINE condition example of the US World War II Everitt Knuckle Knife. No reference indicates that anyone knows who (or what) “Everitt” was, or who the company that produced the knives was. There is some speculation that the name “Everitt” may reference Everitt Washington, rather than being the name of a person or company. Other collectors and researchers suggest the knives were produced in with a nearly sterile appearance to make them usable in clandestine and “behind the lines” operations. However, most collectors and knife researchers agree that these fighting knives were produced for use by US troops in the Pacific Theater of operations. 

 

The knives had a cast metal hilt that was about 5” long and had four finger-hole “knuckles” with small, flat studs on the striking surface. The blade was a simple double-edged spear-point design, that was nominally 6 ¾” long with central fullers on each side. The knife was clearly intended for stabbing and only offered limited utility for the other duties that a combat knife might be called upon to deliver. The knife was nominally 11 ¾” in overall length and weighed approximately 10-ounces. The knives were finished with either black or green enamel paint on their hilts, and the blades were painted black, while some have been noted as having blued blades. Some collectors suggest that the blades were blued prior to being painted black, and this seems a legitimate possibility, as some of the fine condition examples I have inspected appeared to have both blue and black paint on the blades. Bright blades encountered today are the usually the result of the finish wearing off or being removed from the blades. The knives were issued with a simple leather scabbard that was quite similar to the US M6 trench knife scabbard that was originally issued with the M3 Trench Knife. The scabbard was assembled with both rivets and stitching and had six “staples” to reinforce the throat against accidental cutting. A small metal plate was affixed to the bottom rear of the scabbard, similar to the reinforcing plate found on the front bottom of the M6 trench knife scabbard. The scabbard had a slit belt loop and handle retaining strap that was secured by a snap. While it is unclear how many of the “Everitt” knives were produced, however their scarcity on the collector market today indicates that the overall production was modest at best, or that the majority of the knives never returned from the field of battle.

 

This particular Everitt Knuckle Knife is in about VERY FINE condition and remains in really wonderful condition for the advanced WWII knife collector. The hilt retains about 90%+ of the original green paint, with the blade retaining the majority of its black paint. The level of original finish on the blade is truly rare, as most blades are encountered with little or no finish these days. The finish loss on the handle and knuckle portion of the knife is simply minor flaking from wear and dings, most of which is along the high edges. In particular there is wear and loss on one side between the second and third knuckle rings, where the retention strap rubbed the paint off the hilt. The paint loss on the blade is from normal wear and use, with some of the thinning and loss from the repeated insertion into and removal from the scabbard. The blade measures 6 ¾” in length with a 3 3/16” central fuller and the knife has an overall length of slightly more than 11 ½”. The blade is entirely smooth and is free of any pitting, although some freckled surface oxidation is present here and there. The cast grip is clearly marked on both sides with the single word EVERITT in raised letters. The raised letters are one way to tell a real Everitt knife from some of the fakes that have appeared on the market over the years. All of the embossed raised checkering on the grip, around the panel box where the name is, remains crisp and the flat knuckle protrusions retain sharp, crisp edges as well. The correct original scabbard is present with the knife and is in VERY FINE condition as well. The scabbard is in wonderful, fully usable condition and retains the original reinforcement plate on the reverse near the tip and the original staples at the throat. The rivets are original and in fine condition, with a most of their blackened finish remaining. The rivets and stitching hold the scabbard together tightly, and all of the original stitching is secure and in place as well. The throat staples are mostly bright but do show some very light surface oxidation and minor age discoloration. The staples all intact and are solidly in place. The leather scabbard body shows some minor surface scuffing and light wear but is otherwise in wonderful condition. The original hilt retaining strap is present and it shows the most wear of any part of the scabbard. The leather of the two closure straps is somewhat dried and worn and shows moderate crazing. The straps appear to be this way as they have been connected for years with the hilt has been resting against the straps for many years. The blackened brass button closure has been snapped close for many years as well, and it appears that the closure cannot be opened without excessive force. I believe that such force will rip or damage the strap, so I have left it as is. Be warned that you may break the straps if you try to separate the buttons.

 

Overall this is a really wonderful example of a scarce and desirable World War II Everitt Knuckle Knife. These knives are well known US World War II fighting knives and are highly prized additions to US fighting knife collections. Knuckle knives are always sought after for collections, and this is a great example of a very popular US fighting knife from the Second World War. This will be a piece that you will be very proud to add to your military knife collection and will display with pride.


SOLD

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Tags: Everitt, Knuckle, Knife, Very, Fine, Scarce, Green, Handled, WWII, Fighting, Knife