Economy pocket knife??

[lnijherald]

Guys,
Here's a pocket knife that I bought at a local flea market some ten years ago, any ideas what it is? An economy version of the large WWI pocket knife?
There is no date, makers name MS Ltd XX, possibly a faint broad arrow on the can opener. Size is 12,5cm closed.
Any idea of the value, I'm thinking of selling it.
Regards, Luc

[lnijherald]

Close up of makers stampings:

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Luc, these knives appear to be WW2 in date. There is evidence to show they were used but no one seems to know why they differ from the standard WW2 jack knives. They might be a small production run or even private purchase?

Hard to place a value on it? Given a standard knife will now cost £5, I would guess price of about £8. That allows a bit extra for the fact they are not common, but there will not be a huge demand for it either.

Cheers, Ade.

[lnijherald]

Hi Ade,

Thanks for your input!
It is a puzzling knife, on the internet I found that MS Ltd (Metal Stampings) was a Canadian subcontractor for Case XX, these knives were supposedly made after the war; the lady I bought it from told me it was left behind by a British soldier in '45.
One exactly like mine sold on ebay recently as a WWI trench knife for 70USD, but your idea and price estimate sound much more realistic.
What I really don't understand why such a crude (and dangerous, I tried it once) can opener remained in use while there was a much better design available.
Cheers, Luc