Para gravity knives (take-down)

[Drobson]

Hello, gentleman's.
Recently I purchase two late (blued) gravity knives by SMF from a source in Germany.
They are both looks quite old and genuine for me but they are different in some details (fonts of serials, WaA eagles). Don't looks like a fakes for me, but I'm not an expert.
Can I please hear some opinions about those knives.

P.S. The one with the brighter fitting was rusted over blueing so it was cleaned a bit.

Thanks.

[SPQR]

No problem for me about these two knives.

Congrats

[standfast]

Both knives are fine and authentic .

[15parabattalion]

There are a few things I don't like:

a. Matching numbers - hardly ever happened. If the numbers also match under the blade release it would worry me.
b. The number '3' in '403' is not the standard German font it is rounded (see picture below).
c. The blades are SMF and look good to me, however the bolster and knife bodies are PW's. SMF blades were more abundent than PW's!

So my conjecture is that these knives have been made up of genuine parts, cleaned up, renumbered and sold as genuine. I would say they are worth approx £80 to me and £110 to someone who wanted one, to £220 someone who thought they were buying 100% original Type 2 knife in good condition!



Thanks Mike

[Drobson]

Hello, and thank you all for your replys.
Mike, the difference in font of #3 has also alerted me, by here is a simple question. Why the peron(s) who has a proper fonts (#238) use different one in second (#403) knife? And, yes all numbers are matched in all parts on both knives. I don't see any evidence what old numbers has been grind off. Anyway, the price on those today not that high, to made a high quality stuff with all that details, and even if someone have ability to made them on that level, why he just don't do them from a "text-book examples"???
Just my guess, maybe there was some kind of cooperation between PW's and SMF late war time, so they used same parts, or they used same subcontractors parts? I saw a faked gravity knife before, he was cried it's a fake, but if those two are some kind of new level fakes, we (collectors) are in trouble.
Any other opinions?
Cheers.


Andrej.

[15parabattalion]

ANDREJ

All good questions! However I'm not saying they are fakes, the parts look 100% OK. What I'm saying is that someone has pulled various parts together, cleaned and refurbished them and then stamped them with fake matching numbers. If someone has the tools who knows what they will do to try and fake things!!

These are very unlikely to be late war collaboration between SMF and PW as the blades are mid- war not late war.

I too have a fliers knife like this, it is a text book type II knife BUT it is the same as yours, refurbished and re-stamped! It is thought to have come from Poland, where apparently a chap has access to a facility for faking knives etc. My numbers are '385' .......

Cheers Mike

[Drobson]

There is a detail about #238 I shouls mention.
I find an assemble number on the inside part of the bolster. That is a #3, but it was made using rounded font.

[Gene]

a. Matching numbers - hardly ever happened. If the numbers also match under the blade release it would worry me.

Unless I am misunderstanding you, there are many people here who will disagree with you. I've owned probably a dozen takedowns and all have been matching numbered. Most were acquired before 1989 as well.

[15parabattalion]

Andrej

Thats very interesting!! I've not seen a number stamped in that position, I've just re-checked some of my knives and there is no number there! I would be interested to hear what others find - number of no number inside the bolster?


Thanks Mike

[Drobson]

Yes, from both sides inside of the bolsters, on both of the knives.

[Butch]

Yes my take down gravity knife is marked on the bolster in two places exactly the same as the two examples being discussed.

Gareth

[15parabattalion]

I wouldn't mind hearing if others knives are marked similarly, also if any are marked with a '3' are they a flat top 3 or a rounded 3 like in this text?