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My grandpa had this knife and we do not know anything about it. It seems to be very interesting and I am very curious as to what kind of knife this is and where it came from.

Edit: Grandpa was born in the 1930s. The knife looks the same on both sides. This question is tagged "United States".

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    When was Grandpa born? Did he serve in the military?
    – Astor Florida
    Apr 23, 2018 at 11:23
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    Did your grandpa tell you where did he find that knife and if so where was the location ? Location is very important !
    – PROBERT
    Apr 23, 2018 at 19:17
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    My grandpa was born in the 1930s and was in the military, I don’t know anything else about the blade and neither does he
    – Lukas Boucher
    Apr 23, 2018 at 20:56
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    Without any form of markings apparent, there is not much to go on. Your description of where the knife came from is also very lacking in detail. Your grandpa was in the military, and you are in the USA. Was the knife obtained from a military comrade who brought it back from some overseas station? Was your grandpa himself stationed overseas, and if so, where? Are there any details or markings on the blade itself on the other side perhaps?
    – justCal
    May 5, 2018 at 15:41
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    Yes, "the military" could use some fleshing out. Which service branch? When? Any ideas where he might have been stationed?
    – T.E.D. ♦
    May 5, 2018 at 16:19

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His military service and where he served are of no matter. The weapon in question speaks for itself. What you have is a knife made from a cadet's sword—no doubt for use in trench warfare. I almost thought it was a Royal Company of Archers sword at first, but then thought better of it. They typically have what is called a "yataghan" style blade which is recurved but I have seen them with gladius blades.

Sold through the famous Bannerman Arms in New York, NY, this particular sword may be associated with Freemasonry and the Yorkist Rite temple but are of old French surplus stock. It dates between the late 1880s to 1920s. As you can see, a lot of material was removed. It may be of some value to a collector of things associated with trench warfare if it had some provenance but, otherwise, a sword worth circa $250 has been destroyed.

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  • Good job matching this item! If you could provide sources concerning the connections to Freemasonry and being 'old French surplus stock' it would improve the answer and help those wanting to learn a little more.
    – justCal
    Oct 12, 2018 at 18:25

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