Antique original
Scarce imperial ‘ jet pilots ‘ knife
M3 look alike knife , but it has the blade of a USN mark 1
It is in rough shape , but this version is exceedingly hard to find
The 4 3/4 inch blade shows lots of wear and old sharpening marks , and signs of prior rust
About 9 1/2 inches over length in the sheath
The stacked leather grip is slightly beat -up and shows it’s age
But This is the scarce , first variant !
it has the plastic end spacers on the hilt
The leather sheath looks very similar to the original issue style , and fits this knife well ,
but it is likely a civilian scabbard
It is missing the tie down strap and the threads are loose -
This first model was Likely made with surplus M3 knife parts
Imperial M3 style jet pilots knife !
Korean War era
the actual government nomenclature is
MIL-K-8662 (AER)
early script font version of imperial name
MIL-K
a must have for advanced collectors