Genuine or not?

Just because its old, stamped Sheffield, England, and has some rust does not mean it is a genuine World War Two Commando knife. Some dealers will say World War Two “era.” What exactly do they mean? Are they saying between 1939 and 1945, or somewhere between WW-I and Korea? The quickest way to determine if a third pattern is genuine WW-II is by looking at the guard. If the guard is thin ___ and exhibits shearing marks around the edges it is a postwar knife. World War Two knives had the guards nicely polished on all of the surfaces including the edges. If it is stamped “Sheffield England” it is probably not WW-II either. And one further test is to look for the casting mold number near the pommel. It might be worn, but there should be a raised number, 1 – 4, present. If not it is a post-war knife. Sheaths can be a dead giveaway, BUT, it may not be the original sheath for the knife. So you might be able to determine the sheath is post-war but not whether the knife is. What prompted me to write these few paragraphs was a knife on auction that was clearly post-war yet described as WW-II era. The seller also said the sheath might not be original to the knife since it was stamped “Germany.” Really! What a revelation, that during the war Germans were probably not making sheaths for British Commando knives. It is quite common to find an old knife in a newer sheath. New sheaths have a sloppy fit and wide black elastic. Old sheaths fit well and have narrow brown elastic.Do your homework before buying. Stop by our website. Knife shown is NATO 1983 issue and not WW-II. http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/