Rarest of the rare

[Glenn66]

If 180,000 pieces were manufactured, i'm amazed that they are so rare nowadays. Any thoughts as to why that is?

[outpost]

Ibberson Gravity Knife
After British forces had captured numbers of the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Messer, the British government approached George Ibberson & Co. of Sheffield, England, a knife and cutlery manufacturer, and asked him to produce a British version of the German Luftwaffe gravity knife for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and other clandestine warfare units. Under the initial wartime contract, George Ibberson & Co. initially made 500 gravity knives for issue to the SOE and other special forces. Two other manufacturers, both of Sheffield, Yorkshire, produced between 1,200 and 1,500 knives during the war. These Sheffield gravity knives had smooth wood or textured plastic scales, but were otherwise identical in features and operation to the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Messer, with a locking gravity-deployed blade, takedown feature, and a folding rigging spike or awl. In the hands of British SOE agents, the Sheffield gravity knife was considered to be a secondary combat weapon. In addition to the knife blade, SOE close combat instructors found that the folding rigging spike was useful for silent elimination of sentries by opening the carotid artery on the neck. as far as we are aware only 500 ibberson knives were produce.Many of these knives were dumped at sea after the war,but i may stand corrected.

[Glenn66]

Thanks, seems there were a few more zeros in the earlier post than needed to be, that explains it.

[Reibert]

If 180,000 pieces were manufactured, i'm amazed that they are so rare nowadays. Any thoughts as to why that is?

Even in Ibberson´s collection of samples there´re only three knives leftover ...

There:
ID unmarked knife from estate sale - Page 2
and there:
http://home.tiscali.nl/nijsten/Pictu...vityknife.html
another Ibberson gravity knifves

[Reibert]

Ibberson Gravity Knife
After British forces had captured numbers of the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Messer, the British government approached George Ibberson & Co. of Sheffield, England, a knife and cutlery manufacturer, and asked him to produce a British version of the German Luftwaffe gravity knife for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and other clandestine warfare units. Under the initial wartime contract, George Ibberson & Co. initially made 500 gravity knives for issue to the SOE and other special forces. Two other manufacturers, both of Sheffield, Yorkshire, produced between 1,200 and 1,500 knives during the war. These Sheffield gravity knives had smooth wood or textured plastic scales, but were otherwise identical in features and operation to the Luftwaffe Fallschirmjäger-Messer, with a locking gravity-deployed blade, takedown feature, and a folding rigging spike or awl. In the hands of British SOE agents, the Sheffield gravity knife was considered to be a secondary combat weapon. In addition to the knife blade, SOE close combat instructors found that the folding rigging spike was useful for silent elimination of sentries by opening the carotid artery on the neck. as far as we are aware only 500 ibberson knives were produce.Many of these knives were dumped at sea after the war,but i may stand corrected.

Source: Wikipedia
Gravity knife - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[outpost]

So Reibert, you are doing well you have accounted for six pieces including mine just another 149,994 to go and your point is??????????

[Reibert]

So Reibert, you are doing well you have accounted for six pieces including mine just another 179,994 to go and your point is??????????

Do you imagine, that a lot of knives are still laying in some arsenals ?
I cannot believe, that all the knives were dumped in the channel ?

BTW, who told you, 180.000 pcs. were manufactured ?

[outpost]

That is the general belief.It was standard procedure after the war to dump ammo,shells, weapons etc etc etc at sea.I would be very surprized if these knives were sold off as surplus.

[Reibert]

... I would be very surprized if these knives were sold off as surplus.

I didn´t say that !

Maybe they´re still laying in some arsenals, who know´s ? ...

[Adrian Stevenson]

Very nice item, thanks for showing it.

Cheers, Ade.