Gravity knife

[cornish1]

Hi guys,this gravity knife is up for auction in a couple of days,i went to the viewing today,sadly i was late late!,only managed to grab this 1 pic,its maker marked SMF SOLIGEN ROSTFREI ,looks and feels great,tho i am unsure as to its originality,im thinking its genuine. The write up in the catologue says "an original second world war Luftwaffe gravity knife with single edged blade by SMF etc...with polished wooden grips" estimate price £60-80 .I love it! wanting to bid on it but cant afford a fake one! I dont really know much about them but have trawled the forum here and it seems ok by what you guys have on previous knifes like this.
Could anybody help me on this one please?,also if an auction house says its "original" and you come to find it isnt,can you sue or what?,surely they wouldnt damage their credibility this way?.
If anybody can help me i`d very much appreciated!..Thanks guys
All the best

Mark

[ww2fotos]

I don't know about where you live, but here in the States the auctioneers are crooks & thieves! I suspect ALL of them fit into one of those catagories! That is a very cheap price for such a knife. I don't think anybody can give you an honest opinion from that 1 foto. I'd tell you to go for it. I suppose there is someone on the forum that can tell whether it is good by the name. Good luck. How did that type 2 LW dagger look to you? (the one in the background)

[Adrian Stevenson]

Hi Mark, from that single photo it appears good.

Most auctions houses sell "as seen" regardless of what they say in the auction descriptions. Once you have bought it, that is it. They will not accept returns in most cases. If you need to talk to them before you bid to find out their policy if you are worried.

Cheers, Ade.

[cornish1]

ww2fotos,thanks for your comments...i`ve never actually been to an auction before so i`ve no idea about their reputations for honesty or deceptions!. As for the Lufty in the background it has seen better days thats for sure!,there are a couple of largish cracks on the grip and also the twisted wire around the grip isnt!,its just one piece of silver wire wrapped around. Also had white paint spots spattered over it..plus one suspension ring missing.

Ade,thank you for that info,as i`ve said never been to an auction so will ask them about their policy.
One more thing,i`ve noticed on other gravity knifes there seems to be either 2 or 3 sets of rivets on the handle,1 set being in the middle of the handle,this one doesnt have any there?? is this a possible problem or not guys?....once again thank you for your opinions and comments,i need as many as possible!,just wished i could have taken more photo`s!

All the best

Mark

[Horst]

As said by Ade, from the picture it looks good - were you able to try the release to make sure that the spring was not broken?? for that price , if all works its a steal.

Horst

[cornish1]

Hi Horst,yes the spring release worked perfectly! Thank you for your opinion,very much appreciated

Mark

[thekid]

isnt it illegal for those knive to active, as they are stilitto (pardon my grammar) style??

[Matt L]

You're right that gravity knives are illegal here in Canada thekid, but you have the terminology, not the grammar wrong- 'stiletto' simply refers to a dagger with a short thin blade for stabbing, not anything to do with mechanical aspects; in fact a gravity knife's blade is distinctly not a stiletto type. The issue is that it can be opened with one hand- that's what makes it illegal to own here. It's silly and typically political in nature since it's hardly more dangerous to the public good than any knife someone chooses to carry and use in a bad way, but that's typical of so many laws LOL Such is not the case everywhere of course- it varies from State to State in the US (just as owning automatic weapons does), and doubtless many countries around the world have more or less restriction on bladed weapons.

[thekid]

thanx for the clarification

[ww2fotos]

Hi guys,this gravity knife is up for auction in a couple of days,i went to the viewing today,sadly i was late late!,only managed to grab this 1 pic,its maker marked SMF SOLIGEN ROSTFREI ,looks and feels great,tho i am unsure as to its originality,im thinking its genuine. The write up in the catologue says "an original second world war Luftwaffe gravity knife with single edged blade by SMF etc...with polished wooden grips" estimate price £60-80 .I love it! wanting to bid on it but cant afford a fake one! I dont really know much about them but have trawled the forum here and it seems ok by what you guys have on previous knifes like this.
Could anybody help me on this one please?,also if an auction house says its "original" and you come to find it isnt,can you sue or what?,surely they wouldnt damage their credibility this way?.
If anybody can help me i`d very much appreciated!..Thanks guys
All the best

Mark

If you can get that LW type 2 dagger cheap enough, I'd buy that, too. You can always find a replacement grip. Emphasize cheap enough.