A U Lion. US 1918 Fighting knife

[RH1941]

Hi guys picked this up last night . I'm not an expert on these and know it is one of the most faked fighting knife out there. I've been looking up this knife all night long and I've looked at so many I can't tell if its a real one or not. This knife was with a beautiful 1911 holster extra mags and first aid pouch all WWI dated along with the 1911. All the items in very lightly used condition. So what do you guys think.

[MAP]

Have you checked out Lance's thread?

The U.S. M1918 Mk. I Trench Knife Thread.

From what I can see I think it stands a chance but the scabbard appears to be for an LF&C.

Hopefully Lance will see this and confirm one way or the other.

[RH1941]

Hi Map just looked at that thread and it does look promising. One of the threads i read last night said that its not uncommon to find them with switched scabbards. Gary

[MAP]

I'm sure that is possible.

I don't think however I've seen one with a "serial #" stamped into the blade.

[RH1941]

Yes that has me confused also .

[MAP]

It's an odd set of numbers as well "H14&" plus they are all punched separately. Don't know what to think of that.

[RH1941]

Maybe the owner marked it so he knew that was his knife.

[RH1941]

The letters and numbers are about the same size as those on WWI dog tags

[Krakow1]

All of Au Lion knives had a bright blade according to M.H. Cole. One Au Lion I have does, and all the ones I have seen have a bright blade.
LF&C on the other hand had blades and handles chemically blackened.

[MilitariaOne]

Greetings,

I see no red flags or concerns here. I see a knife, which appears to have had its handle once painted dark (note the remnants of paint in the handle’s grooves and handguard) and one where it appears the blade has been blued or chemically darkened. Of course, the blade could be "in the bright," but from the way the images appear the blade no longer appears bright (which is it?). I have not viewed before a "factory" darkened Au Lion’s blade, but there are collectors' wives tales ahem, “rumors” of their existence.

In any case, over the years these weapons were personalized and tweaked by their various owners for their own reasons/motivations (these modifications are usually ascribed to their more prolific WWII's use, but could be Korean War’s or Vietnam War’s mods too. Hell, they could even be modded by members of a post-war criminal gang). I own several (L. F. & C. Variants), which have been chromed and many with modified/shaved down handles. I own several modified handles variants, which just the “US 1918” markings have been removed, likely due to the knife being carried by a non-American (i.e. French Moroccan). Remember, not everyone is a "fan" of the USA:-) Many of these period modifications are attempts to make the knife more comfortable to carry or done to lessen its weight when in use. I am wholly clueless as to the stamped letters/symbol on the posted blade’s ricasso.

In the posted knife's case, it appears the owner/carrier was attempting to make the knife less showy and more hide-y (i.e. tactical). As mentioned, scabbards, (blades, & handles) are often found switched or paired in ways, which make purist trench-knives’ collectors wince, yet at the time, someone was (likely) making do with what parts/pieces they had on-hand.

Of course, anyone could have switched and miss-matched the posted Au Lion knife with the L. F. & C.’s scabbard, but mixed parts knives or knives with the “wrong” scabbards are not in the fakers’ best interests as they tend to sell for less than their correctly paired cousins. My point being, this miss-matched set was likely accomplished by a user not concerned with a knife’s value, but in the ability to carry and use it for its original intended purpose. That said, most folks who would put the time into modifying a knife as this one appears, usually make the effort to replace the original scabbards (either French or American made variants) as they are ergonomically speaking; nightmares to carry and likely to fail in actual use due to an inherently poor design. Folks concerned with a darkened knife are usually just as concerned with a comfortable and reliable method of carrying the blasted thing.

But I digress, all appears original in your set, just likely modified by an end user and paired with a replacement US Made Variant’s Scabbard. Wish I could explain the ricasso’s markings, but it does not follow standard laundry markings’ conventions nor unit identification/property’s markings.

Best,

V/r Lance