Rare early WW2 “red spacer” PAL Cutlery USN US Navy MK2 fighting knife, original early-issue leather scabbard; excellent

Description WW2 PAL MK2 fighting knife, rare USN “red spacer” type, early WW-II issue all-leather scabbard. Short-lived WW-II fighter type in excellent overall condition, considering the age. FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING WITHIN THE US FOR THIS ITEM. Original early WW2 era US Navy Mark 2 “Ka-Bar” fighting knife with the U.S. Navy designation (the link is a courtesy of Wikipedia) manufactured early in the war by Pal Cutlery. This is the scarce and desirable early production “red spacer” type Mark 2 with the scarce US NAVY designated blade. MK2 is a classic American WW2 era fighting knife; this type was used in combat by the US Army and the Navy men alike in all theaters of the War. The knife is marked RH-37 on ricasso – not the type to miss a good business opportunity, PAL Cutlery had purchased the cutlery division of Remington Arms in 1940. After PAL moved the old Remington equipment and knife stock to Holyoke, MA, they began manufacturing knives for the US military using the left-over stock parts with the Remington emblem (RH stands for Remington Hunter). This MK2 is the hard-to-find first-issue “red spacer” type – only the very early production MK2s came with leather scabbards and red fiber spacers handles. Fancy colored fiber spacers were quickly done away with to simplify the wartime production and reduce costs. Also, early leather scabbards were too fragile in the field – the leather would simply rot away after contact with seawater. Moving forward, the US armed forces procurement quickly replaced the leather with the more durable composite composition scabbards. This specimen is in great overall condition, considering the age. An early US Navy designated Mark 2 “red spacer” with original and correct all-leather sheath is VERY hard to find nowadays. This MK2 is about 12″ / 30.5 cm overall; the blade is about 7″ / 17.8 cm long. The knife is only slightly used; the edge has been very gently re-sharpened; it is razor-sharp still; the tip is intact. Ricasso is stamped PAL / RH-37 / MADE IN USA on one side and U.S. NAVY on the other. Stacked leather washers handle with red and black fiber spacers on both ends. An early double-thick threaded round hammer-like steel pommel and slightly curved handguard. The handle is tight; all parts are solid; the guard has a tiny bit of a play. No typical ding marks on the pommel or nicks on the spine of the blade – this type is rare as such. Original all-leather scabbard is in excellent condition, considering the typical wear and tear in the field. All original staples and stitching are intact; the leather is soft and supple still. Original keeper is a bit worn but it is in very good shape overall. During the war most MK2s were used in the field as intended; these early “red spacer” MK2s are VERY hard to find – a rare find and a great addition to any collection. This attractive ” red spacer” type US Navy WW2 PAL MK2 fighting knife has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos; Garand clips are not included with the lot �� During the war most of the “red spacer” MK2s were used in the field as intended; these early MK2s are hard-to-find this nice. This rare WW2 PAL USN MK2 fighting knife will be a great addition to any collection. This attractive MK2 fighter has not been cleaned or tampered with in any way, it is in 100% original “as is” condition. These are the actual photos; Garand clips are not included with the knife �� Argocoins accepts all major credit cards as forms of payments for knives and edged weapons. Please email  me at [email protected] if you would like to make a credit card purchase over the phone. Old-fashioned checks and money orders will work just as well; please take a look at the Payments section within our Terms and Conditions for mailing instructions and additional details. Follow me on Facebook @argoman400BC to keep an eye on the latest additions and promotions. FREE EXPEDITED SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. FOR THIS ITEM USPS International Priority Mail shipping for this item will be $67 and up to most countries on our “ship-to” list.