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Recently picked up this nice 2nd pattern, from the markings it appears to be Indian Ishapore.
Nice blade etch and not stamp...
Would you all agree this is a legit FS? 1941-1943 era? There is not a lot of info to be found on these indian knives. I did see a thread on here about one on here that was fake, the FS logo was to precise and look stamped.
Interested to here peoples thoughts...
Thank you
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Have a chat to Roy Shadbolt an expert on this type of weapon he will say either way he confirmed my 3rd pattern as late WWII, he is a very nice chap and answers pretty promptly.
http://wilkinsonfscollection.com/
Cheers Cinders, will drop him a message!
Here is the reply i had from Roy...
Thanks for contacting me. I’m actually all too familiar with this knife Chris and afraid it’s bad news, as this is 100% FAKE. I remember when this chap started making these, my dear friend Robert Wilkinson-Latham had to send him a cease and desist letter for using Wilkinson etchings. Long story but that’s the gist.
Not the news i was hoping for but that just shows my lack of knowledge and inexperience.
On a side note i just wanted to say what a great guy Roy was, very knowledgeable and very keen to help.
Cheers Roy 🍻
It's not intended as a rude question but did you pay much for the knife?
It may make you feel better to look at the prices of some of the decent quality "official-reproduction" F-S knives as they are not cheap.
I recently decided that I needed a WW2 German Fallschirmjäger helmet in my collection but, unfortunately, I don't have £5,000 to spend on buying an original. My solution was to buy a reproduction for £50 which is probably made in China or India but is of excellent quality and I am very pleased with it for the money.
Hello Flying10uk, not rude at all! Its no secret, i paid £95. So not a massive sum in the world of FS knives and Roy agreed that i got off lightly.
Like you say its still looks nice and does have character to it and will still sit in my collection and not look too out of place. Or at least until i can find one at the right price that is genuine.
For £95 I think that you got a good deal, however one wants to label the knife.
Some collectors mistakingly think that the (I) above the arrow denotes "India" or "made in India" which it doesn't. It is an acceptance marking for the Indian government which could be found on equipment made outside of India but accepted into Indian service as well as equipment made in India.
Thanks for the info, i was informed by the place of purchase that it was Indian and was found and purchased in India.
I was already aware that just like the broad arrow it is a stamp of acceptance rather than manufacturer.
After a chat with the seller i was able to return it for a full refund, i decided that no matter how nice looking it was the seed of doubt was in my mind.
I did not want to say it was a fake as the ground edge on the blad looked suss the poor form of the blade (Ridges) on the blade under the cross piece and lastly the toe fit of the scabbard into the metal a rather large gap I checked my scabbard and its a very tight fit. Glad you got a refund keep looking for one though I think if you get a real F/S for 95 quid you'll be doing very well indeed they are not cheap buys at anytime.