fairbairn–sykes fighting knife, is it legit?

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

Darn things are tricky. A friend has a good reference book to determan type etc. but it is hard to spot some of the repops. I only have one (post war) as the prices on early ones are all over the place with no price guides that I am aware of to help establish values.

Information

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[CINDERS]

Here is Roy's re-assessment of my knife that I asked him about earlier and lost it in a computer crash I received his reply yesterday not 24 hours after contacting him thats how helpful this chap is a real diamond.
Quote ~
"Happy to hear from you again and also help.

The knife is a late-war (1943/4) Third Pattern F-S with correct scabbard.

The England stamp indicated it was never issued but sold as surplus into the US market post war and sold commercially."

[Aragorn243]

Roy did reply and determined the knife is fake.

[Flying10uk]

Picture 1, post 1, the "19" and "40" appear out of alignment (from the pic) which is not a good sign for something that was supposed to be made in a UK factory. I would have expected these numbers to be evenly spaced and in line with each other if the number was punched in a UK factory. This is because the normal way of stamping/punching a line of letters or numbers, in a factory, is to hold them in a tool holder which keeps the punches in-line. These ones look hand punched, i.e. out of alignment.

[browningautorifle]

Picture 1, post 1, the "19" and "40" appear out of alignment (from the pic) which is not a good sign

See the post...#13, determined to be repro.

[Flying10uk]

See the post...#13, determined to be repro.

I did read post 13, thank-you, Jim.

The "1940" looked out of alignment when the image was enlarged and so I assumed that it was.

Is there a reason that everyone appears to assume that this number (1940) implies a date? Could it not just be intended for identification purposes?

I wasn't aware that dates were normally placed on F/S fighting knives, of any of the 3 patterns. I could go and check the 2 dozen or so in my collection but I have better things to do and I am reasonably confident that dates were not placed on F/S knives of any of the 3 patterns.

So why would a "faker" make a good job of producing a F/S knife and then spoil it by sticking a date on it, that is incorrect for that pattern of knife, when F/S knives don't normally have a date stamped on them?

I would say that the "1940" was applied at some time after manufacture of the knife by someone other than the knife manufacturer.

[Aragorn243]

The 1940 is actually perfectly spaced as is the broad arrow above it. It's just the wrong date for something that wasn't made until 1943. It's a well made piece. Just isn't real.

[Gil Boyd]

How sad to see so much effort go into trying to decieve people

[browningautorifle]

trying to decieve

One of the big gunshows I used to attend yearly here saw a group of Chinese nationals roaming it buying lots of mainly Nazi regalia. The buyer spoke no English but had a decent translator. Then there was his money guy, he just carried the cash. They came to a circle of us and worked their way around us buying $15,000 CDN of stuff from about eight of us. So much stuff that my boss used my handcart to carry it all out to their car... We were just one group, they worked the whole show for the two day event... We figure it was all going back to mainland China for reproduction.

[Gil Boyd]

Jim,
Highly likely as most of the Gallantry medal copies come from there, and also all things German stamped with a Swastika or Cross they produce. Shows that there is a lot of money in "rare" fakerage!!!