German Gravity Knife

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Tom19176
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German Gravity Knife

Post by Tom19176 »

Here is one my friend bought at the Mystic show. The tang stamp is UNSCO Solingen Germany The dealer wanted $200 he paid $170....Thoughts as to age? Maker? Value? Thanks
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gravknife
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by gravknife »

Tom

Unsco was an American importer of knives post 1950.

That knife looks like a grafrath to my eyes with the import stamp but it could be any german maker that actually made this style of gravity knife .

I love those gravity knives and i think it was a great buy but they dont show up often this side of the pond.

I think the knife is 60s - 70s
regards
gravknife
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Bill DeShivs »

I believe they were all made by Grafrath, regardless of markings. These knives were being made in the mid-1950s.
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Tom19176
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Tom19176 »

Thanks guys!! It is a great knife!
gravknife
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by gravknife »

I'll second that Tom.
Beautiful looking knife.

They always seem to have killer stag and look high quality ,nicely inscribed nickle silver bolster and beautiful coffin shaped handle .

I love gravity knives and have a few german military specimens but the civilian ones from France and Germany like the one your freind has got (at a good price imho )are appealing to me more and more since joining TB .

My holy grail is a gravity knife from England by G.Ibberson but they rarely if never appear and are a worth a lot of money.


Thanks for posting it Tom ,tell your mate i think its a beautiful quality gravity knife and because of him thats another knife added to my long list of wants. :)

Hope your well Tom
Ian
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Tom19176
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Tom19176 »

Thanks for the response! Great knife you posted too!!!
sammy the blade
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by sammy the blade »

Tom19176 wrote:Thanks for the response! Great knife you posted too!!!
And at $1.00 the price can't be beat.
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BruceS
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by BruceS »

That is a very nice Gravity Knife, and priced well. I my life prior to Stilettos, I collected WWII German Blades. Here is an SMF Luftwaffe Gravity knife in my collection. The lanyard is original, and yup, it is Luftwaffe proofed similar to the knife. Crazy Germans marked everything.

Hope you like it. Don't have too many auto knives yet to contribute on those threads. This one I am fluent in.

Bruce
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gravknife
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by gravknife »

BruceS
Thats a beautiful example.
I havnt seen an original lanyard for some time they are becoming very rare.

Thats in the condition i dream about ,im afraid mines an old used and abused example .

I have always wanted the takedown version of this knife but had to settle for a Bund example from the modern times.

My example is by Paul weyersberg isnt in such a good state as the blade was oversharpened but its an original with the waffenamt stickbird and number 5 on the spike ,and each separate part has a S/N .

Sorry if we have hijacked your thread Tom my freind.
Its very good to meet you Bruce .
I love german knives and daggers ,i feel they made the most stylish of all the war knives ever produced and my favourite is the red cross dagger .
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Tom19176
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Tom19176 »

The additional photos/knives are fine with me! Thanks for all the replies!!!
kniveswords
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by kniveswords »

Wow, great knives you have guys B)
Check out my honest articles about knives here 8) : http://7knives.com
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Belmont800
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Belmont800 »

gravknife wrote:Tom

Unsco was an American importer of knives post 1950.

That knife looks like a grafrath to my eyes with the import stamp but it could be any german maker that actually made this style of gravity knife .

I love those gravity knives and i think it was a great buy but they dont show up often this side of the pond.

I think the knife is 60s - 70s
regards
gravknife
I also 2nd this, great info!
Belmont800
BruceS
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by BruceS »

Hey Tom,
In my Third Reich Collecting days, I would see the Gravity Knives like yours pictured. Knives of that style would be in the captured loot GI's took home. The Luftwaffe used the Gravity Knife as I pictured, but it was also used by other services as a general utility knife. I would Imagine some German's brought their own knives from home like yours shown. Bladed weapons were big with Germans, kind of a Teutonic Knight thing and part of their uniform. You guys(me now too) on this forum are collectors of "Commercial" pattern knives. It is neat to see the commercial aspect of the collecting world. The Military collectors have such strict collecting parameters and don't accept items that don't follow the exact military pattern for an item. They would sell off a knife like your as not being correct.

All the best.
Bruce
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by Bill DeShivs »

The whole gravity knife craze was boosted in Germany by the hope of a contract for a new knife for Germany's armed forces. Wingen, Grafrath, Bonsa, and a bunch of others designed gravity knives hoping to get the contract. Gravity knives were big business with the American GIs stationed there, too.
The commercial knives sold well.
Strangely, after the "Type 2" trap door knife was adopted in the middle 1950s, the armed forces went back to a knife very nearly like the WW2 version.
Bill DeShivs, Master Cutler
http://www.billdeshivs.com
Factory authorized repairs for:
Latama, Mauro Mario, LePre, Colonial, Kabar, Flylock, Schrade Cut Co., Presto, Press Button, Hubertus, Grafrath, Kuno Ritter knives, Puma, Burrell Cutlery.
BruceS
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Re: German Gravity Knife

Post by BruceS »

Were any of the commercial Gravity Knives made to be disassembled and serviced by the user? Some of the German Issue pieces in WWII were take-downs. This is a take-down with an "RB" or code marked as the maker. The fittings and the blade are Blue finished like a firearm. Probably comes apart like the Bund unit shown above by Gravityknife. Pust the square button kind of thing. This knife came into a Texas Gunshow. I'm an FFL and we set up at this show and usually put a few relics in a case or two to attract people to bring their goodies in. Lots of neat stuff over the years.

Bruce

This pics are kind of grainy. Sorry. Ones I took quick for insurance purposes several months back.
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