Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

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coricaman
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Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by coricaman »

Hello there!

Been snooping around here for a bit, always been interested in these beauties. Great community you have here... anyway...

Found an item I know you all will find interesting. My brother and I found this about 5 years ago, inside an old mailer tube

mailed back from a military base to a residential address. The stamps and postmark on the tube date back to the 1930's.

We believe there are acid etched military insignias and other markings that would represent action on the field of combat.

Regardless of all that, it is felt the apparent condition may speak for itself and lend other hints and clues of it's history.

That is why we are here, to share and learn. Any additional thoughts or opinions about this piece are greatly appreciated...

Lots of pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/oaoKdve Sucker still kicks like a mule! For the love. For the hobby. Cheers!

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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by Bill DeShivs »

It's a nice, 1950s Coricama switchblade.
Not military. "Etchings" are rust spots.
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.
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DonC
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by DonC »

Good looking hard to find piece. Congrats.
Donc
Fishtail Picklock
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by Fishtail Picklock »

That's a great knife. I'll bet that it would still serve quite well in a clinch.

It's a treasure!
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texans123
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by texans123 »

Great looking vintage 13" :D
morrissey
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by morrissey »

Wow...that is a Real Beauty! Nothing really beats a 33cm Coricama...one of the best made knives from the Golden Era (early 1950's) out of Maniago, Italy. This knife is definite keeper...but methinks you already know that, especially with the moniker "coricaman". ;)

If you do think of listing it for sale, be sure to list it on http://www.sharperdeals.net to get top dollar.

Again, congrats on acquiring a Holy Grail Vintage Switchblade....and thanks for sharing! :D
Last edited by morrissey on Sun Jul 01, 2018 10:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Bill DeShivs
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by Bill DeShivs »

The sharpened, scratched and pitted blade, plus the blade peek keep this from being a pristine specimen.
It is a nice knife, though.
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.
morrissey
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by morrissey »

I agree with Bill- this is not a pristine specimen, but it would clean up beautifully if sent to the right person for restoration.
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natcherly
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by natcherly »

Very nice knife and a great set of pictures. I don't think I have ever seen the heads of scale pins in such magnification. You can certainly tell these knives are hand made.

Doubt that such knives would be issued by any military organization. As Bill say, the marks are caused by corrosion to the carbon steel blade. The move to stainless steel a few years later solved that problem.

The coupling of the mailing tube and the knife is probably just happenstance. I often save mailing tubes for other uses as they are very handy.

Good luck on your research.
morrissey
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by morrissey »

I forgot to mention- if you want to research this knife properly, pick up a copy of the Switchblades Of Italy book, as it is THE Bible for vintage Italian stiletto knives. There is a lot of information in there on Coricama knives. It is a great resource that everyone in this hobby should have in their book collection.
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coricaman
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by coricaman »

Truly do appreciate everyone's great input!

If we ever part with it, will need a replacement-

The old mailer tube probably is just happenstance...

Unless it was a personal item mailed back from Korea? :P
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arlen
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by arlen »

Educate me: Does the stamping of the country of origin (stamped in English) indicate that this knife was made in Italy for export the the U.S.A. or England?
What is it about this knife that would date it to the 1950s? Does the red dot safety place it to the 1950s?
Are these guards "flat"? Are the guards nickle plated?
It is wonderful that this knife escaped the whetstone. It is a very nice find.
Regards,
arlen
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arlen
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by arlen »

Considering the radial ramp toward the slotted bore, is this a common feature of switchblades?
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arlen
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JimBrown257
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by JimBrown257 »

The Coricama picklocks were made in the 50s. After 58 they started making the swivel-bolster transitionals, then transitioned to modern stilettos. The red-dot doesn't mean much; many of the Coricamas have them, just a design choice. Some of the old pls have an actual embedded piece of plastic for a dot, not just a recession with a painted dot. A lot of the Coricamas also have the brass pivots like this one. Many of the older pls had the ramp but not all of them. They are much more common on the older knives because of the difference between the old kind of sear and the new kind.

The bolsters are solid NS, not plated. And they have the common rounded ears. If it was a flat-guard 13", that would be a real gem.

EDIT: by "solid NS" I mean, stamped pieces that are made of NS sheets that are solid NS, not just plated on the surface.
Last edited by JimBrown257 on Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JulesVane
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Re: Coricama 13" Early Italian Stiletto Switchblade Model Possibly Battle Worn WWII

Post by JulesVane »

I hadn't thought much about the English stamps on Italian made knives until I saw "PROTOTIPO" instead of PROTOTYPE written on one of Renzo Pascotto's. Then...I wondered why myself.
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