Dating of Kukri knife

S

Sholto Piek

Joined
Dec 5, 2021
Messages
5
Hi All. Apologies if this is the wrong area of the forum to post. Admins please move if necessary.

I recently bought a Kukri knife at an antiques store, listed as a “Rare Vintage Nepalese Kukri”.

I am trying to figure out where it comes from and how old it is. It has the following same inscription on the handle and the sheath.

A . S
F . W
3 . 15

Please refer to the pics added below

Can anyone please assist in shedding some light onto the origins of this blade?

Many thanks




Knife2.jpg

Knife3.jpg
Knife1.jpg
 
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Upload (drag and drop from your local hard drive) your picture to e.g. https://postimages.org/ and it will generate a link ("Hotlink for forums") which you can paste into your message and the picture will show here.
 
Sholto Piek said:
“Rare Vintage Nepalese Kukri”.
Click to expand...

That description fits the multitude of cheap, non-heat treated Pakistani crap that is littering Ebay.

We need pics. Imgur is good and free. Upload your pics there, select your pic, and copy the link for "message boards and forums". Paste that link here.
 
Pictures would be awesome if you can post them. I prefer postimage.org.
 
Charlie_K said:
One question before we get in too far.

Is it still appropriate to bring flowers and candy on the initial date, or is that considered old-fashioned and weird?
Click to expand...

Huh??? These are not the droids you are looking for.....

Oh wait, nevermind.....you were referring to the title of this thread. I think. 🤪
 
Looks like an old knife, but I dont have any information on it. You can tell if the edge is properly done by checking it with a fine file. The teeth should grab from the Cho (little cut out) all the way through the recurve and partially up the belly. Them you should have a 3 or 4" sweet spot that will cause the file to skate before grabbing again as you get to the tip.

Those blades a left really soft at the spine and have differential hardening on the edge. If it is tourist stuff, then the edge will most likely be soft the whole way.

Most khuks are not marked on the handles. Perhaps if they are government issued, but most of the time you will find markings (if there are any) on the flats right above the bolster. It is not uncommon for a khukuri to be handled and rehandled many times before it is used up over a couple of lifetimes. The handles are considered wear items.
 
That is a very interesting kukri, thanks for sharing. My specialty is Nepalese military kukri, but I will give yours a shot. I believe that you have a kukri made in northern India to supply British (or possibly Indian) Gurkha units during WWII. There are a few things that suggest this. It has a English style scabbard (similar to the MKII) and its obviously numbered in English. The large "3" probably refers to the regiment (3rd rifles or something like that). The top set of number reads 318, but it probably actually means something like 3rd regiment, kyoku knife review 8th sub unit (or 3/8). The 464 is probably the last three numbers of the identification number of the Gurkha soldier that the knife was issued to. I don't know who to do it myself, but I believe with some research it may be possible to find out exactly who this kukri was issued to, and by extension, where it served.

Hope that helps.
 
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emmawade said:
That is a very interesting kukri, thanks for sharing. My specialty is Nepalese military kukri, but I will give yours a shot. I believe that you have a kukri made in northern India to supply British (or possibly Indian) Gurkha units during WWII. There are a few things that suggest this. It has a English style scabbard (similar to the MKII) and its obviously numbered in English. The large "3" probably refers to the regiment (3rd rifles or something like that). The top set of number reads 318, but it probably actually means something like 3rd regiment, 8th sub unit (or 3/8). The 464 is probably the last three numbers of the identification number of the Gurkha soldier that the knife was issued to. I don't know who to do it myself, but I believe with some research it may be possible to find out exactly who this kukri was issued to, and by extension, where it served.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Thanks Emma

That all seems to agree with what I have been able to figure out to date.

What seems quite interesting is the Cho (notch on the blade), which seems to be a stylized impression of an Elephant. Note the holes for the eyes, etc. I haven't been able to find any other picture of a Kukri blade which seems to have this marking.

Any chance that this could be a pre WW2?

My reading suggests that by the time WW1 had started, there were already 10 Gurkha regiments in the British Indian Army.
 
Sholto Piek said:
Hi All. Please see, I have added some pics of the knife
Click to expand...
How long is it? A picture next to a tape measure would be good.

Do you have a picture of the bottom of the pommel? It could even be a Nepalese police issue model. The police models definitely had a preference for a broader blade like that one. If there's a cross kukri on the base of the pommel that would be the case.

Maybe a picture of the top of the spine to show the tang, to see if it's a modern take on it. Also possibly some markings on the spine, as some companies do put some writing there, but it's not the usual spot to look for markings.

Steely_Gunz said:
Looks like an old knife, but I dont have any information on it. You can tell if the edge is properly done by checking it with a fine file. The teeth should grab from the Cho (little cut out) all the way through the recurve and partially up the belly. Them you should have a 3 or 4" sweet spot that will cause the file to skate before grabbing again as you get to the tip.

Those blades a left really soft at the spine and have differential hardening on the edge. If it is tourist stuff, then the edge will most likely be soft the whole way.

Most khuks are not marked on the handles. Perhaps if they are government issued, but most of the time you will find markings (if there are any) on the flats right above the bolster. It is not uncommon for a khukuri to be handled and rehandled many times before it is used up over a couple of lifetimes. The handles are considered wear items.
Click to expand...
The markings on the handle are a bit of a head scratcher for me too. It's almost like it was added after it was made (Batsa's first day at the work in the foundry).
 
Sholto Piek said:
Wow. Geez that is very helpful. Looks like I bought a nice piece. Only paid about $80 . Any idea what its value would be?
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You're nor really allowed to inquire what something is worth without a paid membership. That's the rules. However, in general terms, if it is indeed hardened, it probably is worth it for the conversation value if you think it is cool.

Khukuris are generally not overly expensive knives. A quality one made in Nepal these days will run you between $120 and $250 stateside brand new.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
You're nor really allowed to inquire what something is worth without a paid membership. That's the rules. However, in general terms, if it is indeed hardened, it probably is worth it for the conversation value if you think it is cool.

Khukuris are generally not overly expensive knives. A quality one made in Nepal these days will run you between $120 and $250 stateside brand new.
Click to expand...
Ok, thanks. Didn’t realize that enquiring about a value is against the rules. Was just curious. Regardless, I will be keeping this one as a collectors piece. Seems to have a nice story to it…
 
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