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1 antique German World War 2 Officer’s dress sword available.  This Officer’s dress sword was made by Eickhorn.  It measures 39″ overall when in its scabbard. 

The brass handle grip is decorated with acorns and oak leaves. 

1 antique old Japanese Samurai sword available.  This likely Nanbokucho period ubu daito sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This Samurai daito sword (daito means long sword) likely dates to 1336-1392 A.D.  Note the early sugata.  This sword is ubu and unsigned.

The blade measures a long 30 1/16″ (76.4 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine.  Two windows were opened in this sword by Bob Benson, since the hamon was obscured by age and oxidation.  The windows reveal a hamon that is complex and exceptional.

St. Croix Blades BUYS military knives.  Call us at 715-557-1688 to sell your rare knife or collection.

1 historically important U.S. World War II Nichols fighting knife with Alfred Cornish sheath.  This knife was carried by a U.S. Navy fighter pilot Ace.  This WW2 Ace fighter pilot was credited with 9 kills.  This Nichols knife, with its exceptional provenance to a U.S. Ace pilot, would make an important addition to any U.S. or world militaria collection.

The Cornish sheath is stamped ‘D. CLYDE FREEMAN  U.S.N.   LOS ANGELES, CALIF. U.S.A.‘.  The guard on the knife is stamped ‘LOS ANGELES  CALIF. U.S.A.‘. 

His nickname was ‘Chico’ Freeman.  Chico’s real first name was Doris, named after his mother–a common-enough practice at the time.  Chico Freeman named his Corsair fighter plane ‘L.A. CITY LIMITS‘. 

This knife has a 7 3/8″ blade.  This knife measures 12 5/16″ overall.  The knife’s pommel is stamped ‘NICHOLS‘ above the inlayed U.S. Buffalo nickel coin.

The top of the sheath is stamped ‘ALFRED CORNISH  OMAHA,NEB‘.

As mentioned above, Chico Freeman downed 9 enemy planes in flight (a pilot becomes an Ace after earning 5 enemy kills).  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross 4 times.  He was killed on the U.S.S. Bunker Hill by a kamikaze attack along with 345 other sailors and airmen on May 11, 1945.  His service number was 0-156794.  All of these records are easily confirmed by an internet search.  To find these records, remember to search using variations of his name and nickname like:  Chico Freeman pilot, Doris Clyde Freeman Ace, D Clyde Freeman Ace, etc. 

1 Steve Voorhis custom “Iron Mistress” Brassback Bowie fighting knife.  This large 16 3/4″ Bowie fighter by Steve Voorhis would make an important addition to any collection. 

The guard is solid brass.  The handle is black micarta.  The blade measures 11 5/16″.  

The brass back on the blade spine is soft.  This is for catching the blade of an opponent in a knife fight and flicking the blade from his hand. 

1 U.S. World War 2 Schrade-Walden 4 1/4″ paratrooper knife.  This rare unissued U.S. paratrooper knife would an important addition to any United States military or world militaria collection.

The blade tang is stamped ‘SCHRADE WALDEN  N.Y.  U.S.A.’. 

This knife is wrapped in its original arsenal paper.

1 modern ‘Vietnam Hackman CIA Knife’ available.  Hackman of Finland sold the original molds for the Hackman CIA knife to their former employee in the Sorsakoski region of Finland.  During the next 20 years the company Pertemet Ltd updated some of the materials to better and more modern style. The blade is nowadays stainless steel. Handle material was matched better to arctic temperatures.

This knife measures 4 1/2″ when closed.  The blade itself measures 3 11/16″. 

1 desirable Japanese World War II Yasukuni Shrine sword available.  This Japanese Army Yasukuni Shrine sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword had a $2600 polish recently.  The polish is perfect.  The koshirae are perfect as well. 

Three characters are still visible–the nakago/tang experienced significant rust.  On the signature side, ‘Yasu’ can be read.  Two characters of the date can be read on the back side of the nakago.  The blade measures 24 7/16″ (62.1 cm) from blade tip to notch in the blade spine. 

We have determined that this Yasukuni Shrine sword was made by Yasuoki.  There were two shapes at the end of the nakago for Yasukuni smiths.  The rounded, instead of pointed, shape rules out a group of Yasukuni smiths.  Then, since there are three characters still visible, a comparison can be made of handwriting with the many oshigata available.  The ‘Yasu’ character has a unique left slant–peculiar to Yasuoki.  This can be confirmed by Shinsa as Yasukuni swords paper by Shinsa.  And with this sword in perfect polish, the Shinsa team will have no trouble identifying the workmanship. 

The saya is the special textured lacquer lightweight wood saya.  Note the ‘harp stamp‘ on the tsuba usually present on Yasukuni Shrine swords.

Have a sword like this?  Contact us at 715-557-1688, or info@stcroixblades.com.

1 Japanese World War II Army Officer’s katana which appeared in Fuller & Gregory’s book, A Guide to Showa Swordsmiths.  As important, this sword features rare Army mounts.  This mount’s variation is referred to as the Iida seal–or the Iida lock, named after its inventor Iida Kunitaro.  This exceptional Japanese Army sword would make an important addition to any collection.

This sword was made the 2 Million Yen smith, Sadashige.  Imai Sadashige earned the title of Sword Forging Teacher/Special Honor Noted Seat at the 1941 Sword Exhibition.  Sadashige is featured on page 150 & 151 in John Slough’s book, An Oshigata Book of Modern Japanese Swordsmiths 1868-1945. 

As mentioned, this sword was used as the oshigata example in Fuller & Gregory’s book.  Note the oxidation on the nakago matching the oxidation on the oshigata.  Also, the original paperwork from Fuller & Gregory comes with this sword. 

The blade measures 26 7/8″ (68.3 cm) from blade tip to the notch in the blade spine.  The kabutogane/kashira fittings has a Silver Samurai family mon.  This family crest is from the Sanga Samurai clan. 

The Iida lock is a weather-proofing mount designed to keep water out of the saya.  This exceptionally rare mount would make an important addition to any collection.  Information on the Iida (IIDA) lock can be found on pages 168 & 169 of Jim Dawson’s book, Swords of Imperial Japan 1868-1945 Cyclopedia Edition.  Photos of these two pages can be found to the left.

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1 antique Russo-Japanese/World War II Imperial Japanese Army Samurai Officer’s kyu-gunto sword available.  This very fine Japanese Samurai sword would make an important addition to any collection.

The long blade measures 27 13/16″ (70.6 cm) from blade tip to the bottom of the notch in the habaki.  The blade is unsigned.  The tsuka backstrap has a Silver Samurai family mon.  The handle cover is more unusual in that it is made of sharkskin instead of rayskin.

1 antique Japanese Samurai wakizashi sword with hard-to-find folded-over signature available.  This desirable sword would make an important addition to any collection.

The tang/nakago on this tanto has a rare folded-over signature.  It’s a folded-over inlay–which is a much more difficult signature inlay.  Very hard to find.  This sword is signed ‘Bishu Osafune Akiyoshi Tadamitsu‘.  The sayagaki (saya writing) shows Tadamitsu as well. 

The blade measures 18 7/8″ (47.9 cm) from blade tip to the habaki.  

The nioi-based hamon is suguha, and is exceptional.  I wasn’t able to capture the hamon very well in the photos due to the old state of polish.  In hand, the hamon is defined, and beautiful.  With sword in hand, as your eye follows the hamon up the blade, the straight hamon splits every so often into to parallel lines for 6-9 mm–and then joins back together.  Additional complexity occurs both just above the hamon, and just below.  See photos 11 & 12 above for a close look at this complexity.  In polish, this sword would be exceptional. 

1 new/uncarried/unused Abercrombie & Fitch Limited Edition Gerber PAUL 2PW folder available.  This A&F knife would make an important addition to any collection, and would make an awesome EDC knife. 

This A&F knife has a 2 7/16″ blade.  This knife measures 3 9/16″ when closed. 

This knife was made in the U.S.A. 

1 new in the box Collins Marine Raider ‘GUNG HO’ Commemorative V-44 fighting knife available.  This 24kt Gold Etch Commemorative V44 knife would make an important addition to any collection.  

The V44 fighting knife was issued to the 2nd Marine Raiders during World War 2 in fighting behind enemy lines in the South Pacific.  This V44 commemorates the Raider V44 fighting knife. 

This knife has a 9 1/8″ blade.  This knife measures 13 7/8″ overall.  This knife is engraved with its low Limited Edition serial #:  ‘0032’.   This knife comes in a felt-lined wood display box. 

This knife was made in the U.S.A.