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Vintage 1940s Post-War Western Cutlery Fixed Blade Knife
Golden Amber Tenite Handle | Scarce Steel Guard Configuration
100% Full Blade and Original Oak-Leaf Tooled Leather SheathUp for sale is an exceptional, museum-quality survivor of American cutlery history. This vintage Western fixed-blade utility knife (cataloged as the P48 / Bird and Trout size) was manufactured in Boulder, Colorado during the immediate post-WWII era (circa 1946 to 1950). This is often confused with the 248 model that had the same size blade and cracked ice but over wood composite instead of amber tenite handle scales.During this early post-war period, the factory faced lingering brass material shortages as production shifted back to civilian goods. To solve this, Western built a limited number of these knives using carbon steel guards finished with a bright polishing to beautifully match the high factory shine of their premium hollow-ground blades. Finding an unground, full-bladed survivor from this chaotic post-war transition window is incredibly scarce.Tang Stamp Data:
Line 1: WESTERN
Line 2: BOULDER, COLO.
Line 3: PAT'D MADE IN USA
(Features the iconic pre-1951 3-line stamp highlighting Harrie Platts famous 1934 split-tang patent before it officially expired).Condition Details For Collectors:The Blade: In phenomenal, near-factory condition. This blade is 100% full with its original clip-point profile and crisp factory swedge line intact. It has never been aggressively sharpened, down-ground, or modified. Features a beautiful high-hollow grind with a bright factory shine, accented only by minor superficial carbon speckling and light age patina.The Handle: Stunning Golden Amber Tenite scales paired with crisp black fiber spacers and a bright aluminum pommel. Remarkably, there is zero visible shrinkage or gapping between the spacers and scales, which is highly unusual for 80-year-old cellulosic plastic. Looking through the transparent amber scales, the split-tang shows entirely normal, mild oxidation/rust shadowing from age, but the construction remains completely tight with no movement or wobble.The Guard: Authentic early post-war steel guard. Features its original, bright factory polished state with minor carbon on the underside. Strong magnetic attraction confirms the steel core, matching Westerns post-war transition manufacturing specs perfectly. No heavy pitting or bending.The Sheath: Comes with its original, catalog-correct 1940s leather sheath featuring the iconic hand-tooled oak leaf embossing and correct parallel silver riveting. The leather is supple, the stitching is tight, and the original keeper strap and snap are fully intact and operational. Shows normal surface staining/darkening near the throat.This is an absolute time-capsule piece from Westerns golden Boulder era. Perfect for an advanced vintage outdoor gear or American cutlery collection.Please note this is the actual item you will receive. Detailed pictures were taken so you can do your own assessment. As this is an expensive potential collectors piece, please know that you are responsible for assessing condition based on the photographs.Shipping and Handling:
Ships promptly and securely packaged to preserve the handle assembly. Please see all high-resolution photos for exact cosmetic details. Feel free to message me with any questions before purchase!🔪 A Note From the Seller
What you can expect from me:
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