This knife, rather than answering my questions, created a conundrum. One of the down-sides of having created my website is the exposure of so many rare knives to the general public. The majority of visitors to the site are content to just look at the knives. Some people have abused my site to create fakes. Most of these copies are being made in Pakistan, as I have previously written. This knife came from Poland. The seller said it was purchased at a flea market, and he believed it was British made for OSS agents. You will note that my website intentionally does not give any specific dimensions of these knives. The reason is to make it harder for counterfeiters. Had I realized the size of this knife I probably would not have bought it. For about $160 it was worth taking a chance.
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As you can see, it is clearly oversized for an Agents dagger. So, what do I have? Is it a clumsy reproduction based on one of the originals shown on my website? Is it a reproduction made during WW-II, in Poland or France? I will never know for sure. It is well made. The blade is professionally ground, although of too thin stock to be a British piece. The steel guard is perfectly symmetrical and of heavy gauge steel. It has several bumps and dents that could indicate use over time. Most often forgers use thin metal for the guards to make it easier to cut the slot for the tang. One of the things I was basing my purchase on was the “R” stamped into the guard. It is deeply and cleanly stamped, probably before assembly. The grip is turned and nicely knurled brass. There is no top nut, so the tang is likely threaded into the brass itself.

​Either the sheath is quite old, or it is cleverly made from old leather. It has the smell and patina of old leather. The knurling of the knife’s grip has left its imprint in the leather frog. If I had found this knife anywhere else, I might have thought it originated from India. Who knows the truth, maybe only the seller. Is it truly from a flea market, or a forger’s workshop? As a final note. The mini in my collection, with an “R” stamped into guard, is one I have ascribed to the Polish forces based on its grip shape. Your thoughts?

I had just commented in my last blog that I had never asked for a refund on a book, and now I have. I ordered a used book from Amazon. It arrived within two days. As I removed it from the envelope my first impression was how filthy it was! Second impression was that it was curled up like it had been in riding someone's back pocket. The pages were battered and dozens of then half-folded down. There were marginal notes and underlining. This is a small pocketsize book and the seller charged me $38 for it. Some pages even displayed damage from either sweat or water. I immediately applied for a refund, and Amazon just as quickly approved it. So I cannot fault Amazon except maybe they need to review this sellers account to see how many other trashed books he has sold. Ninety percent of the charges on my Visa card are to Amazon so I am a pretty reliabe repeat customer. 

Now, regarding the book I issued a refund for. It arrived back looking as if it had not even been looked through. I'm glad it was undamaged but I am still dissappioiinted that it did not satisfy the customer. He never responded as to why it did not. With all the humility I can muster, it is the premier book on the topic on the market. The title "Clandestine Knives of WW-II" could not be more descriptive of the contents. The buyer never bothered to explain his change of mind, or even acknowledge my refund. As I said before, there is one i every crowd.

​There’s one in every bunch. I just got an email from an unsatisfied customer. It was a pretty terse and snotty email which said the book; “didn’t suit his collecting interests.” Seems to me the write up and illustrations on my website are pretty descriptive. Of course this man is a lawyer, and he implied some sort of consequences with a veiled threat if I did not give him a “refund in full ASAP”. I don’t have any refund/return policy on my website, I am not Amazon. But, I want people to be happy with their purchase. Over the years I have bought many books that didn’t quite fit what I was looking for, but I never blamed the author for my poor choice. If a book was defective or had a broken binding etc that would be different. When my daughter was growing up I told her to marry whomever she liked, as long as it wasn't a lawyer or an insurance salesman!

This is only the second negative response the book has gotten so I guess I shouldn’t let it bother me too much. Many of you have sent warm responses regarding my book and even carried the heavy overseas postage costs with grace. Thank You! Now, here is a man who could most easily afford the book and who squawks the loudest about getting his money back. Of course, I inscribed the book to Jim thanking him for his purchase, which makes it a little awkward. I really wonder what is behind his dissatisfaction with the book. Looking at the possible causes I am reminded of the only very nasty review it got. I am not going to name Ron but maybe there is a connection here and that is why the lawyer decided to return the book. He probably won't have the gumption to tell me the truth. C'est la vie. See if you can find another book anywhere that has so many beautiful full color photos of very rare knives. 

PS I have a WW-II Agents dagger coming from Poland that will reinforce the legitimacy of these tiny knives. Hopefully it will be here in a week or two. Check back for a review of the knife.