Here are some important tips on buying third pattern knives to keep you from buying a knife that is not what it is advertised as. A knife with a handle like this is not brass handled. It is an alloy handle whose black surface is gone and with the copper flashing showing. Underneath this is an ugly, grey alloy handle.
A handle with obvious mold parting lines down each side is not a WW-II knife. It is post war and usually not very good quality. The other give-away is the roughly sheared and thin cross-guard whose edges were not polished
Knives with handles like this in brass or blackened are NOT WW-II and they are NOT British Commando Knives. They are made in Pakistan and usually of poor quality. Some have short blades and others have the traditional 7 inch blades. The British Commandos never used Pakistani knives. Another clue is there is no Top Nut.
Knives with Guards stamped: "Sheffield England" are almost always Post-World War II knives. Knives stamped on the guards: NATO 1979 are definitely Post-war!! I have seen some advertised as original WW-II knives and dated to 1979. The war ended in 1945 in case you were sleeping that day in history class.
These numbers on the handles are mold numbers were used to track quality issues. They range from number 1 through 4. They have nothing to do with model or pattern numbers. A number 2 does not designate the knife as a second pattern. I have had "experts" on Ebay argue this with me! Got any questions, email me and I will respond.
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