Looked at an original Fairbain/Sykes knife from WWII. Asking $550.00. Don't know anything about these knives. Fair price or over board? Thanks...Lou

If it is English / British made original w sheath & in good or better condition that is in the ballpark.

One of the most copied, counterfeited knife on the planet, Janet!
Extreme Caution and a lot of verification needed!
Jim Bowie’s personal blade is not counterfeited as often as these!

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

I have one of the counterfeited ones and it's is quite well made. Love to have a real one.

__________________
Foster Positivity.

Oh yeah, It should be Fairbairn, not Fairbain. Be careful.

__________________
Foster Positivity.

Does it still have its original blade profile? If it doesn't, the tip broke off.

Get a book, and make sure it is in spec. That's a lot of money to get burned on a fake...

__________________
Thread Killer.

CAREFUL, CAREFUL CAREFUL!!!!!
You can buy an exact copy for @$50.00 U.S.
Like was said above, get a book and make sure its right!

__________________
James L. "Jim" Rhiner

First, Second,or Third Model? A real First is worth serious money.
There have been repros and counterfeits in recent years.

Get Leroy Thompson's book, Commando Dagger and study it.

FWIW, I don't like the Third Model, on which the ringed handle is a little shorter.

Greatly appreciate the feedback. Thompson's book is on the way....Lou

Most of the ones you see for sale are reproductions ,
Caveat Emptor . the reproductions can be obvious and they can be fakes made to look like originals that sell for hundreds of dollars .
Atlanta Cutlery sells a nice reproduction for $59.95 so be real careful about what you are getting .

Gary

__________________
Certified Cajun
NRA Member

I saw what was represented as an original at a knife show in Atlanta about 10 years ago. The blade was dull nickel plated, I guess to protect against rust. Price was $1500.

Agree most are copies. Maybe this one was as well.

I dont have a link any more but there is a really good website devoted to those. There are a lot of tell tale indicators that determine a real one from a copy. I have several real ones and a bunch of Gerber MK II's which were loosely patterened (?) of the FS

I'm not used to seeing F-S questions on the S&W site. It's good to know I'm not the only one who likes both S&Ws and F-Ss. Authentic 1st Pattern knives are expensive these days. These are the ones with 2" S-guards. Even rarer are the ones with a 3" S-guard, which were the first ones produced.

I have to report that Fairbairn was a Colt fan rather than S&W. His personal carry gun was a Fitz type New Service. Leroy

Leroy can testify that there are exactly one gazillion variations of F-S pattern knives and a googol of copies and fakes. Asking for a value in the abstract, especially with no pictures, is like asking for a haircut over the phone (no insult intended).

__________________
Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

I saw a framed one with an original Ranger Battalion banner and original "Devil's Brigade" patch in 1969 that was $400! It may as well been a million dollars to a 13 year old boy. I seemed to be the only person that knew what they were! But my parents still wouldn't loan me the money!

Ivan

Fairbairn, not Fairbain.

I am satisfied with a reproduction.

Bekeart

The USMC Raiders during WWII was issued a variation of the FS stilletto
United States Marine Raider stiletto - Wikipedia
I believe they are even pricer yet.

__________________
USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Actually, Raider Stilettos are normally not as expensive as a true 1st Pattern F-S. The problem with Raider stilettos is that the cross guards tend to break up and finding one in mint condition that still has the Raider logo is tough. One that is not crumbling with the logo is desirable. Normally 1st Special Service Force V-42 stilettos will be the most expensive of the bunch. OSS Stilettos with pancake flapper sheaths are expensive but obtainable. SOme mint ones are around as they were pulled out of Agency stores and issued out for the Bay of Pigs invasion.

Speaking of Marines Raiders,
Raider Gordon Warner was issued a prototype Kabar.
It had a Brass Hilt.
Only one I ever saw.

__________________
NRA LIFE MEMBER

As is evident from earlier postings, the F-S (and similar) daggers are right up there with Nazi daggers in terms of the prevalence of copies. Pick any random larger gun show and you will probably see a half-dozen of them. Not being much of a knife person, I couldn't recognize a fake F-S if I saw it so I wouldn't take a chance on buying one.