I know, I’m not much of a gunblogger these days. Here’s some edged goodness to make up for it.

The item at hand is the notorious Gerber Mark II fighting knife, made famous during the Vietnam War. This particular specimen is a minty example, one of the first of 11,190 knives made in 1981 (according to the production matrix here). I picked it up for something like $35 at a gun show a few years back; the seller didn’t know what he had.

Gerber sold the Mark II as a “Survival Knife” for most of its production life, though it’s completely ill-suited for that job. No, the Mark II is a pure fighting knife, and a remarkably handsome one. Personally, I think it looks even better than its conceptual ancestor, the Fairbairn-Sykes.

Gerber discontinued the Mark II in 2000 and surviving examples aren’t getting any cheaper; Vietnam-era knives, especially, command a serious premium. You can still find some new-old-stock examples occasionally, but be aware that knives made during the last three years of production have inferior, 440A stainless steel blades.