FAIRBAIRN SYKES TYPE 3 ORIGINAL WW2 VALUE pics added

M

Mike Webb

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Was wondering what a reasonable price is for a genuine WW2 Fairburn Sykes commando knife. It's a type 3 in good shape. Original sheath is long gone. Mine is not marked England so never sold out of service. It is a vet bring back, I knew the man well. Saw some for sale on Ebay for north of 1k, well north with sheath. Mine has a homemade sheath of thin leather, not worth anything but the knife is nice. Saw American websites that have sold original sheathes in past but out of stock now.
Can post pics if it helps.
 
Here is a website where you can find some current values and recent past sales to give you an idea of the current value. Have a look under "FOR SALE".

https://www.fsknife.com

The missing sheath is a pretty big deal to most collectors, but you might get lucky and find a collector with a spare 3rd Pattern Sheath.
 
Few pics.
 

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I would think 500 is a reasonable price should sell quick. Iam more interested in hearing about the vet you got it from me personally i would never part with such a treasure if gifted to me from a vet
 
$50.

She's rough, it's mass produced. Still made as a matter of fact. Sorry bro, but not hens teeth by any means. Maybe $55 if you can convince someone it cut Hitler's throat? Lol.
 
50 is it a fake. I dont know alot about these. I am a bit more knowledgeable on the case v-42 fighting knife i received from my grand father and yes he was a member of the first special service force aka devils brigade
 
The knife pictured below is an equivalent-condition 3rd Pattern F-S Fighting Knife, but complete with a fully-intact Scabbard/Sheath. It is listed for $440 USD, or $600 CAD. Take away $200 for the value of the Sheath, and you are left wiith an approximate value of $400. The only problem is that many prospective buyers will not be willing to pay $400 for an FS Fghting Kniife without its Sheath. My guess is that most would pass this by in favour of a knife with Sheath, but that is only a guess. In the interests of attracting a sale, I'd put the value at $300 CAD without a sheath and $500 CAD if you find a period correct Scabbard/Sheath intact and in good condition.

The 3rd Pattern F-S Fighting Knives are the least desirable of the bunch, with 1st Pattern Knives attracting the highest values, then the 2nd Pattern, and finally the 3rd Pattern. The 1st Patterns had drop-forged blades that were hand-ground by the highly-trained Cutlers of Wilkinson Sword. The 2nd Patterns maintained the hand-ground blades but eliminated the fancy Ricasso. Both the 1st and 2nd Pattern Knives featured Knurled and Nickel-plated Brass Grips. The 3rd Pattern F-S Fighting Knives were the economy effort for widespread issue. They featured a thinner, machine-ground blade that was much more prone to breakage at the Guard or the Tip of the Blade. The 3rd Pattern also used a Cast Zinc Handle as opposed to knurled Brass and was much cheaper to produce.

image_2025-09-17_213300442.png


Here's my 1st Pattern Wilkinson Sword F-S Fighting Knife. Value is in the neighborhood of $7.5K USD ($10K CAD):


20241021-210052 (1).jpg
 
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Painkillers said:
$50.

She's rough, it's mass produced. Still made as a matter of fact. Sorry bro, but not hens teeth by any means. Maybe $55 if you can convince someone it cut Hitler's throat? Lol.
Click to expand...
Haha. It's original war produced FS knife. Reproduction knives go for $150 from decent makers. I have seen several advertised with sheath for $800- $1200. If you find any WW2 FS knives I will give you $50 apiece for any you have.
 
I think you haveenough information from the replies to guide you.

It is a 3rd pattern FS in less than stellar shape sans sheath.....as noted most will likely pass altogether sans sheath unless its $100...which is all I would pay. You may find a buyer who has a sheath looking for a knife to pair it with....or someone willing to wait to find one.

I had a similar knife in much better shape sans sheath I posted here a few yrs ago...took a year to get $150.

I'd post it at $200..try your luck ....but Id be surprised to see it fetch more than $100.
 
Not a lot of demand in Canada, or generally for that matter. Most aren't willing to pay what a real one is worth on the current collector's market. Hence the popularity of the reproductions and modern 3rd Pattern knives by "Nowill & Sons" of Sheffield.

Good luck with your sale, although there are far better places to advertise your knife than CGN (limited audience, firearms focus). Try listing it on an international militaria site instead. Or even ebay would give you a wider prospective audience....
 
The guy that runs the FS website in UK suggested I look there and a few other places for a sheath. Said they come up from time to time. Said the sheathes being leather sometimes didn't survive and there were a fair number of knives around without sheathes so they go fast. Thanks everyone for input.
 
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