This Camilus Number 18 knife comes with a photocopy of a page from an unidentified book which shows Colonel Evans C. Carlson, son of Brigadier General Evans F. Carlson of Carson's Raiders fame, holding an identical knife. Carlson, who was himself a platoon leader of 3 Company, 2nd Raiders, reportedly ordered 1000 of these knives from a maker in New Zealand for the 1st Battalion, 21st Marines, where they were fabricated from a combination of Australian carbon steel and die cast aluminum. The knife measures 14 inches overall, with a 9 inch long and quarter inch thick clip point blade and a one-piece cast aluminum hilt. The sheath is brown leather, with tooled decoration and Collins Legitimus markings. Provenance: The Putnam Green/Sycamore Collection

Fine. The blade shows a mixed gray and brown patina with mild spotting and some shallow pitting. The blade is very good and has been sharpened, with some nicks visible at the tip and about an inch above the guard. The hilt is fine, and the holster shows some light scuffs.