Gerber Mark II 20th ANNIVERSARY 1966 - 1986 ~ Vintage

This is an original Gerber Mark II collectible knife with a wooden display case. The case comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Joseph (Pete) Gerber Jr. in 1986. The blade and original leather scabbard are both in mint condition. Serial number 2916.

The blade is 7 inches long and it is the very hard to find canted variation. This has the cat's tongue grip that is like the early originals made in 1966- 1967.

CT3: CAT'S TONGUE TYPE 3 : "20TH. ANNIVERSARY"; CAT'S TONGUE; L6 STEEL; NARROW WASP; NO TEETH; 5 DEGREE CANT BLADE; ETCHED WRITING ON BLADE; SLANT 2 LOGO

These knives are reproductions of the original canted blade knives and were made to celebrate the 20th. Anniversary (1986) of the Gerber Mark II's introduction in 1966. The knives are found with a brown leather sheath on a wooden insert in a black cardboard box with a label that reads "Mark II™ / 20th. Anniversary 1966 - 1986 / Serial # xxNNNN / Item No. 5740". Included are a Certificate of Authenticity, A history card and care instructions.

The knife is a faithful reproduction of the original, the blade being canted and made of the original L6 tool steel and the handle having the "Cat's Tongue" finish. However there are two major differences: 1) The 4 digit serial number has a XX prefix, while the originals have an all numeric six digit number with leading zeros. 2) The Gerber logo on the Anniversary knives is of the Slant 2 type, while the originals are of the Slant 1 type. 45

There is black script lettering electro-etched on the blade on the logo side that reads "Mark II™ / 20th. Anniversary 1966 - 1986". The blade is also coated with a protective lacquer coating. The coating can be removed with lacquer thinner if desired, but should be replaced with a light coat of oil to prevent rusting.

The "Cat's Tongue" handles on these knives have a brighter appearance in contrast with the usually darker gray handles of the original knives. The CT3 knives are found on 1986 knives in the serial range of XX0001 - XX5000. The XX prefix on the serial number is the Roman Numerals for twenty and was used to indicate that the knife was the Anniversary issue and not an original earlier knife.

The Mark II was manufactured continuously from 1967 through 1998. From 1999 to 2007 no Mark II knives were produced.

Requires signature at time of delivery