Another Knuckle Knife?

Hey look. I'm still alive. Nothing like the exhilaration of nearly three weeks of non-communication to make a fella feel plugged-in.

Time has been well-spent in the interim - just 'cause I ain't cutting you faithful readers in on the action - don't mean there ain't been none.
Another damned knuckle knife but this one really blesses my heart. First off, it's very comfortable, nicely sized and balanced.
Best of all... It's just so damned weird looking.
Like Robbins of Dudley's First war knives, these, kind of ubiquitous, blades have no back story. Robbins knives are trademarked at least. These Second war Aussie oddballs are completely unmarked. The product of another, wartime entrepreneur capitalizing on the relative ease of casting aluminum and the constant demand for knives among those headed off to war. That's the winning combination that's making me my first million as we speak.

So, they're scarce but not that scarce.
To the left is one you can buy at Snyder's Treasures - for Fourteen hundred bucks! We'll discuss that price point later.
My prototype ended up being 1/4" too short in blade length. Six inches is the magic number. Double-edge, spear-pointed.
I also opted for the dark green color scheme. Back in the day they came in OD or black as well.
An amusing aside: Snyder's attributes this knife to "Bonney and Clark" as did Frederick Stephens. But, as reigning knife guru Ron Flook points out when describing another Australian knife, Bonney and Clark never made knives. They were the manufacturers of the sheaths - nothing more.












To the left, the image and inaccurate text from "Fighting Knives" by Frederick Stephens.
The pictured sheath is unmarked so must not be by B&C. In any case, it's what I've copied. I'm kind of fond of the staggered rivets.
Okay, the elephant in the room:
Just what the hell is this handle supposed to be?
A death's head? A kitty head (I confess. I'm sure I'm the only one who sees that)?
If I think of the spikes as flames, then I can see it as a stylized, flaming-handled dagger.
Or maybe, it's just a case of form following function.

Next up: from the sacred text "British and Commonwealth Military Knives" by Ron Flook.









Finally, from way in the back of the book, in one of those "jumble sale" photos, the kitty head makes its appearance in Bill Wright's "Theater Made Military Knives of WW2".























I know. The name is lame. I can't go with kitty-head and I've got two death's heads already. Maybe "Flaming Blade" or not.
Oh, and the price point; I'm undercutting Snyder's Treasures and offering this high-quality replica for thousands less (Well, one thousand less).
$160 shipped.