RARE WWII COLLINS NO. 191 USMC MACHETE W/ARMY SCABBARD

Description

RARE WWII COLLINS NO. 191 USMC MACHETE W/ARMY SCABBARD.  At the beginning of WWII, the Marine Corps had no machetes to issue to its Marines for jungle fighting on Guadalcanal and other Pacific islands, so it wisely choose the world-famous Collins & Company's fine Model No. 191 machete and purchased a number of them.  However, it unwisely decided to issue them as company-issue, rather than individual issue, tools, so it did not buy scabbards for them and did not serially-number them.  Consequently, the individual Marines who got them had to scrounge up means to carry them, such as "acquiring" Army and Navy machete scabbards which would fit the Model No. 191 blades.  One very good fit was the scabbard for the Army Model 1939 machete which was a Collins Model No. 128 and had a similar-shaped blade.   Later in WWII, the Marine Corps adopted the same shorter-bladed machete the Army had adopted to replace its Model 1939.  By that time, many of the Marine Collins No. 191's had been lost or destroyed in combat.  As shown by the photos, this Marine-issue Collins No. 191 is in very good to excellent condition and comes with an Army Model 1939 scabbard which is also in very good condition.   If you have any questions, please ask before buying to making an offer.  Thanks.