Nice 1918 US Trench Knife - Au Lion

Description

10/14/26 - This is a nice example of a WWI U.S. Trench Knife manufactured by Au Lion in 1918. The knife is French made by Au Lion, a company outsourced by the U.S. to help production demand for these fighting knives. The knife comes with the original metal scabbard which has one of its belt hooks detached, but still has one intact. The scabbard retains some all of its original finish, but does have finish loss and patina throughout. There is a dent on the outside of the scabbard roughly 2" from the tip, and the open end of the scabbard does have some bending and deforming, though it does not affect the functionality of the scabbard. The blade is in excellent condition with no signs of sharpening, though there is one small edge damage on the blade roughly 1/2" from the crossguard. Minimal patina / wear on the blade. No issues with the handle, though there are some signs of grinding on the underside of the crossguard, which is a common area for the manufacturing of these trench knives. Stamped with the maker stamp "AU LION" on one side. A solid, original WWI Au Lion trench knife that still has its scabbard.