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Author
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Topic: W.R. Case & Sons 1966 NASA M-1 Knife
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Gordon Reade
Member Posts: 334
From: USA
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 12-22-2009 11:35 AM
  
When I was a kid a nearby store had a W.R. Case & Sons M-1 Astronaut knife on display in it's window. As I recall it was $75 and after some years it was stolen. I guess someone wanted it even more then I did.My question is, did they really fly those things on all Apollo and Gemini missions? They were pretty big and bulky for such a small spacecraft. |
328KF
Member Posts: 1234
From:
Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 12-22-2009 12:26 PM
These knives were flown on all of the Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and ASTP missions. On Gemini they were stowed in a compartment on the outboard side of each crewmember's ejection seat. In the event that they ejected, once the astronaut separated from the seat, the knife would be pulled out of the compartment by a lanyard and hang below the survival kit.On Apollo and subsequent flights, only one M-1 knife was carried in the survival kit which remained stowed on the CM throughout the flight. One modification to the Apollo models was the change from a plastic handle to an aluminum one. This was done post- Apollo 1 to prevent outgassing fumes from melting plastic. Several of these flown knives are on display around the country. the National Air and Space Museum has two, one part of the entire kit from Apollo 15, I believe. Kansas Cosmosphere has one flown on a Skylab flight. Interestingly, the one displayed at the Astronaut Hall of Fame was found still inside the ejection seat of Jim McDivitt during a 1983 inspection and cleaning of Gemini 4 by the Smithsonian staff. I have looked at part/serial numbers in stowage lists, but it is difficult to determine if a particular knife flew on multiple missions. I think this is quite likely given that they were never unpacked and used. These days the commemorative knives sell for $350 and up. Occasionally one goes for a bargain price, but I frequently see sellers asking in the $700 range. There are three versions... the 1966 model you referenced, a 1983 model with the NASA 25th anniversary logo on it, and a 1989 model with a moon landing scene etched on the blade. |
Gordon Reade
Member Posts: 334
From: USA
Registered: Nov 2002
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posted 12-23-2009 09:59 AM
Thank you for the great information. As I recall the M-1 was the first space collectable that was sort of expensive. Before that space collectables were cheep, things like zippo lighters, t-shirts, coffee mugs, toys and astronaut pens. |
328.5KF
unregistered
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posted 01-16-2011 04:03 PM
Several of these survival knives have come available on eBay recently. One had a reserve of $400 and received no bids. Another one sold for under $200. Not a bad price for a very attractive display.Update: Some more Case Astronaut Knives on eBay... 1 | 2 |
Spacepsycho
Member Posts: 818
From: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Registered: Aug 2004
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posted 01-31-2011 09:14 PM
I just bought a mint condition Case M-1 astronaut knife in the original Earth display case with a SN of 58. It was in a pawnshop and when I asked the owner how much he wanted for it, he told me he loaned $25 for it and he had to sell it for $70. I asked if he had a cash price in mind and he shot back that $60 was his bottom dollar price. I didn't try to negotiate any further. I've always loved these but couldn't see spending $250-300 for it. Someone at San Antonio in 2006 had the M-G-A astronauts autograph the Earth background for a striking display. | |
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