3-eyed extra-large sodbuster

[prairiedog]

This old 3-eyed ebony handled sodbuster is almost 6" closed...5 5/8" to be exact...10 1/2" open. One heck of a knife...first one I'd seen this size.

[Paladin]

First one of these I saw I could hardly believe it.
Same great knives but really too big for most pockets. That one looks to be a fine example. I don't think there are too many of them out there but just a wild assumption on my part.

Ray

[prairiedog]

Thanks Ray.. I'm also thinking that this isn't a real common knife...or at least it isn't in my neck of the woods. I see a lot of sodbusters...but not any the size of this one.

[HiPower]

last one like that i saw was in 1992 or so. eye made at least 4 patterns that ranged from small to giant. trappers,stocks,sods & muskrat. HiPower

[prairiedog]

Good info HiPower.

[Capt. Farrel]

Your Soddy seems to be older than 1945 as it has a "D.R.G.M." stamp on the tang. This is short for "Deutsches Reichs Gebrauchsmuster" which was a kind of "little brother" of a patent. D.R.G.M. was used in the German Reich between 1891 and 1945. Nice one!

[prairiedog]

Thanks Frank more great info...the more I read about this knife...the better it gets!

[Paladin]

Not to throw a wrench into the works but I'd check the dates on that pattern carefully. I do not believe that the pattern was produced as early as stated.
There have been some earlier posts on the DRGM and BR Levine may have commented on the dates. I do recall that the 'patent' in this case deals with the pivot pin.

Ray

[Capt. Farrel]

Wikipedia srtates that the D.R.G.M. marking ended in 1945, but that´s just Wikipedia for you. The D.R.G.M. is not quite a patent as you would file for a technical part of a knife but more on the design of things. In German we call it a "Geschmacksmusterschutz".

[HiPower]

have to agree with paladin--i've seen eyes made in the 80s & maybe 90s with this mark. mark cruse told me it was a number relating to a export license. HiPower