This may well be near the pinnacle of Vietnam War Special Forces collectables.
Likely the only, or at least one of the very few, last surviving SOG knives in mint condition. Furthering its value, it is one of the rarest SOG knife models ever produced, in mint condition and attributed to a SOG member. Certainly an unimprovable piece for the advanced collector.
Procured by the Counter Insurgency Support Office (CISO) in Okinawa, Japan and designed specifically for covert cross-border operations by Conrad "Ben" Baker, SOG knives are unmarked and sterile for plausible deniability.
Several types of SOG knives were produced, this one being the "Fat Guard" variant with a larger brass hand guard and pommel.
Also included are the original cardboard box and paper packaging, black leather scabbard, sharpening stone, and a note from the veteran to whom the knife was issued. The box, cardboard blade guard, and the knife's blade are all marked with the serial number "885".
The original owner was a former U.S. Marine Corps sniper during the Korean War, Don N. Hamblen, who later served with Team Romulus in Vietnam. The knife was issued to him around June 1965 while he was serving in Da Nang.
Hamblen's military career is well documented, and he features in an incredible article describing his service with the Marines in Korea and later, his Vietnam tours with MACVSOG.
Hamblen was awarded the Purple Heart four times, twice for wounds sustained in Korea, and another two in Vietnam.
In 1962, while serving as a Pathfinder Platoon Sergeant with 1st Force Recon Company, he lost his leg during a parachute exercise. After an intensive rehabilitation program, in 1963, he successfully passed the Marine Corps' demanding physical tests, including a three-mile run wearing combat boots and carrying a pack, using his prosthetic leg. On 11 September 1963, he successfully parachuted into Lake O'Neil and regained his jump-qualified status.
Following a meeting with President Lyndon B. Johnson in April 1964, Hamblen volunteered for classified operations in Vietnam. He joined a Marine advisory detachment supporting MACV-SOG.
The full article describing Hamblen's service may be found here:
https://historynet.com/donald-hamblen-one-tough-marine-and-purple-heart-recipient/
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