I thought i could uplad pictures off my phone now, but it is asking for a url and I'm not interested in getting photobucket again.

Anyways we bought a house and in the basement we found this machete. It has a USGI green sheath stamped with:

"U.S.
IDLAND FABRICS CO.
1944"

Written in marker is the name J. Hess also on the sheath.

The blade is rusted a bit, but might clean up, not sure. The US engraving is there with 1944 date. I don't know anything about it except it is a WWII issue. Cool? Not cool? Attempt to clean it up? Throw it out?

Sure its cool, and a nice piece to have...try to clean up rust...if it turns out good, you have a cool piece of history...not worth a ton, but neat regardless...

It could be a Collins or other US contractor machete. Does your sheath have the wire belt hanger and a brass or steel throat on the sheath?

Like this:

I am not an expert by any means.

I recall that some machetes were marked with the contract date rather than the date of production.  I purchased my U.S. 1943 S.W.I. marked machete in 1984.  I was told it was new production rather than WW2 surplus, kind of similar to 1911 pistols manufactured many many years after 1911.

I could be full of shit.  I am simply posting a foggy early 1980's second hand story combined with checking the markings on my machete this morning.

EDIT:  I did some googling, and the S.W.I. Marked machetes are reproductions, not continuations of a WW2 era contract.

I have a '43 version in nearly new condition.  They pretty much disappeared from surplus stores in the early eighties.

Used it last week in the back yard.

Sorry for the delay. Yes it has a wire belt hanger and a brass throat. After looking a little closer the date on the machete is 1943 but the sheath is 1944. I cant make it all out as there is some rust on the blade near the inscription.

This is what it appears to read:

 US

True Temper
TT-18-8
-1943

I have two, without sheaths, in very used condition. They should be original since I got them from my uncle who was a Korean War vet who had a lot of army surplus stuff. I actually played with those machetes as a kid in the '60s. My uncle would carry me on his back and I'd be up there swinging a machete around.

Also have a USMC Corpsman knife in very bad condition.

I have one made by Diston. 1945 iirc. Cool find!