Britain is full of old kukris. Soldiers carried them home from two world wars and a century of Empire service, and they have sat in lofts, drawers and display cabinets ever since. If one has found its way to you, here is how to work out what it actually is and what it might be worth.
First, is it genuinely old?
Look at how it was made. A real old kukri is hand-forged, so you will see faint asymmetry, hammer marks, a hand-cut cho notch and a handle of horn or hardwood rather than moulded plastic. Age shows honestly: a soft grey patina on the steel, fine cracks in the horn, a scabbard gone hard and worn at the mouth. A blade that looks machine-perfect and evenly polished is almost certainly recent.
Military markings
The kukris worth real money are the military ones, particularly First and Second World War issue. Hunt across the spine, the ricasso and the scabbard fittings for stamps: a broad arrow (the British War Department mark), a date, and an arsenal or maker’s stamp (a Dehra Dun mark, for example). Those stamps are the difference between a documented service knife and an anonymous souvenir. If you find any, photograph them clearly.
Ceremonial and presentation pieces
Not every kukri was made to work. Kothimora kukris carry silver-mounted scabbards and were given as presentation pieces, their value sitting in the metalwork and engraving rather than the blade. An ornate white-metal or silver scabbard with fine detailing is a sign you may have one of these.
What sets the price
Roughly in order: markings and provenance, then age, then condition, then completeness. A dated, broad-arrow wartime kukri with its original scabbard and both small knives is worth many times a bare blade of unknown history. Rust, damage, a replaced handle or a missing scabbard all drag the figure down. Expect anything from a few pounds for a worn tourist piece to several hundred for a documented military example.
Think before you clean it
This is where people quietly destroy value. Scrubbing an antique bright can strip away the very patina and stamps that make it worth something, so on anything that might be collectable, do as little as possible and take advice first. Stabilising light surface rust gently is fine. Taking a wire wheel to it is not.
This is general guidance, not a formal valuation. For anything you suspect is rare or valuable, get it seen by a specialist militaria dealer or auctioneer.
If your old kukri is one for the cabinet and you want one you can actually use, we hand-forge new traditional blades in Nepal. Browse the collection, including the historically styled WW2 Dehradun Kukri.