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Puma White Hunter

I am requesting some assistance in identifying a PUMA knife I inherited from my father. It has a stag handle and as for markings: has "PUMA" (in large letters) stamped on the blade next to the handle, the letters "DBGM" and a "Puma logo" just above this; at the end of the blade, it is stamped: "For The White Hunter". No other identification can be found. Any further information you provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by Vinnie on March 13, 2022 at 18:14

OK I queried this with Puma Solingen

DRGM and later changed to DBGM (R = Reich as opposed to B=Bund) indicates a German Patent. I always thought that it was a "Standard" but there you go.

Just another of those anomalies of older Puma Knives

In any case your knife is definitely one of the first iteration of the White Hunter and is therefore quite a desirable collectible.

And yes the German Air Force did use White Hunters as survival knives.

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Permalink Reply by Vinnie on March 14, 2022 at 0:07

This has been a great discussion for me so far and provoked more research.

Despite having over 100 Puma knives, plus plenty of resources (Old Catalogues, Price Lists, Sales Brochures and Pamphlets etc) and having relied on info from other collectors for so many years some of the info that I have regarded as Gospel hasn't necessarily been correct although it has been logical.

I do know that "If in doubt, go to the source i.e Puma, Solingen" who are as helpful as possible but even their records are sketchy prior to the mid to late 1960's

For example, a few years back I acquired an old Puma that was unknown to any resource that I could find. Finally I sent photos and description to Solingen, and the reply was that there was no record of this knife ever having been made. I think "OK I got a fake or a knockoff copy (they do exist)" then a few weeks later I get more mail from Solingen. They tracked down a retired employee who remembered the production run and confirmed the knife as genuine but couldn't confirm any date better than sometime in the mid 1950's

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on March 14, 2022 at 13:50

WOW Vinnie! That is indeed a great resource then. I sure would like to see that knife!

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Permalink Reply by Jamie Hudson on March 16, 2022 at 15:09

Jamie Hudson said:

Looking at the pictures, my knife is marked like the first on the left except it does not include the word "Germany" under the word PUMA and includes the letters "DBGM" under the logo. All markings are on the left side of the blade (holding the knife straight out in front of you). The words on the end of the blade "For The White Hunter" - "For The" is written above the words "White Hunter" - just like in the sales document at the bottom of the pictures. The sales document is the closest to mine except it is missing the DBGM under the logo. Maybe the one I have was made for the armed forces, German Air Force pilots.

On second thought, I am sure they did not use stag handles on the ones issued for the military. So a better guess would be 1956-57