Man accidentally sells grandfather's World War II knife at yard sale, desperate to buy it back

FOX 2 - "It's really the only thing I have of my grandpa," said Brian Bethke. "I've always had a deep respect for those who serve our country and serve in the military."

That's why it meant a lot to Brian Bethke when they found his grandfather's World War II trench knife similar to the one pictured.

Heirloom WWII knife sold by accident in Pinckney, family wants it back

The World War II knife was accidentally sold for $20 at a moving sale on Whitewood Road in Pickney. It happened on March 4th which would have been his grandpa's 100th birthday.

His grandfather, Duane Elroy Bethke, a lead bombardier of 1,000 planes, passed away in 2014. His wife Audrey, who died a couple of years ago, also served in the war as a Red Cross nurse.

Brian learned of his grandfather's historic missions when they recently began cleaning out his grandparent's house and came across the knife.

"His mission was to take out Adolf Hitler, they were on their way in the plane but had to call it off because the weather wasn't right," Brian said. "He was a great guy. You would never known the mission he went on, and all the things he has done. To me, on a personal level, it means a lot because it is all I have left of him."

That is until a few weeks ago when that knife was accidentally sold for $20 at a moving sale on Whitewood Road in Pinckney. It happened on March 4th would have been his grandpa's 100th birthday.

Brian Bethke's grandfather was a WWII bombardier.

"I probably can't say the word when I found out, but I was pretty upset," Brian said. "I was angry at first, and then I just felt bad."

Brian regrets his mistake every day. His girlfriend posted what happened on Facebook, but the only response, so far, is from people who thought highly of his grandparents and wanted to contribute to a reward, if the knife is safely returned.

Brian says he'll pay what it takes to get this priceless piece back into his possession.

"We are just asking if anyone knew about it or if the guy who has it wants, we'll buy it back from him, we'll pay him more than what he bought it for," he said. "Just because it's an heirloom and something we want to keep in the family."