All About Pocket Knives

I picked up a few knives this week-end including this Laguiole and I have a few questions for someone 'in the know', if I may.

1) I know there are a lot of fakes out there, does this one look legitimate? It only has Laguiole, 1421 on one side of the blade, and fos SUR MER on the other side....brass and horn.

2) Any idea of age?

3) As you can see, the horn is all buggered up. It's curling out. I suspect that the horn was either not cured right in the first place, or the knife was put in a condition that messed up the horn. Is there a way of fixing this (re-boiling/clamping, lol), or would the knife have to be re-handled?

It should clean up nice, but I'd like to benefit from some of your knowledge before I decide what to do with it. cheers

Pakiole or Lagichine

Fos sur Mer is a port town on the French Mediterranean coast. The original settlement goes back to pre-Roman times. I guess they commune decided that tourists might like to buy a pocket knife as a souvenir, but where they got them made I don't know. Most likely a local trader bought a number from a manufacturer in Pakistan and had the blade etched.

If it was mine I would simply oil and wipe. IMO if you repair an old dowager like this you obliterate the story she has to tell, if only we knew how to read it.

Why not contact the Mayors office and see if they have any record of the knife being sold as a souvenir in the town?

David

Thanks DK...much appreciated. This gives me a bit more to go on. Regardless of where this knife was made, you are absolutely right, it probably has an interesting story of how it got to me here in Canada. cheers