Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

This forum is dedicated to the discussion and display of old knives. The rich history of all the many companies that made them through the early years will be found here as well as many fine examples of the cutlers art. Share pictures of your old knives and your knowledge here!
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by smiling-knife »

This knife has turned metal scales and and internal springs; just like any other slip joint only circular in shape. It was made circa 1930ish. I think it would fall into the general lobster category. Not to be confused with a 'coin' knife. :) s-k

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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

That's a nice one, SK.
I had not thought of the coin knives as being secret or novelty , but they don't really fit into any other category.

Here is a Robeson nickel-silver coin knife made in 1941 for the Rabhor Robe Company. It was made on the occasion of the firm's Silver Anniversary or "Jubilee".

Rabhor was a manufacturer of men's smoking jackets, among other things.

Click to enlarge.

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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Sk & Charlie,

Nice looking knives ::tu::

Never seen a Robeson like that one before :o
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by smiling-knife »

Very interesting thread ::tu:: This bottle knife dates to 1920-30s. :)
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by knifegirl888 »

These are 8) A friend of mine got this one at a gunshow for me. I have no info on the Martel Co. New York, USA tang stamp.
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by gino »

Here is a fun one! I forget what these are called.
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

This is one by Hoffritz..............
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by gino »

WOW, that Hoffritz is cool! I love it! ::envy::
Jarvis , holy crap thats some awesome collection!
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Thanks Gino!

It only measures 3" long, so is easy & light to carry in the pocket.

It is also very precisely made, the Germans make a good knife ::nod::
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by gino »

I agree, I carried a H&R for years. I never saw a knife like that and I just think its really cool. I saw a knife in a book once that had a magnifying glass that pulled out like a blade and with me getting older and my eye site going I always wished I would come across one. LOL
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by petesknives »

Interesting tie clip. Ken
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Ken, that is neat!

Any maker marks on it?
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by singin46 »

I have really enjoyed pourin thru these old trick or novelty knives fellas. Here's the only ones I have.
I had 2 of these little letter openers but Kelab rebuilt one into this a few years back, out of burl.
I kept the green one cause I have a thing for green. The other one is a flipper that was my Dad's. Gotta get the rust off it now.
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Nice ones Perry ::tu::

Here is a real unusual knife. It is from Lebanon. The knife is made from one piece of Cow horn, it is carved into the shape of a Rooster, but you will find them in the form of other birds. The body is inlaid with round pieces of Coral, Tourquoise, Ebony, and Ivory. The back also has thin strips of Aluminum. The wings are Brass and are pinned on, the pin also serves as the pivot pin for the folding blade.

The most unusual thing about this knife is the two copper legs up front that fold down, so when the blade is closed the knife will sit upright! It took a lot of work to make this knife ::nod::
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by singin46 »

Miller, that is the most unique knife I have ever seen. :shock: That took some work and thinkin to make that work. ::nod:: Thanks for showin it.
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by paulsvintage »

::tu::
Miller Bro`s wrote:Nice ones Perry ::tu::

Here is a real unusual knife. It is from Lebanon. The knife is made from one piece of Cow horn, it is carved into the shape of a Rooster, but you will find them in the form of other birds. The body is inlaid with round pieces of Coral, Tourquoise, Ebony, and Ivory. The back also has thin strips of Aluminum. The wings are Brass and are pinned on, the pin also serves as the pivot pin for the folding blade.

The most unusual thing about this knife is the two copper legs up front that fold down, so when the blade is closed the knife will sit upright! It took a lot of work to make this knife ::nod::
::tu:: very nice
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Here is another unusual knife.

It is a folding Farriers knife. This was used to clean the horses hoof out. Let me tell you it smelled bad when I got it :lol:

I washed it out with soap and water. No harm doing that with this folder, the blades are Stainless Steel, the body is Aluminum and the pins are Brass. These were meant to be washed.

There are no makers mark to be found on it. I think it may have been part of a Veterinarians tool kit.

I find that knives used by Doctors have Aluminum handles, probably because it is more sanitary and can be autoclaved. I have a Morticians knife with Aluminum handles :shock: :lol:

I like unusual stuff like this ::nod::
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by orvet »

Wow, it seems I have missed this thread- I haven’t seen it in a couple years.
Glad jarvis brought it back to life!

Here is a couple knives from Al Mar.
This first one is the Executive; super sharp blade and the case holds a Mini-Bic lighter.
GREAT cigar knife! The blade is so sharp you can get a flat cut or “V” cut on a cigar.
Al Mar Executive.jpg
This next knife was given to me by Al Mar. It says Mil-Tech in the clip. Al sold them in his office, where he did sell a few knives not of his own design. We were just talking one day in his office and Al says, “Hey, I want you to have this. It doesn’t have much of an edge, it is only made to stab, but if you are ever in a real tight spot, it might make the difference.”

It is made from a very high grade aircraft type aluminum, and looks like a very nice pen…
Mil-Tech.jpg
until you take it apart…
Mil-Tech apart.jpg
and put it back together like this.
Mil-Tech open.jpg

This last pic is some strange ting knives. I love the peanut knife. I don’t think it has great steel, but it looks cool. The red one looks like a little red pepper.
Mini-knives.jpg

I have a few more I will have to post later.
This is a fun thread!
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Nice ones Dale ::tu::

Here is a real unusual one.

It is only 2" long closed has nickle silver handles, no back springs, to open/close the blades you flip the little tab on each end.

One blade is thin and sharp scalpel type blade, the other is like a tiny fork :shock: :lol:

Anyone know exactly what this was used for?
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Vienna sausage?
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by tjmurphy »

The "fork" looks to have been some type of scribe. Never seen a 5-tyne fork before, I don't think. ::shrug::
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

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Miller Bro`s wrote:Nice ones Dale ::tu::

Here is a real unusual one.

It is only 2" long closed has nickle silver handles, no back springs, to open/close the blades you flip the little tab on each end.

One blade is thin and sharp scalpel type blade, the other is like a tiny fork :shock: :lol:

Anyone know exactly what this was used for?

Dimitri,
Could that be a stripping comb used on some breeds of wirehaired terriers?
It looks a bit small, but it might work for last minute touch-up grooming before a dog show.

That is the first (and only) thing that comes to my mind. ::shrug::
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by knife7knut »

Miller Bro`s wrote:Nice ones Dale ::tu::

Here is a real unusual one.

It is only 2" long closed has nickle silver handles, no back springs, to open/close the blades you flip the little tab on each end.

One blade is thin and sharp scalpel type blade, the other is like a tiny fork :shock: :lol:

Anyone know exactly what this was used for?
I would bet it is a folding scalpel judging by the lack of back springs and the method of opening.Probably post -1870 by the material it is made from(all metal allowing it to be sterilized).As for the unusual blade I can only hazard a guess:possibly used to hold an incision open while either making further cuts or holding it closed while stitching up an incision.
Surgical instruments are a fascinating area of collection although some of the descriptions of their various uses are not for the squeamish or faint of heart.
I recently purchased a scalpel and several small tools inside a zippered leather case.The scalpel was marked LF&C 1918 like the old knuckle daggers.Also inside were two little tools that looked like miniature scoops with tiny metal tubes attached.There was a tag attached that read Hydrocele Trocar. I Googled this and found it was a condition that retained large amounts fluid in the testicles and these tools were used to drain it!
After thoroughly washing my hands I vowed NEVER to research medical instruments again!
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by orvet »

I did some searching for ‘striping combs’ and found ‘stripping knives.’

http://www.groomers.com/item/groomaster ... 1/#Reviews

It seems these blades are much different in design than the blade in Willie’s knife.
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Re: Old Unusual Novelty Knives And Secret Knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

orvet wrote:It seems these blades are much different in design than the blade in Willie’s knife.
Willie`s knife? :? :? :lol:


Dale, I doubt this is some type of comb. Here is another picture that shows it`s true size.

It is hard to see from the first picture I posted, it is tiny.

Ray is on the right track, it is some kind of medical instrument, I just don`t know exactly what it was used for, yet ::nod::
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