All About Pocket Knives

smiling-knife wrote:This one is slightly unusual in that the spatula is very flexible. s-k

Even though your Repeat is a repeat for me Steve, I repeat I never tire of seeing it!

Very wonderful knife. I can't say I've seen another three blade with a spatula! Just Doctor's knives, and the usual special purpose single blades. Must be fairly rare!
Thanks for showing it!

SK, that Needham is a great knife.

I have a Robeson three blade with a very thin, very flexible spatula as the master blade. The knife was a German import marked ROBESON / CUTLERY Co.. "GERMANY' is on the back of the master blade. So, it dates about 1892 to 1896, or so.

I've always thought of this as a pharmacist's knife. The little pen blade for cutting away the wax seal from a commercial bottle of medicine or chemical, the screw for removing the cork and the spatula for mixing/blending compounds.

There is no etch on the knife to indicate that, but I have seen a similar blade configuration on an imbossed all metal knife advertising a patent medicine company. That knife was not a Robeson. It just had the same blades and a pharmaceutical advertisement on the handles.

Charlie Noyes

Sweet and Pearly, Charlie! I think you are absolutely right.
They had a different way of providing child-proof bottles way back then!!