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Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:07 pm
by chorizotaco
Added another MOP letter opener to my collection. I now have a Union one and a Ka-bar /Union one. The Ka-bar has the sheath. The MOP by the handle is almost a 1/2” thick and the length is about 4”. It is a chunk of pearl!
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:26 am
by Gunsil
Nice Dan!! Now you just need the stag and the celluloid ones.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:32 am
by edge213
chorizotaco wrote: ↑Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:07 pm
Added another MOP letter opener to my collection. I now have a Union one and a Ka-bar /Union one. The Ka-bar has the sheath. The MOP by the handle is almost a 1/2” thick and the length is about 4”. It is a chunk of pearl!
48A8708C-D7D3-44C6-8C86-21D29CDF8F7F.jpeg
Nice.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:54 am
by FRJ
chorizotaco wrote: ↑Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:07 pm
It is a chunk of pearl!
Those are beautiful.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:00 am
by kootenay joe
These 'Letter Openers' look stout enough to be a lethal dagger. Were these sold to people like bank managers, etc with the intention of doubling as a weapon ?
kj
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:26 am
by btrwtr
These were listed as "paper knife" by Union/KA-BAR but they are certainly stout enough to serve as a weapon. Two fine examples!
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:36 am
by zzyzzogeton
Way back in the day, books were printed in octets - 8 pages to the printed sheet - 4 on each side.
The printed sheets would be printed and then folded so that the pages were in order and all arranged so that the tops were at the top and the bottoms at the bottom prior to binding into the cover. Trimming the edges removed the closed fold edges, However, many times, the new, handbound books would come with some of the the edges not slit.
The purpose of the paper knife was to carefully slit the edges of any missed folds, separating the pages and allowing the book to be read. People had pen knives long before they had dedicated paper knives, for the purpose of sharpening quill pen points.
Another use of the paper knife was to cut a sheet of paper to the desired size. Paper did not always come in reams of 500 sheets all the exact same size. Paper would arrive in "sheets", large pieces of paper that could be folded and cut to size.
Early paper knives came with rounded points to prevent accidental cutting of the paper while inserting the knife into the doubled sheet of paper, a hazard of trying to use a short bladed pen knife to cut paper sheets.
The letter opener is a derivative of the paper knife, coming about due to the increasing use of envelopes.
The proper office kit had a pen knife, a paper knife and an eraser knife.
The eraser knife was used to remove ink from paper when an error was made, similar to the use of an eraser to remove a pencil written word. Eraser knives were also the knife normally used for opening the wax seal affixed to a letter.
To paraphrase the saber/sword analogy, all paper knives are knives but not all knives are paper knives.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 4:11 pm
by edge213
zzyzzogeton wrote: ↑Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:36 am
Way back in the day, books were printed in octets - 8 pages to the printed sheet - 4 on each side.
The printed sheets would be printed and then folded so that the pages were in order and all arranged so that the tops were at the top and the bottoms at the bottom prior to binding into the cover. Trimming the edges removed the closed fold edges, However, many times, the new, handbound books would come with some of the the edges not slit.
The purpose of the paper knife was to carefully slit the edges of any missed folds, separating the pages and allowing the book to be read. People had pen knives long before they had dedicated paper knives, for the purpose of sharpening quill pen points.
Another use of the paper knife was to cut a sheet of paper to the desired size. Paper did not always come in reams of 500 sheets all the exact same size. Paper would arrive in "sheets", large pieces of paper that could be folded and cut to size.
Early paper knives came with rounded points to prevent accidental cutting of the paper while inserting the knife into the doubled sheet of paper, a hazard of trying to use a short bladed pen knife to cut paper sheets.
The letter opener is a derivative of the paper knife, coming about due to the increasing use of envelopes.
The proper office kit had a pen knife, a paper knife and an eraser knife.
The eraser knife was used to remove ink from paper when an error was made, similar to the use of an eraser to remove a pencil written word. Eraser knives were also the knife normally used for opening the wax seal affixed to a letter.
To paraphrase the saber/sword analogy, all paper knives are knives but not all knives are paper knives.
Very interesting, thank you for the education.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:19 pm
by Gunsil
I basically agree Wayne (ZZZY), but the ones used for cutting book and newspaper sheets with the rounded tips are usually much longer knives with wood scales. Wayne (BTR) is correct that Dan's knives are listed as "paper knife" in the old catalogs and come with a sheath with no belt loop for sitting in a drawer and they are meant as letter openers. Gotta love all the sellers that call them gambler's or prostitute's knives. The pearl ones may have stout enough blades for weapon use but the tang doesn't go very far into the handle and the pearl would not hold up to much sideways torque.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:34 pm
by Gunsil
Here are a few more, one stag, one celluloid, and one pearl. The pearl one is marked Utica Knife and Razor, was made by Union Cut and different from the Union marked versions, it has a full double edge. I absolutely love the "Mexican Stiletto" etch in the UK&R. Also shown are original sheaths.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:53 pm
by kootenay joe
Here are some of the Letter Openers i have. The blades are convex in cross section but not as 'stout' as the 2 Ka-bar on OP. They are rigid, no flex so could be used to stab but not as effectively as a dagger.
The sets with scissors i have heard referred to as a "Desk Set" or "Banker's Set".
The Camillus lives on my desk and gets frequent use opening envelopes and sharpening lead pencils.
kj
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:40 pm
by Ridgegrass
KJ: My grandparents had two mahogany secretaries, one for his business and one for her household items and correspondence. Each had inkwells, green paper blotters with leather corners, and a "Desk set" with leather case. No idea who the makers were but they very were fancy like yours. Guess they got chucked out long ago. J.O'.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 2:51 pm
by Painter80
I have one too. It's stamped union cut co, and kabar
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 7:27 pm
by doglegg
Painter80 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 21, 2022 2:51 pm
I have one too. It's stamped union cut co, and kabar
Very cool.
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2022 9:25 pm
by Madmarco
You're becoming a lot like "knife7knut" P80, you just keep showing different patterns one after another!
Do you also own 1 of every style knife ever made like he does? LOL! Beautiful dagger!
Re: Union Ka-bar Pearl
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2022 12:07 pm
by Whitneyrifle
I love it!!!!