All About Pocket Knives

This is a re-direct from a few posts on the pruning thread to better talk about old figural knives.

Figural knives date back to at least Roman times, but the ones we most commonly see as collectors are from the mid-1800s to modern day.
A great number of different figural knives are known which represent animals, Insects, people or people parts (legs most common) and various objects such as guns or buildings (Eifel Tower as example)

cody6268 brought up some good observations regarding the fish type figural knives in the pruning thread.
The Germans appear to be among the first in the "modern" era (mid-1800s) to produce a variety of figural knives, with the fish model as just one example. German figural fish models can be dated to at least as early as the late-1800s, and two catalog illustrations from 1898 and 1908 are shown. Also shown is an early-1900s German pattern book illustration and an early-1900s all metal figural fish knife as made by D. Peres. Note the true life casting of the fish and fine detail.

Excellent information and catalog cuts.

Here is a similar pistol figural knife.

Speaking of the Eiffel tower figural I have this one, do you have a catalog cut showing this pattern?

Here are a few.

A. W. Wadsworth fish
Syracuse Knife Co. key
Broch & Koch Celebrated Cutlery princess leg
Standard Kife Co. candy stripe leg
Unmarked mother of pearl carved in form of knife
Remington champagne bottle
Cattaraugus pencil
M.C. Cutlery, F.A. Leatherman piano
Assortment of U.S. made baseball bat figurals
Mappin Bros. tiny ivory 1 3/4" closed princess leg
Elk Cutlery Germany Chero Cola bottle

I know I have a few around here someplace, this was the easiest to find. I'll add them as I find them. This was a gift, I think from Big Monk maybe.

btrwtr wrote: ↑Thu Nov 18, 2021 5:13 pm Here are a few.

A. W. Wadsworth fish
Syracuse Knife Co. key
Broch & Koch Celebrated Cutlery princess leg
Standard Kife Co. candy stripe leg
Unmarked mother of pearl carved in form of knife
Remington champagne bottle
Cattaraugus pencil
M.C. Cutlery, F.A. Leatherman piano
Assortment of U.S. made baseball bat figurals
Mappin Bros. tiny ivory 1 3/4" closed princess leg
Elk Cutlery Germany Chero Cola bottle

Those are awesome Wayne!

I really like that Mappin Bro's

M.B., two great old examples from your stable. I had not seen an Eifel Tower model quite like that one before. Is that by chance a Stanhope viewer at the round top? Or maybe a lanyard hole? Did it have two blades at one time? I remember seeing an illustration for something similar once, but can't find it. Enclosed though is a catalog illustration from c. 1908 showing a similar German-made pistol-shaped knife as yours.

Nice examples also shown from btrwtr and jerryd6818.

Enclosed is a pre-WWII sterling handled dog shaped knife from the German firm of Shulder. Also enclosed is a catalog illustration from 1909 showing a similar example except handled in gun metal.

Mason wrote: ↑Fri Nov 19, 2021 4:02 am M.B., two great old examples from your stable. I had not seen an Eifel Tower model quite like that one before. Is that by chance a Stanhope viewer at the round top? Or maybe a lanyard hole? Did it have two blades at one time? I remember seeing an illustration for something similar once, but can't find it. Enclosed though is a catalog illustration from c. 1908 showing a similar German-made pistol-shaped knife as yours.

Thanks.

No Stanhope though some of them do have one. It only ever had the one blade, don't recall seeing a two blade version. I have another one somewhere will have to look for it.

A shoe is probably the most commonly seen figural knife.
Most of them have plastic, celluloid, brass, etc. I had not seen Aluminum until I bought this one.

Here are two coin knives. Knife on left has "Robeson Suredge" on blade. The knife on the right is stamped "Swank".

And two common leg knives.

FRJ wrote: ↑Sat Nov 20, 2021 2:10 am Here are two coin knives. Knife on left has "Robeson Suredge" on blade. The knife on the right is stamped "Swank".

And two common leg knives.

Very cool

Very nice Joe

If you didn't already know, SWANK was a men's jewelry and accessory supplier,(wallets, belts,etc.). Used to see their stuff in drugstores and men's shops.
Don't know if they're still around. J.O'.

Thank you LibertyKeeper.
Thank you Dimitri.
Thank you Ridgegrass. Yes, I have seen the name Swank from time to time.