All About Pocket Knives

I found this ivory bladed knife in an antique mall in Tombstone, AZ a year or so ago. There are no markings on the knife. Does anyone know what it was used for and where it was made?

Welcome to AAPK. Can’t recall ever seeing a knife having an ivory blade, so I’m anxious to see if anyone knows anything about it.

Ken

Although I don't know anything about that particular knife, I have seen ivory bladed folding knives described for two different purposes-

One is for cutting fruit. Apparently some people can taste an unpleasant, metallic flavor when a steel blade is used to cut fruit.

The other is what's known as a vaccination knife, or inoculation knife. It goes like this- back in the early 1800's methods for producing vaccines were rather primitive. To produce the smallpox vaccine doctors had to harvest the fluid from the pustules on cows infected with smallpox, the vaccine was then made from the collected fluid. From what I've read, metal blades would contaminate the fluid and render it useless. But for whatever reason, ivory did not have the same contaminating effect.

I think it's a safe bet that Kuuala12's knife is more likely a fruit knife rather than a vaccination knife.


.

Could be a paper knife. Older books did not have the pages separated the first person reading the book would cut the pages apart.

I thank all of you for your comments. I like the fruit knife idea. I hope others join in.

When I saw the knife, somewhere in the recesses of my feeble mind I kept thinking “I’ve seen this subject before, here in AAPK.” I found it https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... 29#p977829
And based on that discussion, and the catalog pictures of ivory-bladed paper knives in Dimitri’s post there, I’m going with the fruit knife theory. I’ve seen fruit knives with silver blades before so why not ivory?

Ken

From the comments, I wonder if it was used for paper cutting as it also has a scissors and small steel blade.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Mon Aug 18, 2025 1:59 am. I’ve seen fruit knives with silver blades before so why not ivory?
Ken

Here is one of several Ivory fruit knives I have.

This is almost entirely made up of Ivory, except the pins.

I do have some that even the pins are Ivory, the most amazing part is the back spring as it too is made from ivory and provides excellent snap to the blade!!

Just to throw one more into the mix, I found this Sheffield made knife. It's called a "Library Knife" (it says "Library Knife" on one of the blades). I found it on a high-end auction site. It has an ivory blade (rounded tip) said to be for turning the pages of books without getting ink on ones hands. I imagine this would be particularly important during a time when woman commonly wore white gloves.

I've seen ivory fruit knives made completely out of ivory.Blade,spring and pins.

Wow. You learn something new everyday.

Awesome thread, thanks for posting.