Relics of the American West: 1850-1920
Lot 2192:
Description
This exceptional collector’s assembly features five unique pieces of vintage and antique pocket cutlery and specialty shears, evocative of the rugged utility and personal items carried during the late frontier and expansion eras of the American West. Highlights include a rare “D. DEANS 1907″ multi-tool sportsman’s knife measuring 4″ long, featuring a stag/bone handle, a corkscrew, a hoof pick, a saw blade, and multiple utility blades—the exact type of multi-functional implement favored by horsemen and outdoorsmen on the trail. Also included is a fine J. Grinberg Solingen German-made folding pocket dagger/shears combo with mother-of-pearl style scales measuring 6 1/2″ long with a scissor length of 2 3/4”, representing the fine imported European cutlery that flooded Western dry goods emporiums and dressers, alongside two classic multi-blade pocket knives, including a premium Remington UMC USA “RH373″ stag-handled pocket knife measuring 4″ long and a sleek cream-toned two-blade pen knife measuring 3 3/4″ long. Rounding out the lot is a striking antique pocket knife measuring 8″ long overall with a 3 1/2″ long blade, featuring a highly unique handle meticulously fashioned from natural ribbed animal horn, terminating in a hand-carved figural fist or closed hand at the pommel tip, complete with a decorative, file-worked backspring along the handle spine—a classic example of the personal, folk-art-influenced pocket daggers carried for everyday utility and self-defense. The collection exhibits signs of age and functional wear consistent with historical use on the frontier; the Deans multi-tool shows notable chips and breaks on both sides of its bone handle panels, the hand-carved horn dagger is damaged with the thumb section of the carved hand missing at the tip, and several blades show oxidation, sharpening wear, scratches, and minor pitting. H 2″, W 9″, D 1”. Please see photos for condition.
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