Description: This mother of pearl handled pen-knife has a shell design at the base and three brass fastenings on either side to hold it together. The blade itself is very sharp, thin and pointy, similar to that of a scalpel but thinner.

History: A penknife, or pen knife, is a British English term for a small folding knife. It was originally used to describe a knife used for cutting or sharpening a quill to make a dip pen nib. Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing quills to prepare them for use as writing instruments and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the quills. They did not necessarily have folding blades, but resembled a scalpel or wood knife by having a short, fixed blade at the end of a long handle. Today the word penknife is the common British English term for both a pocketknife, which can have single or multiple blades, and for multi-tools, with additional tools incorporated into the design.

Provenance: N/A

Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 0.125 | Height(in) = 2.5 (closed) 4.5 (open) | Width(in) = 0.5 | Depth(in) = 0.25

Size of Artwork(in): 5 x .25"

Artist Name: Unknown

Medium: Mother of Pearl, Steel

Circa: C. 1860

Slight loss to the surface of the bottom of the handle on one side. Minor discoloration of the mother of pearl.