Do you recognise this knife, what is it used for, is it rare???

If I cut into a melon to test it's ripeness, it would essentially have to be eaten asap or left in the field. I wonder how Walmart would like "testing their melons"? ;)
 
I have an old one of those knives NIB from a friend whose family used to farm watermelons. Growing up I spent plenty of weekends out on his farm and we would drive around the fields with his dad checking the crops.

When the watermelons were nearing ripe he would open up one of those knives and slice a watermelon in half right across the short axis. He would then proceed to cut only the seedless heart out of the watermelon to taste. It was something watching him do it. His practiced hands slicing the watermelon open and in three smooth strokes he had two hands full of the sweetest watermelon I have ever had.

So, uh, yeah...it’s a knife for sampling produce. As has been said, they were very common at one time as a branded marketing giveaway type of gift. That being said, I really like the one I have. It is actually a quite well made slipjoint and looks pretty cool. It has a faux mother-of-pearl handle with the name of some long-gone fruit packing shed’s name on it.

It reminds me of good times and I can’t shake the feeling that I am going to need that exact type of blade at some point in the future. So I better hang on to it. That thin slicey blade just seems so useful...for something.

Yall know what I’m talking about.
 
I bought my GEC Ben Hogan melon tester last year from a guy that had to sell his entire collection after losing his job. I did not haggle and I think I did well. 1 of 77 !
 
They can be had still as I recently bought 2 different blade lengths of fruit samplers made by Colonial. They work well as a personal steak knife and indispensable for those punch bowl sized chef salads you can get at some restaurants.
 
When I was a kid back in the fifties and early sixties we called them toad stickers. Lots of kids had them, they were cheap and long thin bladed, some liked that style of knife rather than a fat pocket knife.
 
I had a college professor who once had a part time job inspecting watermelons for seed-born diseases. Easy job because there weren't any diseases where he was. He'd save some melons and eat them. Then he got to the point where he'd only save the core/seedless part. Then he got sick of eating watermelon and would just leave them in the field to rot. :)

I once made the mistake of getting about 1/2+ bushel of ripe cantaloupe melons for free from the college horticulture farm after an experiment had been concluded. About 2 days later, my apartment smelled to high heaven of cantaloupe.
 
Not just melon testers, but also sausage knives. I've seen plenty with advertisements on them for sausage makers and meat packers.
 
22-rimfire said:
Doctor's knives are similar and are available. I know Rough Ryder makes them and probably a few other companies. The little Fox Elite folder labeled a "Gentleman's Knife" by AG Russell is very similar and would likely be used for the same kinds of tasks as a "melon tester".

The GEC Ben Hogan #65 is another similar knife that was made.
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The Doctors knife version had a flat butt end, Pommel and the knife blade was used for cutting off a injured patients clothes to treat the wound, Broken bone etc.

Way back when, the doctors had glass vials filled with different drugs and the long thin blade worked great for removing some of the meds & mixing them by crushing the compounds with the Pommel. Years ago I knew a man that had a early 50's Dodge, Doctors Coupe Automobile,
He had restored the body Paint etc. There was a divided compartment in the back seat area with all of the things a Doctor that did house calls may need. There was the Original Doctors black leather bag. Being a fellow knife nut, he opened the bag and showed me & took the Doctor's knife from its sleeve in the bag.

is a melon knife version, and they work great on any melon.
 
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Rhinoknives1 said:
... Years ago I knew a man that had a early 50's Dodge, Doctors Coupe Automobile,...
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As a teen, I worked construction and the Super had a old Dodge "business coupe", as he called it. Never saw it, but apparently had file cabinets or whatnot in the back. Don't recall the vintage.
 
USMCPOP said:
As a teen, I worked construction and the Super had a old Dodge "business coupe", as he called it. Never saw it, but apparently had file cabinets or whatnot in the back. Don't recall the vintage.
Click to expand...
Yes! The "Business Coupe" was the model of car with it being slightly different set up the back for a Salesman or Doctor.
 
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