The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
The stag is okay. I wouldn't say it's amazing, but not bad either. Yes, the. 50 cal is a folder. These are all ring locks, similar to an Opinel. A piece of wood was fitted inside the brass casing and the blade is pinned to that, underneath the brass collar, which is part of the ring lock.
Thank you Isk. I think they were very much a status thing, something a rich feller might give to his missus, so she could wave it about near some fruit, while he retired to drink port and cigarsWhile the silver doesn't transfer taste to the fruit, in the same way carbon steel would, or become tarnished by the fruit acids, they're not very useful knives. The opening action causes the tang of the blade, and the spring, to wear, very quickly, so a large number have blade points which sit proud of the frame. I only buy them if they're in mint condition, and/or inexpensive. Stainless steel basically killed them off, but the stainless-bladed folding fruit knives tend to be much less fancy
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I'm going on a bit, aren't I ... 
That is an interesting point. If a folding knife, generally speaking, is for use when not at home...perhaps for picnics?Aye, a status symbol for sure. You're right about the action wearing out quickly, the one I have is not springy either. I like their looks though. There's something I don't quite get about them though. Exotic fruit becomes a status symbol after it is brought back from various exploration voyages. All fine. Soon afterwards you start getting these folding fruit knives. But why exactly? Table cutlery sets already had fruit knives. That means you'd have to carry it around in case Jackfruit the Riper jumps you in an alley when you're leaving the fruit market?
Nice examples of stainless fruit knives, I haven't seen any before.
Most of these Fruit-knives would have a job on their hands peeling a grape or skinning a Gage!I remember one of those from when I was a kid. My recollection is that we found it somewhere. That one wasn't fancy, just a painted wooden handle with most of the paint worn off.
That is an interesting point. If a folding knife, generally speaking, is for use when not at home...perhaps for picnics?
Carrying a folding button hook makes sense, if you need to attend to your old-timey shoes and gloves.
I ISKRA Think that silver fruit knives were certainly very common in the days before stainless and were not an oddball at the time, only now Žan. Produced in large quantities as fancy gifts, the more so when MOP they are of course rather impractical but highly ornamental. Moreover, they're not only soft but rather small... one of my requirements for a pocket-knife is that it can cut up a large apple into 6 with ease. A Peanut won't manage it- not without getting stuck and juice flowing all over your sticky hands
When a student in England and living in various places one kitchen had a fascinating oddity: a serrated knife, double-edged, in a J shape. Made in Sheffield with an imitation ivory handle and stainless, the lady in charge told me it was a Grapefuit knife - used to cut one in half then saw the fruit out of its skin and segment it for serving. Disliking Grapefuit I never saw it in action, but an oddball for sure.
Interesting Mitch, I don't recall seeing WS knives being made in Japan on sale here, but would probably make more sense for your market. Maybe 1970's?
LOL!Aye, a status symbol for sure. You're right about the action wearing out quickly, the one I have is not springy either. I like their looks though. There's something I don't quite get about them though. Exotic fruit becomes a status symbol after it is brought back from various exploration voyages. All fine. Soon afterwards you start getting these folding fruit knives. But why exactly? Table cutlery sets already had fruit knives. That means you'd have to carry it around in case Jackfruit the Riper jumps you in an alley when you're leaving the fruit market?
Nice examples of stainless fruit knives, I haven't seen any before.
In the days when exotic food was first appearing in England, even the most regal guests were still expected to provide their own table cutlery, which they carried in a trousse worn at the waist, and itself a symbol of wealth, with Royalty making sure to have them included in portraits. The folding fruit knife comes later however, after the invention of spring knives, and is more likely to have been used at banquets, rather than picnics. Banquets supplied cutlery, but it was carbon steel, which might upset a posh lady's palate! 
I use one regularly!That is an interesting point. If a folding knife, generally speaking, is for use when not at home...perhaps for picnics?
Carrying a folding button hook makes sense, if you need to attend to your old-timey shoes and gloves.
Great pic Rachel 
That's in beautiful condition
You get all sorts of odd things on pocket knife covers!
Very common on Sportsman's Knives, and even smaller knives
I found it in the kitchen utensil drawer! As I mentioned, we found this grapefruit knife somewhere, maybe in the dirt on our property?. My parents kept it, then it came to me after they passed away. Obviously an inexpensive knife, you can see there is only a little piece of paint remaining on the handle. There is a brad sticking out of the back of the handle, I'm assuming it's to secure the blade and that it is original, not a repair. I found similar examples online, but they all had riveted construction, not pinned like this one. I had never looked closely before, but there is a very faint etch on the blade:
That's pretty cool! I didn't know opinel had an oyster knife. I'll have to check into that. Oysters are a favorite of mine, they are expensive though. Luckily my brother inlaw does catering & can get them at a discount. Something like this would be interesting to have.With Valentine's Day in sight devotees of Aphrodite & Venus might be seeking extra prowess with various aphrodisiacs , well-known are Oysters a tasty but costly option. Ever resourceful, Opinel has a number of fairly odd knives in their arsenal and the Oyster Knife is one of them. Probably fully legal even in a place like Britain, it is totally blunt and has no sharp point.....
Will Power
brought up oyster knives here's one I made a while back in machine shop when I was in highschool. I believe it fits this thread, it was made by an "oddball" at least 
Cool!Since
If it's not allowed I'll delete.
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When I had my Jack Black Knives thing going back in the 90's, I was going to do an Oyster Knife 
) I put splitrings on some of my belt loops.
Nice Grapefruit knife!! You reminded me that I have one also!!I found it in the kitchen utensil drawer! As I mentioned, we found this grapefruit knife somewhere, maybe in the dirt on our property?. My parents kept it, then it came to me after they passed away. Obviously an inexpensive knife, you can see there is only a little piece of paint remaining on the handle. There is a brad sticking out of the back of the handle, I'm assuming it's to secure the blade and that it is original, not a repair. I found similar examples online, but they all had riveted construction, not pinned like this one. I had never looked closely before, but there is a very faint etch on the blade:
Geneva Forge
Stainless Steel
Tested and Approved by
Good housekeeping institute
Made in U.S.A.
