Thomas Jefferson's Knife

It's amazing that long before there was a nation of Switzerland, mankind in his infinite inventiveness created a knife/multitool as far back as the Romans. The Swiss just modernized the concept. I guess good ideas never die.

Carl.
 
rockgolfer said:
That notebook is very nice. Did our pockets get smaller over the centuries? Or did they not leave home without a rucksack of some sort? Big knife, big notebook, thermometer, drafting tools. Thanks for opening a new can of worms for me to go hunting, it never ends.
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More men carried Murses back then.
 
Thank you for sharing the photos!

Stelth said:
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If any of you have photos of historic knives, feel free to post them here. I'll change the name of the thread if we get some.
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Here's a link to a post showing Abe Lincoln's knife.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/631857-The-Lincoln-knife

longbeachguy said:
Here's some pics for you:

tlc0070.jpg


item-10.jpg


My understanding about this knife is that it is a five blade congress, and it is housed in the Smithsonian.
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Foilist said:
As a Latin teacher, I've always gotten a kick out of this Roman multitool from nearly two thousand years ago:

http://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/opac/search/cataloguedetail.html?&priref=70534
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jackknife said:
It's amazing that long before there was a nation of Switzerland, mankind in his infinite inventiveness created a knife/multitool as far back as the Romans. The Swiss just modernized the concept. I guess good ideas never die.

Carl.
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Carl, I do agree with your point... but FYI... I doubt the accuracy of the Roman tool knife / multi-tool / hobo knife stories that are floating around the net. BRL commented on the stories a while back:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...s-beaten-by-1-800-years?p=7804464#post7804464


bernard_levine said:
I would really like to know how the museum dated this thing to Roman times.

Maybe it was listed under "Romany" on ebay? Or "Rum"?

Several of the commentors to the Guardian story mentioned the eating fork as a clue the thing is relatively recent.

They were talking about post 7th century, which made me chuckle.

Post 17th is more like it.

I wonder if they noticed that little stamp that says MADE IN OCCUPIED ILLYRIA.

BRL...
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Here's an oldie... ;)
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/09/02-05.html

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Hand axes have sometimes been called the Swiss Army knives of the Stone Age world. They vary in shape and size, but most are at least roughly symmetrical, with one pointed and one rounded edge. Hand axes were very handy for butchering animals and cutting the stalks of tough plants.
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The hand ax... invented at least 1.5 million years ago in Africa, had not been sighted in Europe earlier than about 500,000 years ago. But new dating of two sites in Spain indicates that the earliest hand axes on the continent are nearly twice that old...From the position of the artifacts in the sediment layers, they are at least 900,000 years old, the researchers report... in Nature.
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Has anyone seen a reproduction of the Jefferson knife? I know a modern SAK could get close, but there's something incredibly cool about the idea of a copy of that piece.
 
Thanks for sharing I always like seeing historic items! That knife looks usefull for it's day though to my eyes homely!
 
There is a reproduction of George Washington's pen knife. Camillus had done one back in its time. I don't know who did the current repro. (AGR carries it.)
 
I'd like to know the manufacturer of Lincoln's pocket-knife. Somebody must've photographed it with the blades open, this one might well be a Sheffield by the look of it.

Thanks, Will
 
willgoy said:
I'd like to know the manufacturer of Lincoln's pocket-knife. Somebody must've photographed it with the blades open, this one might well be a Sheffield by the look of it.

Thanks, Will
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I think you're right, Will.

bernard_levine said:
6-blade ivory-handled congress marked WILLIAM GILCHRIST'S CELEBRATED RAZOR STEEL.

It and Lincoln's other personal effects (as shown in the photos) are in the Library of Congress. I've seen it there, and there is a book about L of C treasures that includes those photos.

It's always fascinating how details shift and transform in memory and retelling.
Like the game of telephone in Kindergarten.

BRL...
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Is that a button hook? IIRC eighteenth century button hooks were used with military uniforms and leather gators.

Perhaps it's an early version of the Victorinox parcel hook. :D
 
Raymond1000 said:
Is that a button hook? IIRC eighteenth century button hooks were used with military uniforms and leather gators.

Perhaps it's an early version of the Victorinox parcel hook. :D
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I wondered about the hook when I saw it in person. A button hook makes sense to me...maybe Esav knows for sure.
 
If you search the Library of Congress website for knife, you'll come up with some additional photos.

Here's one of 'The Manassa Mauler' (Jack Dempsey) whittlin'

s067011.jpg
 
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