Rare - original Revolutionary War razor or patch knife, as in museum (ON HOLD,MW)

This is another nice piece being offered, it is a Revolutionary War razor/patch knife. It has a wooden handle and measures approximately 7 ½” when fully opened, with a wide 3-inch-long hand wrought iron blade.

These wide bladed folding razors frequently did double duty both as a shaving razor and as a patch knife for the trimming of the linen rifle ball patch when loading their flintlock rifle, musket, or pistol. There have been reported instances where these razors show up in a medical or surgical kit, as they served the surgeon as well, as a scalpel.

In the “Collectors Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution”, by Neumann and Kravic, there is an example of this razor (see pictures). Also, in the Valley Forge Revolutionary War Museum Collection in Valley Forge, PA, there is another example of this razor (see pictures). This is a rare surviving example of a necessary personal item used in the Revolutionary War.