Revolutionary War large Pocketknife with unique locking mechanism

Being offered is a rare, large- size Revolutionary War pocket knife. In the closed position it measures 7” x 1 ¼”, and when fully opened it measures 13” with a 1” wide blade.  The wooden blade has hand-carved designs, and it has the very unique locking mechanism. You pull on the attached ring and set it with the notches on the top of the blade.

The common soldier would not own a knife such as this; it would probably belong to an officer or some one well-to-do. It would have taken a very skilled and talented craftsman to produce it. Because of the size of this knife, it was intended to also be a fighting knife.  

Revolutionary War soldiers used pocket knives to slice salt pork, cheese, and bread on the go, as standard military rations did not come with issued cutlery.  The blades were used to whittle tent pegs, mend gear, carve eating utensils, and cut cord or leather. They could also scrape flint and generate sparks to light campfires. Colonies like New York and New Hampshire officially required their militiamen to carry a pocket knife as part of their necessary field equipment.

Revolutionary War pocket knives are on display in all the museums and also in “Collector’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the American Revolution” by Neumann & Kravic. This is the largest 18^th century knife I ever had and also the nicest. You just don’t see these early knives in this condition.

With the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding this year, interest in the Revolutionary War and its relics are significantly increasing. This renewed enthusiasm is driving the demand for virtually all Revolutionary War artifacts, further contributing to their scarcity and rising prices.