A curiosity

[Sam Hotton]

Dear Mr. Vagrant,
Where I live in rural Maryland, one could go to any man and a great many women and ask "Do you have a pocket knife"? and the answer is would be "Yes". In fact they can likely show you their fathers and grandfathers and a number of worn out broken ones. Do you think that stilettos are or were popular enough in Italy that you could find one or more in every family? Do you think that we in America are the largest slice of the Maniago market? Do you think that the Italians ever thought of the stiletto switch seriously as a tool, or a self defense weapon to keep in the purse or beside the bed? Or perhaps it is just a commodity that sells, and provides employment and income and truly as rare in an Italian home as a Alfa Romeo motorcar is in an American garage?
Sam

[Vagrant]

All is a guess on my part. I would think most Italian knives for home/work use have always been non-auto. I doubt the [auto] Stiletto was ever considered a "tool". I believe they now have the same restrictions most of us do but, they probably are less annoyed by that. Major sales to the U.S. is a good guess especially now [and pre 60s]. In the 60s - 80s Europe would be likely. The Beltrames [and others] have done an amazing job of making these popular and available again. They are probably a little confused by our demands that the knives be made well enough that we can hand them down to our chidren since I doubt it was ever done there. They win either way; if they make a Stiletto that a man can use his entire life and then give it to his son we will by it, if they contiue to make only the current ones we wil buy them. Mr Arthus can correct me on any bad guesses but overall I'll bet I did pretty good. .