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Yesterday I purchased ($45) an antique knife with the blade marked "cassenoix" ("nutcracker" in French) and "Dubost" with an image of a nutcracker.
The handles are of metal -- possibly a lower grade (.800) of silver, but this is not certain. The handles are embossed with ornate designs of gryphins,
and the entire knife is in excellent condition and very attractive. No corrosion, no blade play.... it's in remarkable condition.
I was told that this knife was specifically designed to be used by a wine steward, but I don't know whether this is true, or whether it was
made just as an ornamental pocket-knife. (Before somebody jumps in and says "it would have a corkscrew" I will mention that the person
who told me this also said that it was considered gauche to have both tools combined, and more refined to have each one by itself.)
The knife doesn't appear to have been intended for export, as the markings are only in French and the country of origin is not indicated.
The Jean Dubost cutlery company site doesn't seem to have a clear link for contact; I had to do a separate search to find this.
Then I had to fill out a long form that demanded what seemed like an excessive amount of information. Then when I hit the button,
the page reverted to the blank form. Did my message go through? Don't know. Was it blocked because I didn't fill out something
the way they wanted? Don't know. If so, which field (or fields) was not to their liking? Don't know. Being French, they apparently
consider making their site user-friendly --or, indeed, demonstrating the slightest bit of consideration whatsoever-- to be beneath them.
Any information would be very much appreciated!
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Dubost Gryphin knife
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Dubost Gryphin knife
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Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
That's a classy looking knife. A good size.
Interesting that most of the scratches are toward the tip, but the wear seems to be towards the back.
Interesting that most of the scratches are toward the tip, but the wear seems to be towards the back.
Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
Very interesting post--thanks for sharing!
Cragar
Cragar
Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
Where's the button?
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Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
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Sorry for any confusion..... it's a manual folder -- not automatic.
Otherwise, I would have posted in the "Switchblade knives" category.
Thanks for the kind comments..... I seldom buy antique manual folders,
but this was so nice that I couldn't pass it up.
LD57 ~ Possibly the blade wear might support the wine-steward theory.
When they use a small knife to cut the foil around the cork, they tend to
use the very base of the blade, just above the ricasso.
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Sorry for any confusion..... it's a manual folder -- not automatic.
Otherwise, I would have posted in the "Switchblade knives" category.
Thanks for the kind comments..... I seldom buy antique manual folders,
but this was so nice that I couldn't pass it up.
LD57 ~ Possibly the blade wear might support the wine-steward theory.
When they use a small knife to cut the foil around the cork, they tend to
use the very base of the blade, just above the ricasso.
.
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- Posts: 632
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2019 2:08 pm
Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
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Okay, I take back at least some of the snarky remarks about the French....
I just got an email from the Jean Dubost company, so the message DID go through!
They requested photos, which I have sent. Stay tuned for developments......
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Okay, I take back at least some of the snarky remarks about the French....
I just got an email from the Jean Dubost company, so the message DID go through!
They requested photos, which I have sent. Stay tuned for developments......
.
Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
This is all very interesting, button_man. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to the update.
Jim
Jim
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Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
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UPDATE: The Jean Dubost company folks say that they did not produce this knife. They feel that it dates to the 1930s and was not intended as a working tool for a wine steward; but rather as an accessory for a well-dressed gentleman, because it was made very thin so as not to cause any unsightly breaks in the lines of dress-trousers. (The elegant handle motif also supports this theory.) They believe that it may have been made in the town of Thiers, and have suggested that I contact the cutlery museum there: musee-coutellerie@thiers.fr
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UPDATE: The Jean Dubost company folks say that they did not produce this knife. They feel that it dates to the 1930s and was not intended as a working tool for a wine steward; but rather as an accessory for a well-dressed gentleman, because it was made very thin so as not to cause any unsightly breaks in the lines of dress-trousers. (The elegant handle motif also supports this theory.) They believe that it may have been made in the town of Thiers, and have suggested that I contact the cutlery museum there: musee-coutellerie@thiers.fr
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Re: Dubost Gryphin knife
...and the plot thickens...
This is quite interesting
Jim
This is quite interesting
Jim