Pen Knife
Pen Knife
A Short History of the Swiss Army Knife
The story begins in 1891 with Karl Elsener, owner of a company that made surgical equipment. He founded the Association of Swiss Master Cutlers, to supply pocket knives to the Swiss army, who at this time were using German-made ones. It took Elsener five years to come up with what he called the "Soldier's knife" (known today in Switzerland as the "Offiziersmesser"). With suggestions from an engineer friend, Jeannine Keller, the original model had a wooden handle, and came with a blade, screwdriver, can opener, and a punch. It was actually made available to the army before 1896, but Elsener was not happy with the device, and eventually was able to put blades on both sides by using a special mechanism using a single spring for both blades. This allowed him to also add a corkscrew.
Elsener's company, Victorinox, was the single supplier of multi-function pocketknives until 1893. A company in the French-speaking area of Switzerland called Paul Boechat & Cie began to market a similar product. The company was later bought by its general manager, Theodore Wenger, and the company name changed to Wenger. By 1908, the Swiss government decided to split the contract for knives between the two companies, partly to appease German and French-speaking factions in the country, and partly to stimulate competition (and lower the prices of the knives). The two companies came to an agreement over marketing, with Victorinox using the phrase "The Original Swiss Army Knife" and Wenger using "The Genuine Swiss Army Knife". The following year (1909), the Swiss army began decorating the knives with the Swiss national symbol (a white cross). Victorinox uses a shield with bilateral symmetry around the cross, while Wenger uses a slightly rounded square with quadrilateral symmetry. The Swiss army uses knives with a simpler bilaterally-symmetric shield.
Victorinox switched to stainless steel blades and tools in 1921. It is believed Wenger did so as well around the same time, but company sources are inconclusive about the exact date. The knives were sold in PX stores on US army bases from 1945 to 1949. In fact it is believed that the term "Swiss Army Knife" was coined in English by American G.I.s during World War II, because they couldn't pronounce the Swiss name "Offiziersmesser".
Today, Swiss army knives contain a multitude of tools, including: several blades, a bottle-opener/screwdriver/wire stripper, can opener/small screwdriver, tweezers, toothpick, corkscrew, phillips-head screwdriver, nail file, scissors, saw, hook, magnifying glass, ballpoint pen, fish scaler, pliers, keychain, USB flash memory, digital clock, digital altimeter, LED light, laser pointer mp3 player, and a brass spacer in the official army model, which allows assembly of the SIG 550 and SIG 510 assault rifles (with the screwdriver and reamer extended, the knife becomes a restraint to the firing pin during the lock assembly). Wenger has a special model which contains all the tools they make. The device is nearly twice as wide as it is long, and retails for around $1,200.
The knives are also available in many other colors besides the traditional red. Black, blue, white, pink, camouflage, phosphorescent yellow and many others, in both opaque or transparent. Also metal and wood cladding. The model actually used by the Swiss army is in fact aluminum, and not red at all.
On April 26, 2005, Victorinox acquired the Wenger company, becoming again the single supplier of knives to the Swiss army. The company intends to keep the Wenger brand alive for knives sold to consumers.
The Knife - Like a Pen
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 VINTAGE SOUVENIR CHATEAU FRONTENAC CANADA PEN KNIFE US $10.00
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 Wilkinson Sword Sheffield England Stainless Steel Folding Pocket Pen Knife US $10.50
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 NIB SWISS ARMY PEN AND KNIFE SET US $24.99
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 Pre 1900 Vintage EMPIRE BLACKINTON Sterling Silver folding fob pocket pen knife US $22.72
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 Vintage Unique Figural Advertising Folding Pocket Pen Knife US $9.50
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 Vintage New York City Souvenir Folding Pocket Pen Knife Germany US $14.60
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 Miniature Mini Tiny Intercast Brass Folding Pocket Pen Fob Charm Knife US $1.79
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 Frost Cutlery Spiderman Souvenir Advertising Folding Pocket Pen Knife US $10.52
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 Vintage Richards Sheffield England Figural Key 1954 Farthing Pocket Pen Knife US $21.50
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 old Vintage PEARL J Nowill Sons Lobster Pen England pocket knife Multi Tool US $22.50
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 BUCK KNIFE 305 USA VINTAGE 70S RARE FIND TWO BLADE PEN KNIFE US $14.99
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 CASE KNIFE 278 PEN KNIFE NO DOTS ANNIVERSARY KNIFE 1905 1980 JUBILEE US $10.00
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 Used VINTAGE CASE XX 9261 Pocket Knife lot 2 Pen Knives 1940 1964 Same models US $27.80
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 SMALL UTILITY PEN KNIFE US $.99
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 CASE XX USA 1970 06263 SSP EISENHOWER PEN KNIFE SUPER PRETTY BONE MINT US $43.00
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 Case M279 Metal Pen Knife Case XX USA 1964 1969 US $9.08
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 Antique Case Tested 6253 Senator Penknife Pocket Knife Rough Black Handles US $27.02
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 VINTAGE CASE PEN KNIFE WITH BOX AND BOX INSERT USA 3220 CHROME VANADIUM US $18.25
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 Bulldog 2000 pearl handle pen 2 blade pocket knife US $20.50
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 VINTAGE IMPERIAL USA MARK TWAIN BARLOW JACK KNIFE KNIVES POCKET CLASP PENKNIFE US $14.64
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 Case XX Knives 40 64 Pen Knife 62042 Rough Black US $19.99
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 Mr Peanut Folding Novelty Pocket Jack Pen Knife US $9.99
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 VINTAGE BUCK CREEK GERMAN BIG 4BL CONGRESS JACK KNIFE KNIVES POCKET PENKNIFE OLD US $41.86
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 VINTAGE 90 QUEEN QCCO CUTLERY CO CONGRESS JACK KNIFE KNIVES POCKET PENKNIFE OLD US $14.72
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 VINTAGE ARNEX GERMAN TOLEDO GENTS PEN KNIFE KNIVES POCKET MANICURE OLD PENKNIFE US $21.62
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 Old CATTARAUGUS Cutlery Co 22799 N Little Valley NY Equal End Pen Knife w File US $29.12
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 OLD NEW YORK KNIFE COMPANY HAMMMER BRAND EBONY PEN KNIFE 1856 1931 US $11.50
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 Antique Unger Brothers NARCISSUS Art Nouveau 925 Sterling Silver Pen Knife US $30.00
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 Very Nice Single Blade Locking Folding Knife Oliver F Winchester Pocket Pen US $9.50
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 Old Western USA Imitation Bone 242 Pen Knife knives US $4.99
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 Old Schrade Cut Co 1904 1946 Walden Imitation Pearl Pen Knife with File knives US $4.99
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 Early VINTAGE CASE XX 06263 Equal End Two Blade Pen Pocket Knife 1940 1964 US $25.49
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 USA RARE VINTAGE CATTARAUGUS 22833 PEARL PEN KNIFE US $10.50
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