North America, Western United States, ca. early 19th century CE. This is an unusual collection of iron and brass utensils within a handy custom leather sheath. The kit includes a double pronged fork, a knife, and a sewing awl - all with iron blades or tips, and a handle made of brass and bovine bone or wood and nickel-silver. The pocketknife has an iron fixed blade with a "S" stamped within a square above the heel, an inlaid wood handle and thistle shaped nickel-silver inlay on top. The fork has lengthy iron tines, a brass neck with a cutout heart shape, and the handle is covered with brass caps and a bone panel riveted on top of the tang. The awl has the same handle construction as the fork, with a thick iron needle and perforation near the tip. The leather sheath is made with 3 separate pockets to contain each utensil, with a leather cord for suspension, to carry this hand kit on a belt. Size (pronged fork): 7.8" L x 0.5" W (19.8 cm x 1.3 cm); (all in sheath): 8.75" L x 2.5" W (22.2 cm x 6.4 cm)

These three tools were invaluable to a frontier settler with limited possessions and resources. Knives were arguably the most important: for example, a knife could skin meat, cut branches for a fire, stir and stab the cooking meat, and then used like a fork to eat, and after pick the gristle out one's teeth - multipurpose, lightweight, and durable.

Provenance: private Glorieta, New Mexico, USA collection

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#168738

Leather is dry and very stiff with cracking and losses around the opening lip and fraying to the cord. The knife has chips and losses to the wooden handle. Loss to brass on the awl handle. Heavy patina and toning throughout. Stable fissure on the fork bone handle.