Superb antique English hallmarked sterling silver & genuine ivory 10 1/8" letter opener, actually a document or text "page turner" with highly ornate floral patterned bas relief handle! The handle bears English sterling silver hallmarks, the London date letter is for 1899 and the silversmith appears to be George Day. One of several of these large document or text page turners, mostly sterling silver with either tortoise shell or ivory blades, so I thought I'd add a little bit of history on and the actual purpose of them.
These are often referred to as letter openers but in all actuality, they are page turners. You see, the oils on fingers & hands can have a bad effect on old tests or manuscripts and so these were employed to turn the pages without leaving any soiling, residues or oils that could eventually harm the leaves. Human skin contains natural oils, acids, and salts that, over time, can cause irreversible damage to fragile paper, vellum, and parchment. This includes staining, embrittlement, and providing a medium for mold and bacteria to grow. I'll also mention that this is why conservators and archivists today still use clean, gloved hands or tools when handling such materials.
A letter opener or "paper knife" was often designed with a slightly sharper, tapered edge to slit open the sealed folds of letters or the uncut pages of newly bound books. A page turner, by contrast, had a broader, blunter, and smoother blade, optimized for sliding under and lifting a page without tearing or creasing it.
Very good to excellent condition! I see no chips, cracks or damage to the blade and no dents, dimples, damage or repairs to the sterling silver handle. See images for all measurements.
IMPORTANT NOTE regarding antique tortoise shell or ivory: We are great supporters of protection for endangered species in our modern world. We never buy or sell anything 100 years or newer; we donate to anti-poaching organizations; we don't hunt; we conserve in ways that impact global warming (we're totally solar at home), knowing those measures also protect the animals in the wild today. We also recognize the vast cultural history we preserve with our care and reverence for these antique objects, and agree with CITES that objects over 100 years of age have nothing whatsoever to do with species depletion in our current world.
Our offering exceeds the age limitation of "more than 100 years of age", and is well within the exemption for CITES regulation. If imported, met the CITES regulation. This item will be handled and shipped from our Utah business, and is not available for shipment internationally, nor within the USA to California, NY, Nevada, Hawaii, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington if it contains ivory, sorry. Please see our small print for more details.
