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19thC. FRENCH EXPORT KNIFE.
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19thC. SOUTH AMERICAN FRENCH EXPORT KNIFE. #7319 #7319

A mid 19th century French dirk made for export. The hilt moulded of celluloid (slight crack at the bottom) with a devils face and scrolling leaves, the spear-point double edged 5 inch blade with a central ridge and, with the tang, forged from one piece of metal, the sheath (with a crack along either side) also of moulded celluloid and decorated on one side en-suite with the hilt. Overall 9½ inches.

Made for the South American market in France from the newly discovered product called celluloid as it resembled ivory and was obviously cheaper to manufacture, #7319

 Generally regarded to be the first thermoplastic, it was first created as Parkesine in 1856 and as Xylonite in 1869 before being registered as Celluloid in 1870. Celluloid is easily molded and shaped, and it was first widely used as an ivory replacement

The first man-made plastic was an invention of English scientist Alexander Parkes. He unveiled Parkesine at the 1862 London International Exhibition. Parkesine, an organic material that could be heated and molded but would retain its shape when cooled, was made by dissolving cellulose nitrate in just a bit of solvent. Unlike rubber (or Vulcanite), it could be coloured or transparent and could be carved into any shape. In 1866, four years after the exhibition, Parkes formed the Parkesine Company; it failed after only two years due to high production costs (even though Parkes had claimed it was cheaper than rubber).

 

logo of Xylonite Ltd.

 

$364.00

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