Age and origins of the toothpick.

J

jackknife

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Oct 2, 2004
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Off hand, does anyone know about the era the toothpick came to be?

I've heard it called the powder horn, tickler, toothpick. But I don't know if it goes back before the 20th century.

Carl.
 
Carl the way I have come to understand it is the Navaja was the inspiration for the Laguiole and the Laguiole was the inspiration for the toothpick.

Pete
 
Hey Carl,
I don't know for sure but since It's called Texas toothpick and Texas is close to a former Spanish colony... Besides the look of the pattern resemble a lot the traditional knives of my country in blade and handle shape.
Mateo
 
Thought I would throw some pictures up

Spanish Navaja
6E56C4C9-5922-403A-8812-CE7F9831630E-1554-000001C4223AEEE3.jpg


Tha French Laguiole pretend there is no peanut
b2ec062e.jpg


A variation of the Toothpick the fishing knife
c8796e8a.jpg


You can see the family resemblance.
 
Oh, I've long had the suspicion that it is of Spanish or French origin, but I guess what I want to know, from an author standpoint, would a cowboy in 1870's southern Colorado have a toothpick type of knife? Or was it a product of the deep south in the late 1800's. I know that it was a popular pattern in the south and rural areas in the 1920's and 30's. There's a ton of lure about the toothpick pattern being the choice of cross roads tavern tuffs as a rural fighting knife. There's the old matchstick trick where you wedge it into the blade slot to make the blade ride a bit high, so's easier to grab in a pinch grip to open fast. But I'm speculating on how far back this goes? There had to be in interlude between the fall from popularity of the Bowie and Arkansas toothpick after the Colt revolver came out, and the folding knives of the 1870's to 1900's.

Carl.
 
The only info I could find on Case toothpicks is rather vague it states it was produced sometime prior to 1915?
 
jackknife said:
what I want to know, from an author standpoint, would a cowboy in 1870's southern Colorado have a toothpick type of knife?
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The tickler is the American clasp knife pattern that looks most like the southern European clasp knife or navaja. It is a slender serpentine jack knife with a pointed "head" or non-blade end.... Ticklers have several picturesque names. Many collectors, especially Case collectors, call them "Texas toothpicks."... The American-made tickler seems to have been introduced in the 1890s. The high cutlery duties imposed by the Tariff Acts of 1890 and 1897 raised the price of foreign knives, including clasp knives, and made it possible for American firms to compete with the imports. The fish knife version of the tickler seems to date from the 1920s.
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Levine's Guide to Knives, 4th Ed.
 
That knife in post #8 is beautiful. It isn't even my style of knife, but dang it's nice.
 
The knife in post number 8 ain't my style of knife either, but it could become one!:thumbup:

A blend of rustic simplicity and beautiful lines. I could get very used to that.

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
The knife in post number 8 ain't my style of knife either, but it could become one!:thumbup:

A blend of rustic simplicity and beautiful lines. I could get very used to that.

Carl.
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Be careful grand high muckba
That thing is like 4 or five peanuts long :D

Mateo
 
lutejones said:
Be careful grand high muckba
That thing is like 4 or five peanuts long :D

Mateo
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Maybe so, but for some reason it does push some button in my soul like a sultry siren calling me. I've always been a sucker for gorgeous stag and curvy graceful lines. Good thing that knife is half a world away, it's a temptress. But you're right, as Grand High Muckba I must have strength! I must turn away for the good of the cult.
:D

Carl.
 
jackknife said:
Maybe so, but for some reason it does push some button in my soul like a sultry siren calling me. I've always been a sucker for gorgeous stag and curvy graceful lines. Good thing that knife is half a world away, it's a temptress. But you're right, as Grand High Muckba I must have strength! I must turn away for the good of the cult.
:D

Carl.
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lol and what would you do if someone sent something like that to you?
would it cause a crisis in faith?? :D
 
Rsmith_77 said:
lol and what would you do if someone sent something like that to you?
would it cause a crisis in faith?? :D
Click to expand...

I couldn't accept it. It would put too much temptation in my way, and I don't know if I'd have the cajones to resist. I know I have a weakness for old school European cutlery like navaja's. Since I don't have any dessert to roam around in for forty years, I guess I'd just have to roam around eastern Maryland's salt marshes while beating myself with a willow switch. :D

Carl, shaky grand high muckba of the cult.
 
As far as an author standpoint, maybe said cowboy acquired the knife while blowing all his cattle drive earnings on a wild time in New Orleans?
 
I too have been interested in the history of this style of knife.I was told years ago that this style was popular with sailors and dock workers of old.This particular knife can be opened with a flick of the wrist so is essentially a one hander.It is without a doubt the most beautiful knife i own...Thanks for the comments ,and as its Sunday i thought id post another pic to test Carls faith.....FES

frenchyold012.jpg


frenchyold002.jpg
 
jackknife said:
Off hand, does anyone know about the era the toothpick came to be?

I've heard it called the powder horn, tickler, toothpick. But I don't know if it goes back before the 20th century.

Carl.
Click to expand...
I recently felt a strange pull towards the small Texas Toothpick that Case makes and picked one up. Not sure what it is about this little knife but I really like it! It reminds me of a mini folding Rapala fillet knife. I've had a few Peanuts and the Buck 309, but there is something special about this little knife. I've been interested in it's history as well and still haven't found lot of info about the pattern. Going to give it a solid go as an everyday pocket knife. I'll pair it with a pico widgy bar and see how that combo fares.
 
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Gurdygurds said:
I recently felt a strange pull towards the small Texas Toothpick that Case makes and picked one up. Not sure what it is about this little knife but I really like it! It reminds me of a mini folding Rapala fillet knife. I've had a few Peanuts and the Buck 309, but there is something special about this little knife. I've been interested in it's history as well and still haven't found lot of info about the pattern. Going to give it a solid go as an everyday pocket knife. I'll pair it with a pico widgy bar and see how that combo fares.
Click to expand...
To muddy the waters a little on this issue, here is a catalog entry from 1919 I recently stumbled upon:
 
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