The photo shows a unique, vintage, key-shaped, ‘Lucky’ farthing pocket/ pen knife with a 1911 King’s Head farthing coin set into it. This novelty artifact was made by Richards, Sheffield England. There is a loop at the top where a keychain may be added. Knives were manufactured between 50’s -70’s with different coins used.
Dimensions: The knife measures approx. 75mm. closed 160mm opened.
This penknife came with British coins of various denominations embedded in the handle.
“Penknife” is a British term for a small folding knife. Today it is a common British term for a pocketknife, which can have single and multiple blades.
Originally, penknives were used for thinning and pointing “quills” to prepare them for use as dip pens and, later, for repairing or re-pointing the nib, (the sharpened point of a quill pen). A penknife might also be used to sharpen a pencil, prior to the invention of the pencil sharpener. In the mid-1800s, penknives were necessary to slice the uncut edges of newspapers and books.