Quill knives, quill cutters, and steel erasers
by
L. Michael Fultz
Recently, I bought a knife on that other auction site. During the exchange
of communications, the seller wrote: “you might like this little item.' When I
looked, he had described it as a “QUILL KNIFE!!!! and; Today we have yet
another fine item up for auction. A very nice Quill or eraser knife made by I -
XL George Wostenholm, Sheffield England. Blade is in fine condition, very well
marked. Looks like Rosewood handle. Can't have a real Victorian desk with
out all the goodies to go with it. Look great in your library, on your rolltop,
flat top desk, or with your inkwell collection.”
I wrote him “Thanks for the tip. Sadly, the seller apparently wouldn't (and
doesn't) know a steel eraser (which this is) from a quill knife (which it
isn't). The starting bid would be okay for a quill knife but is about 4 times
what he should expect to get for his steel eraser.” He responded: “Sadly the
seller is me! & your right, I don't know, but I'm always willing to learn. Show
me, please, & perhaps I can serve your needs better in the future.” I realized
that I needed to be a little more tactful but also to educate him. So, this
is for him (and you, if you care).
To explain these items, we must return to a period when the typical pen was a
‘quill’ -- that is, a large flight feather from a goose, turkey, swan, or
other bird, which is carefully defleshed, shaped, trimmed, split, and hardened
for use as a pen. Making a quill pen was/is not a trivial project and takes
some finesse. Special knives or other tools were used in the making of quills.
For more information about quills and quill making, see The Story of Writing
by Donald Jackson.
Modern ink is dye or stain, but writing of the early period was done with
inks containing carbon as a pigment and on animal skins (such as vellum or
parchment) or on paper made entirely from rags. Carbon ink did not penetrate these
writing surfaces but dried on the surface, sort of like paint. This explains
the tools knows as steel erasers or ink scrapers, which were used for scraping
mistakes from the writing surface. Many also have a wooden, bone, or ivory
handle which doubles as a burnisher to flatten and smooth the writing surface
so it can be easily reused. Many of these steel erasers also combine a utility
knife/letter opener blade. These knife blades are not useful for making
quills since they are typically too wide to carve the curved underside of a quill.
Steel erasers are usually valued in the $5 to $50 range, though really fancy
examples can be more. Age, maker and handle material are the chief factors
which affect the price.
Steel erasers should not be confused with quill knives, which are folding or
fixed blade knives with very fine (and almost always straight) blade used to
clean, shape, and split a quill to produce a pen. These small knives can be
quite fancy since they seem to have been a prime gift item in the 18th and 19th
centuries. The blade is almost always fine and somewhat flexible, enabling
the user to cut the curved lower surface of the quill. Handles are typically
bone, pearl, tortoise, or silver. These small knives were made by the finest
cutlers in Sheffield England and also by American cutlers such as Miller
Brothers and Union. Sometimes they are found marked with the name of a larger
stationer/outfitter such as Mappin & Webb in England. Quill knives are usually
valued in the $20 to $100 range, though really fancy examples can be more. Age,
maker and handle material are the chief factors which affect the price.
The final item in this lexicon is the quill cutter or quill maker. This is a
small machine containing a special knife blade. It automatically shapes and
cuts the quill. It also contains another blade for splitting the quill.
Since these machines required considerable skill and labor to manufacture, they
are scarce and often pricey. Most examples date from the second half of the
19th century. Again, they were often sold and are marked with the name of a
larger stationer/outfitter such as Mappin & Webb in England. Quill cutters are
usually valued in the $75 to $500 range, though really fancy examples can be
more. Age, maker and handle material are the chief factors which affect the
price.
©Penbid.com, Inc., 2004
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