Regional Pocket Knives Collection
History often narrates about the dire poverty conditions that Italian migrants faced, as they embarked on the trip across the ocean in pursuit of the American Dream...
Very often, what was carried in a single suitcase, represented a lifetime of possessions; rarely anything was left behind in the motherland... after selling most belongings, households were left to the grandparents who could not make the trip... they stayed behind waiting, in hope to see their offsprings return, one day... not rich, just wealthy enough to care for a family.
There was a commonality amongst migrants from different regions of Italy; they were for the greatest part, people that used to work with their hands. Farmers, carpenters, builders that used to carry daily the same essential items in their pants' pockets: matches, twine and a favorite pocket knife.
The Berti family in Scarperia has for decades produced numerous regional switch blades to celebrate and commemorate our country's exodus. Their collection is close to a hundred blades, these days produced on demand, and what you see here is a little sample of their work which I collected personally over the past couple of decades... every summer I came back to visit my family in Fiesole, I took the time to go visit their factory, and every time I did so, I purchased a new blade and brought it back to the US. While living in Brooklyn these knives lived in my library, surrounded by my cookbooks, and needless to say they were never put to work. Now that I am home, I have started to carry one in my pocket at all times... only one, my favorite, that's all I'll ever need.
It is time for these beauties to find a new owner and a great room where to be displayed!
Because of European regulations, pocket knives cannot be longer than 7 centimeters and are void of a locking system for the blade. However the incredibly solid craftsmanship and a hard spring mechanism ensure top notch functionality for all of them.
Included in the shipment:
A booklet with all information and historical notes about each blade.
Two exposition wood blocks with corks.
Item List (clockwise, picture #1):
- Neapolitan / ox horn
- Tuscan / ox wood (carved boar on blade)
- Lombardy / ox horn
- Fiorentino / ox horn
- Fiorentino / olive wood
- Calabrese / ox horn
- Abruzzese / olive wood
- Roman / ox horn
- Sicilian / ox horn
- Tuscan / ebony wood
- SHIPPING. Each purchase will be shipped via DHL. We have arranged fixed prices per each continent for shipping and handling regardless of your zip code.
- UK EXCLUSION. As of Summer 2022 new import regulations forbid, knives, blades and sharp objects to be shipped to the UK. We are very sorry about that!
- CUSTOM TAX DUTIES. Purchases from the EU are subject to taxation when imported into U.S. territory. This charge will occur at time of delivery (or immediately prior) and is not included in the sale price. Taxation is obviously proportional to purchase value, you can use online tools to calculate duty fees online. Several resources are available such as SimplyDuty.
