Early Non-Issue Combination Utensil

[hftiii]

Hello everyone,

Sorry for this side-tracked posting (as it relates to the focus of this forum) but just wanted to show a cool item that I picked up this weekend. I went to a local estate sale and found a curious combination fork/spoon utensil set (or at least part of one). When I first spotted it I thought it had a military look to it but could find no obvious markings. My initial guess was that it was a piece of early twentieth century camping equipment. I wasn't too interested because it appeared that one side of the wooden handle had broken off so I passed on purchasing it. When I got home I googled nineteenth-century combination utensils and found that what I had seen was a Civil War-era piece, or at least one half of a utensil. I hurried back to the sale and it was still there so I was able to snag it.

A little further research indicates that it is a combination utensil set that was manufactured by the Union Knife Company in Naugatuck, Connecticut Between 1861-1865. The company, best known for pocket knives, was in business from 1851-1885 (until the factory was destroyed by a fire). The base of the fork is marked “ARMY KNIFE/UNION.” This type of utensil was apparently very popular among troops, almost novelty-like in its appeal but still practical. I believe that it was a private purchased, though not not sure if this type was ever government issued. It seems as though it was a type that was produced by several companies (even though just one company held the patent in 1861 for the type shown). One publication (Francis Lord's, Civil War Collector's Encyclopedia 1977) lists different companies with government contracts for various types of combination utensils (including the type discussed here) but not Union knife.

I have included photos of my find (which is just the fork/spoon) and an example of what a complete versions looks like. In terms of cleaning, I've left mine alone, except for a little oil and fine steel wool to make the marking somewhat visible. I am by no means an expert or collector of Civil War militaria, so if anyone has comments of information, I would appreciate it. Thanks for looking.

Tom

[rbminis]

Hello Tom,
These are referred to as hobo knives by the knife collecting community.
Some of these are quite old now, but they can actually still be purchased new today.
This example is made by Camillus Cutlery Co., so, could have been considered a private purchase item although I am not sure if it is quite that old.
It has horn grips and what I believe is one of the previous owner's name engraved onto the knife blade, George Hartman.
Ralph.

[hftiii]

Thanks for the information. This is a very neat and practical utensil. When I first saw my example I thought it was an early 20th c. civilian camping-related combination set. As a kid, I had something similar when I would go to summer camp and with family camping.

Tom