^Lot 779 Huge vintage 'Cotton Samplers" Lock-Blade Knife

A huge vintage lock blade cotton sampler knife. Historic tool designed for cotton buyers, featuring a distinct, sturdy blade, 5 3/4" shaped like a scalpel with a thick spine, used for inspecting cotton bolls or sampling bales. Overall length is 13 1/2". Stag grip panels riveted to frame. The blade is stamped but we can't make it out. The blade displays some patches of light patina, shows evidence of light sharpening, but old, period done. The stag grips are good overall with a small chip and crack at the top of both panels. The blade is solid when extended. We estimate this cotton sampler knife, originating in the 19th-century American South, dates from the late 18th to the early 19th century.