KRUGER AND DE WET POCKET KNIFE - CORKSCREW VARIATION WITH ORANJE VRIJST

THIS INTERESTING EARLY BOER PATRIOTIC POCKET KNIFE WITH A CORKSCREW IS A SCARCE VARIATION OF THE BRASS COLOURED ONES YOU NORMALLY COME ACROSS. NORMALLY HAVING TWO BLADES THIS EXAMPLE HAS THE VALUABLE ADDITION OF A CORKSCREW. THIS ONE ALSO IS IN THE VARIATION THAT READS ORANJE VRIJST INSTEAD OF THE MORE COMMON ORANJE FREIST.
 
On one side is the arms of the Second South African Republic. Underneath is impressed 'TRANSVAAL'. In the centre is the text 'Eendrach maakt Macht' which means Unity makes Strength. Beneath this is the text 'ORANGE VRIJST, with a version of the Orange Free State coat of arms. The other side bears an image of Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, with 'KRUGER' below it, and an image of Christiaan Rudolf de Wet with 'DE WET' below it. The knife has two blades, each being attached to opposite ends of the knife with a corkscrew in the middle.
 
IT IS UNCLEAR IF THE LONGER BLADE IS STAMPED BUT THE BLADE HAS SOME RUST AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO MAKE OUT ANYTHING. KNOWN MANUFACTURERS OF THE OLD KRUGER AND DE WET POCKET KNIVES WERE 'SALTO' OR FELIX OR PANDA.
 
These commemorative souvenir knives were all made in Germany well after the Boer War ended and were exported to South Africa.
 
KRUGER AND DE WET: Germany was sympathetic towards the Boers and the knife features two prominent Boers leaders, Stephanus 'Paul' Kruger and Christiaan de Wet. Kruger was born in 1825. Following the annexation of the Transvaal by Britain in 1877, he became the leader of the resistance movement. In December 1880 Kruger was elected President of the Transvaal. After the First South African War (1880-81) Kruger played an important role in the negotiations with the British. In October 1900 he left South Africa in a Dutch vessel and went into exile in Europe, living in Marseilles, the Netherlands and Switzerland, where he died in 1904. De Wet was born in the Boer republic of the Orange Free State in 1854. He served in the First South African War 1880-1881. He later fought in the Second South African War from 1899 and took an active role in the peace negotiations of 1902."
 
SIZE: CLOSED 9CM LONG OPEN 19CM LONG
 
CONDITION: CORKSCREW HAS BROKEN OFF. TIP OF LONG BLADE HAS BROKEN OFF. SOME RUST. LOTS OF NICKS TO BOTH BLADES. IMPRESSIONS OF KRUGER AND DE WET AND TEXT STILL READABLE.
 
PLEASE ALSO SEE MY OTHER ITEMS LISTED. I HAVE SOME INTERESTING ITEMS ON AUCTION THIS WEEK. THE URL UNDERNEATH AND PASTE INTO GOOGLE AND IT WILL TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO ALL MY LISTINGS THIS WEEK. NOTE ALL MY AUCTIONS END AT 22H30 SO IT IS ADVISABLE TO PUT IN AN AUTOMATIC BID (HIGHEST PRICE YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY) EARLY.
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