In today’s fast-paced internet-dependent world, the giant stack of snail mail that used to arrive in mailboxes every day has been whittled down to a few cards, letters and credit invitations. Still, there’s tremendous satisfaction to be had in opening mail with the quick, authoritative snap of a vintage letter opener.
Once de rigueur in every environment — from the palaces of royalty to the most mundane office setting — they are rarely used today. This affords us all an opportunity to buy them at greatly reduced rates. Shown here is a small collection of letter openers of various sizes and artistic movements — Victorian, art deco, art nouveau and arts and crafts.
Vintage Letter Knives
$25-$1,550 / VARIOUS PERIODS
FROM LEFT, STERLING GRAND BAROQUE;
BRONZE; 22K GOLD AND IVORY; GOTHIC-STYLE STEEL;
SILVER ARTS AND CRAFTS; ART NOUVEAU; STERLING
This is an archival article formerly written and is for informational purposes only. The valuations in this article have likely changed since it was first written.
