Fabulous Old Carved Swordfish Letter Opener with Blade vase with animals A bit too short to

A bit too short to be a pencil box (for unsharpened pencils at least)

Colored pencil and pastel on paper

surely endless hours of fun

and were kept inside the house to provide protective spirits for the home

I just love the semi-secret bottom drawer that pulls out from one side

Fabulous Old Carved Swordfish Letter Opener with Blade vase with animals A bit too short toI'm completely charmed by this one, which was quite finely done, and is a very useful one too, with the long thin sword perfect for slipping through the top of a sealed envelope, and the blade inside of its mouth cutting the paper as it goes. Great in the hand and really quite a satisfying thing, with lots of years on it and a great patina. 9 3 8" long and in very good condition.