Antique Turned and Carved Dip Pen with Hand-Shaped End and Nib mug Japan folding knife

Japan folding knife

The fabric around his waist (where the red bow is) seems to have been painted and shows cracking

and I really like the three little buttons near the lip

with some paint loss

2 inside pages

Antique Turned and Carved Dip Pen with Hand-Shaped End and Nib mug Japan folding knifeThis lovely old dip pen, Victorian era I believe, certainly makes me want to set a bottle of ink on my desk and start writing letters. At one end is a carved hand, held in a fist, with a ruffled cuff just below it, and at the other a wonderful fist shaped nib to match, with pointed tip as the second finger. In between are a couple of decoratively carved cages, which make for a nice grip. Even if never used, certainly a sweet piece to add to a