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ID #SA1244012
FOR SALE
£145
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A Late Victorian Novelty Oar End Pencil / Letter Opener Combo
For sale by Booth Antiques
for sale €170     $184
£145
Booth Antiques

Booth Antiques

Sellingantiques Verified Since Oct 2026
Browse dealers 49 items
  • About Us
    Specialist in antique silver, glass, jewellery and objets de vertu
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Id #SA1244012
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A Late Victorian Novelty Oar End Pencil / Letter Opener Combo

19th century
For Sale by Booth Antiques
Description

A late Victorian novelty small letter opener/pencil combo. This lovely piece has a hallmarked silver blade in the shape of an oar, for use as a letter opener. At the centre is an aperture for the insertion of a pencil . The pencil can be removed to reveal the sharpened end or blunt end and can of course, be replaced when needed. A lovely, useable piece and good gift idea. Dimensions below.

Postage and packing £15.00 UK

£25.00 Europe

£35.00 Outside Europe

Condition :- Excellent, with no dents or splits to the silver and no cracks or chips to the glass. The base has the expected wear.

Hallmarks :- Clear and readable.

Date :- Birmingham 1899.

Maker :- Arthur Downing.

Height :- 15 cm.

Width :- 1.2 cm.

Depth :- 0.8 cm.

Date of Manufacture

Booth Antiques has dated this Victorian Silver Oar Letter Opener to the Victorian era.

Physical Dimensions
Height
15cm (5.91")
Width
1.2cm (0.47")
Depth
0.8cm (0.31")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1244012
Dealers Internal Reference
B821
Dealers Notes

Payment by BANK TRANSFER (preferred),DEBIT/CREDIT CARD, or PAYPAL. Great care is taken with packing and only 'signed for or tracked' postal options are used, where available. In the UK, Royal Mail Special Delivery is used, which is both fully insured against loss or damage and guaranteed next day (excluding weekends). If an item goes missing, or is damaged in the post, all available assistance will be offered to make a claim against the provider. Loss or damage in transit, is NOT the responsibility of the seller.

IMPORTANT PLEASE NOTE. Due to the imposition by some countries of an import tariff - an additional charge may be required to prepay tax duty. Please be aware of this if purchasing from overseas. If this additional charge is not acceptable, please do not proceed with the purchase.

Returns are accepted if the item has undisclosed damage at point of sale, or has been seriously mis-described. Buyer pays all costs. If you are not certain that you will be completely happy with the item, please do not purchase it. Care has been taken to ensure that items are accurately described and photographed - if any further information is required please ask.

PLEASE CONTACT ME TO PROVIDE CARD DETAILS OR REQUEST BANK DETAILS. PLEASE ADD POSTAGE FOR PAYPAL AND PRESS PAYPAL OPTION. If there is anything more we can do to help, please ask. We would like your experience with us to be a happy one and will always try to be accommodating.

Thank you for your interest.

Description
A late Victorian novelty small letter opener/pencil combo. This lovely piece has a hallmarked silver blade in the shape of an oar, for use as a letter opener. At the centre is an aperture for the insertion of a pencil .
“
The pencil can be removed to reveal the sharpened end or blunt end and can of course, be replaced when needed.
Booth Antiques

A lovely, useable piece and good gift idea. Dimensions below.

fig 1. A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip.
fig 1. A Late Victorian Novelty Oar End Pencil / Letter Opener Combo

Postage and packing £15.00 UK

£25.00 Europe

£35.00 Outside Europe

Condition :- Excellent, with no dents or splits to the silver and no cracks or chips to the glass. The base has the expected wear.

Hallmarks :- Clear and readable.

Date :- Birmingham 1899.

Maker :- Arthur Downing.

Height :- 15 cm.

Width :- 1.2 cm.

Depth :- 0.8 cm.

Date of Manufacture

Booth Antiques has dated this Victorian Silver Oar Letter Opener to the Victorian era.

Height
15cm (5.91")
Width
1.2cm (0.47")
Depth
0.8cm (0.31")
Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1244012
Dealers Internal Ref
B821
Booth Antiques
Booth Antiques
Sellingantiques verified Since Oct 2026

Specialist in antique silver, glass, jewellery and objets de vertu

Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Booth Antiques Profile Page

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A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip.
1 / 4
Archive I A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip.

A Late Victorian Novelty Oar End Pencil / Letter Opener Combo

Archive II A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip. View II
Archive III A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip. View III
Archive IV A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip. View IV
Enlarged Archival View
Booth Antiques

Booth Antiques
Telephone 07833 300488
Location
Cambridgeshire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/boothantiques
Verified Since Oct 2026
Items For Sale 49
Items Sold 5
Booth Antiques
Booth Antiques
Verified Since Oct 2026
View Dealer Info
Location: Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/boothantiques
Verified
Oct 2026
For Sale
49
Sold
5
A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip.
A Late Victorian Novelty Oar End Pencil / Letter Opener Combo
Ref: SA1244012
A late Victorian novelty letter opener featuring a hallmarked silver oar blade connected to a wooden pencil shaft with a graphite tip.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectDesk Accessories
  • Period19th century
  • StyleLate Victorian
  • MaterialSterling Silver, Wood, Graphite
  • ColourSilver, Brown
  • MotifsOar blade, Hallmarked silver collar, Tapered wooden shaft
  • SizeH 15 cm (6 in) x W 1.2 cm (0 in) x D 0.8 cm (0 in)

FAQs

During the late nineteenth century, Victorian silversmiths frequently designed multi-functional desk accessories that combined paper knives with pencils. Novelty forms often drew design inspiration from sports, maritime pursuits, and everyday tools.

These items typically feature hallmarked sterling silver for the blade collar and blade sheath, paired with hardwoods such as cedar, ebony, or rosewood housing a central graphite pencil core.

Authentic Victorian examples bear official British hallmarks stamped into the silver, denoting the makers mark, town mark, duty mark, and date letter. The construction between the silver ferrule and wooden shaft shows precise craftsmanship standard to the era.

Place this compact object on an office desk, styled atop a leather blotter or within a shallow brass tray. It functions effectively as a tactile decorative accent on a study console or library shelf.

Clean the silver elements using a soft cloth and non-abrasive silver polish, preventing liquid from contacting the wooden section. Store the item in a dry environment to avoid wood expansion or silver tarnishing.
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