Antique folding pocket knife with a steel blade by Eloi Pernet for house of Hermes, Paris, mounted with two French Republic silver coins on both sides. Dated from the 1920s, marked on the blade: "P. Eloi" and "Depose, France"
Size app.: 14.1 cm (roughly 5.55 in) full length, 2.2 cm (roughly 0.9 in) wide, 0.75 cm (roughly 0.29 in) depth, 9 cm (roughly 3.54 in) length in etui / closed position, 6 cm (roughly 2.4 in) blade length. Lightly used condition (very good), no cracks, functions smooth, no wobble, comes with original leather case. Please study high-res pictures for cosmetic condition! In person actual item may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. kg it is going to measure some kg packed for shipment.
Biesles, situated 10 km from Nogent, became the center for luxury items, folding knives and cigar cutters. Charles Louis Eloi Pernet belonged to the third generation of knife makers in Biesles. In 1901, at the age of 12, he became an apprentice in a local cutlery. It was not until 1920 that Eloi decided to establish his own factory, - Eloi Pernet. With a small group of the best artisans he could find, Eloi quickly became renown for its craft. In 1925 Eloi won the "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" (Best Craftsman of France) award for a multi-blade knife. The following year, he and his artisans again won the "Meilleur Ouvier de France" award. The World began to take notice as Hermes, Dupont, Vuitton, and Dunhill all sought Eloi's fine craftsmanship. By 1937 Pernet had won first prize in the "Arts & Techniques" contest in the Expositions Universelles de Paris. In 1959, Eloi obtained the Medaille d'Or de "Qualité France" (gold medal of "Quality France"). Charles Pernet died in 1963, leaving behind a unique discipline for quality and fine craftsmanship. Today Eloi Pernet continues its long lived work in both Bieseles and Nogent. With a handful of highly skilled craftsmen, Eloi has been able to maintain the precision, elegance and quality which has distinguished it for so many years. The designs have remained classic, preserving the 1920 art deco style which had brought Eloi Pernet to fame so many years ago."