I'm a child of the 50"s, although I was born in 1946.

In the 50's they used to advertise the "Black Beauty" Italian switchblades in all manner of magazines (This was back when you could buy handguns through the mail, and we still had fewer incidents of gun violence than we have today) for about $4.95 plus shipping.. whereas the ones I import and sell cost $45.00 plus shipping.

It is for the most part an impractical knife except for thrusting and penetration of light body armor (It will go through Kevlar(Actually between the threads.) as will many knives with other blade designs) and thick layers of clothing easier than other knives that do not feature the "dagger" or "bayonet" style of blade design.

I don't care that it is impractical for many uses, because to me there is something elegant, beautiful, and sleek in the "fish" outline of the open knife even in the basic black handle design. It was considered a "gangsters" or "hoodlums" weapon and knee jerk politicians in their haste to look good outlawed import of all automatic knives in about 1957. Germany makes some beautiful high quality lever lock automatic knives with standard style blades that suffered the wrath of political idiocy.

As some of you who have read my previous posts know, I import some Italian 4" bayonet style blade stilettoes that have a fingernail grove for "normal" opening and they come with springs that can be installed in those States which allow them and by certain people who are qualified to own them (Mostly military, paramilitary, police, and in some States, one-armed people.).

So far, most of the knives I sell are to Postal workers, and peace officers, although younger peace officers tend to prefer the tanto style blade.

Knife designs are like art, you may not understand their design, function, use, or reasoning for owning them, but you know what you like.

I have kept 4 different handle design knives for myself, and none of them has the spring attached, because it is the knife design that intriques me.

Bountyhunter