A.G. Russell Knives

Push Daggers appear to be a uniquely American development, first appearing on the early riverboats and in the gold fields of California and Nevada. Gamblers favored them because they could be as swift across a poker or faro table as a percussion pistol without the possibility of a mis-fire. The period right after the Civil War saw new development in cartridge pistols making them more reliable and much less likely to mis-fire. At about the same time there was a decline in the popularity of this type of knife.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the push dagger was a popular pattern for custom makers but their popularity faded. In the late 1990s, I began to see some of those handmade knives coming back into the secondary market, but those seem to have disappeared into collections.

If you search the internet, you will find some modern, high tech versions, usually pretty inexpensive. I have decided that it is time to resurrect a high quality handmade version of this old pattern for its only remaining possible use, as a letter opener. We have created two sizes, a His and Hers if you will. These elegant little knives are made in our own shop here in Rogers, Arkansas and are marked A.G. Russell Shopmade®. The blades are 154CM at 57-59 Rc. The handle scales are Natural Giraffe Bone (no dye) stabilized for stability and held in place by three mosaic pins. The very nice leather Desk Top Sheath is made off-shore to our design.

Small A. G. Russell Shopmade® Letter Opener

The 2-7/8" double ground blade (sharp on both sides) measures 7/8" wide at the widest point. Measures 4-1/2" tip to butt and weighs 1.4 oz.

Large A. G. Russell Shopmade® Letter Opener

The 3-1/2" double ground blade (sharp on both sides) measures 1-1/16" wide at the widest point. Measures 5-3/4" tip to butt and weighs 2.9 oz.