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German advertising pocket knife by Heinrich Kaufmann & Söhne of Solingen, made as a promotional piece for the German chemical industry.
The brass scales are die-struck edge to edge with a Jugendstil arabesque pattern and two trademark medallions:
- the Bayer cross
- the ML&B seal of Farbwerke vorm. Meister Lucius & Brüning, Hoechst am Main — the firm that later became Hoechst AG.
Bayer advertising knives are a familiar category, but most carry Bayer alone and have plain scales. This one pairs both marks on a fully engraved handle. The two companies combined into IG Farben in 1925, and the ROSTFREI stainless marking supports a date in the 1920s–30s.
Three tools: master spear-point blade stamped KAUFMANN / SOLINGEN on one side and ROSTFREI on the reverse, a small pen blade, and a nail file. Brass pins and liners. Slim gentleman's pattern at 80 mm (3⅛") closed — sized for a suit pocket.
Condition: honest age, not cleaned or polished. The brass carries a warm iridescent patina with scattered spotting. The embossing is crisp and fully legible, including both medallions. Blades show light surface scratching and a few small dark marks from use. No cracks in the scales.
Please see all photos, they are part of the description.
