MASSIVE Antique French Chef's or Butcher's Lamb Splitting Knife RAZOR SHARP

Please read our Terms below for details. PLEASE NOTE: We take our photos in natural light outdoors and as a result there are sometimes reflections or shadows or glare shown in the blades. In person none of these exist; we will say so in the description if it may be otherwise. It just doesn't get much better than this, folks. Unlike any other splitting knife or cleaver I've yet seen, I've had this heavy-duty cleaver for well over 35 years (I bought it at a flea market in France) and it is as beautiful AND effectve a piece of its kind as any collector or user could hope to own.

As you can see from the photos, it's made from a single, solid piece of superb-quality carbon steel and has acquired the normal discoloration and patina that attest to its age, which is probably well over 100 years old. Made for splitting lamb and other medium-sized livestock or game, it measures 16.25" long with a 10.75" blade that's just under 3 wide, it weighs in at a very impressive 55.3 ounces, which should eliminate any doubt that whatever it is you wish to be severed in half--WHAM! It will be done in one swift stroke. Despite this relatively large footprint, it's a piece that was designed and forged with an eye towards beauty and grace, as the photos clearly show. It isn't signed and may have been forged by some talented village blacksmith, and that is a shame because that guy deserves to come forward and take a bow.

Just look at it--truly a thing of beauty and a work of the cutler's art. Fishmongers would also have been a prime user of such a beast as this, often with its handle tightly wrapped with waxed or oiled twine or rope for grip. I haven't used this knife in years, though, and as such, it's in need of a new and loving home, hopefully yours. It's more than enough heft for any modern chef or butcher and whether you'll need it for whacking a chicken into it's 8 respective parts or for processing game and livestock, you'll find it to be quite effective.

As you can see in the photos, it has acquired a VERY deep and dark patina but it looked this way when I got it and has only gotten more beautiful with time. Best of all, it has one of the most wickedly sharp edges you'll ever encounter on a cleaver; much more like a knife but sharper. A superb, heirloom-quality antique knife for collector or user alike and is sure to be a nice unusual addition to any butcher's or chef's arsenal of specialty cutlery. Our store's inventory is searchable using the search field or may be browsed by clicking on categories, with each option found on the left side of the store's homepage. Don't see it or can't find what you're looking for?

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This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Country/Region of Manufacture: United States