Frank B. Italy 11" Dagger  French Horn Stiletto ~ Vintage

Frank B. Italy 11" Dagger Swivel Bolster Release French Horn is a highly collectible, traditional Italian automatic switchblade (stiletto) handcrafted by master craftsman Frank Beltrame in Maniago, Italy

• The Maker ("Frank B. Italy"): The tang stamp reads "FRANK B. ITALY", which is the hallmark of Frank Beltrame. He is one of the most famous, enduring, and respected names in traditional Italian automatic cutlery. 
• Blade Style (Dagger): This piece features an 11-inch overall frame equipped with a symmetrical dagger blade (sharpened on one or both edges, tapering to a fine point), usually polished to a high mirror finish or standard satin finish.
• Handle Material (French Horn / "French Tip"): The handle scales are constructed from genuine, translucent French cow horn (often referred to as French Tip). French horn is highly prized by collectors for its beautiful honey, blonde, or milky coloration, marbled with unique streaks of white, grey, or light amber. 
  
• The Mechanism (Swivel Bolster Release): This is a traditional folding safety and unlocking design. You press a high-profile push button to fire the blade open instantly via an internal leaf spring. To close the knife, you do not press a button; instead, you tilt or swivel the top bolster forward. This action lifts the leaf spring lock tab and allows you to safely fold the blade back into the frame. 
• Safety Mechanism: It features a small sliding safety switch on the handle scale to block the push-button and prevent accidental deployment in your pocket.
• Liners and Pins: True to classic Maniago craftsmanship, the knife utilizes solid brass internal liners and hand-hammered brass pins

• Condition is near mint, see all photos

NKCA Grading system

MINT: A factory fresh knife, absolutely original as it came from the manufacturer, not carried or sharpened, a perfect knife.

NEAR MINT: A new knife that has seen sometimes, show some slight carry or shop wear, blades snap perfectly, handles show no cracks.

EXCELLENT: Shows no more than 10% blade wear, handles are sound, no cracks, blades snap good.

VERY GOOD: About 25% blade wear, slight cracks in handles, may have one lazy blade, stamping clearly visible to the naked eye, no blades changed or repaired.

FAIR: 50% blade wear, blades lazy, cracks and chips in handles, handles replaced with same type, blades repaired, stampings faint but readable with a glass.

POOR: Blades very worn, handles bad or missing, blades have been replaced with the same type, reading of the stamp is almost impossible, even with a glass, good mostly only for parts.