You Can Bring This Mother of All Swiss Army Knives to a Gunfight

Behold the Mother of All Swiss Army Knives, a multi-tool created by John S. Holler in Germany around 1880. The knife actually predates the Swiss Army Knife, which started production about a decade later in 1890.

The knife has 100 functions, including every types of blades imaginable. It has a serrated blade, dagger blades, shears and scissors, an auger, a corkscrew, saws, a lancet, button hook, cigar cutter, pens and pencils, mirror, and straight razor. You can even use this tool to tune a piano, as it has a piano tuner built in. Hungry? It's got a butter knife so you can butter your toast.

But that's not all: This is a knife you can actually bring to a gunfight. It has a fully functioning .22 caliber five-shot pinfire revolver. And as if that ain't enough, the tortoise shell handle covers of the knife open up to hold picks, tools, and even mini folding knives.

A fully functioning .22 caliber five-shot pinfire revolver ... and a butter knife!

Notable blades: Straight razor and tuning fork.

Notable functions: Cheese fork and the kris blade.

The flip side of the knife opens up to reveal ... a small crucifix knife, perfect for killing vampires!

Sadly, it does not have a bottle opener. That's because the bottle cap wasn't invented until 1892.

Photo: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center. Catalog Number 1986.0101.03

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