John Winter
Hero Member
Puzzling Penknife - Nothing to do with Oak Island!
One of my most interesting finds is also one of the most mundane. It's presentation here belies the fact that it was rusty and in a sorry state when rescued.
My wife worked wonders with her diligent cleaning and conservation skills so it now looks in almost pristine condition. Some details were easy to record. For example, it has a mother-of-pearl handle with two ‘stainless steel’ blades made by Fisher in Sheffield. But I was intrigued by the letters or meaningless word IBAISAIC. What could it mean? Finding out proved to be a little more difficult.
I searched Mr. Google with few positive results and it wasn’t until I showed my find on a detecting forum that all was explained . . . by an ex-vacuum cleaner repair man! He told me that knives of this type were given by Hoover salesmen as gifts to retailers in the late 1930’s. This information has been confirmed by the manufacturer who tells me to ‘take care of it’ because ‘it is a collector’s item.’
Depicted on one side of the knife is the Hoover building situated in Perivale, Middlesex. Yes, I saw this major clue, but failed to interpret it! The Grade Two listed building sited alongside the A40 Western Avenue, is, for many, the classic survivor of the art deco period of architecture of the 1930’s . . . the original Hoover production area has now been converted into a Tesco superstore!
On the other side of the knife are the letters IBAISAIC, the initials of the famous and memorable Hoover advertising jingle, IT BEATS AS IT SWEEPS AS IT CLEANS. This slogan has been around since 1926 when Hoover introduced one of their most noteworthy innovations, the beater bar. The slogan came about because one of the problems with the Hoover cleaner in those early days was explaining to the housewife how the technology worked and the principle on which it was based. The complete jingle was:
All the dirt, all the grit, Hoover gets at every bit,
As it beats, as it sweeps, as it cleans.
So there you go. Isn’t it great when everything falls neatly into place?
If you'd like to read more posts like this, Please call in on my blog at by clicking the link in my signature.
One of my most interesting finds is also one of the most mundane. It's presentation here belies the fact that it was rusty and in a sorry state when rescued.
My wife worked wonders with her diligent cleaning and conservation skills so it now looks in almost pristine condition. Some details were easy to record. For example, it has a mother-of-pearl handle with two ‘stainless steel’ blades made by Fisher in Sheffield. But I was intrigued by the letters or meaningless word IBAISAIC. What could it mean? Finding out proved to be a little more difficult.
I searched Mr. Google with few positive results and it wasn’t until I showed my find on a detecting forum that all was explained . . . by an ex-vacuum cleaner repair man! He told me that knives of this type were given by Hoover salesmen as gifts to retailers in the late 1930’s. This information has been confirmed by the manufacturer who tells me to ‘take care of it’ because ‘it is a collector’s item.’
Depicted on one side of the knife is the Hoover building situated in Perivale, Middlesex. Yes, I saw this major clue, but failed to interpret it! The Grade Two listed building sited alongside the A40 Western Avenue, is, for many, the classic survivor of the art deco period of architecture of the 1930’s . . . the original Hoover production area has now been converted into a Tesco superstore!
On the other side of the knife are the letters IBAISAIC, the initials of the famous and memorable Hoover advertising jingle, IT BEATS AS IT SWEEPS AS IT CLEANS. This slogan has been around since 1926 when Hoover introduced one of their most noteworthy innovations, the beater bar. The slogan came about because one of the problems with the Hoover cleaner in those early days was explaining to the housewife how the technology worked and the principle on which it was based. The complete jingle was:
All the dirt, all the grit, Hoover gets at every bit,
As it beats, as it sweeps, as it cleans.
So there you go. Isn’t it great when everything falls neatly into place?
If you'd like to read more posts like this, Please call in on my blog at by clicking the link in my signature.
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Carry on! Yakker
