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This is a pair of wrought steel nutcrackers with acorn-shaped ends. They work by cracking the nut between two pivoted arms, and the insides of the pivot are roughened to give better grip on the nut. They date from the eighteenth century.

1 nutcrackers: metal (wrought steel); good condtion

MERL 'Catalogue index' card – 'These nutcrackers work on the principle of cracking the nut between two pivotted arms. They are made of delicately wrought steel, with an incised pattern on the pivot and the top of the arms. The arms end in two knobs in the shape of acorns, a frequent device on nutcrackers. The insides of the arms for 1 inch from the pivot are roughened so that more purchase can be gained on the nut than would be afforded by a smooth surface. // The nutcrackers are 4.6 inches in length.', Victoria & Albert Museum No. 554, 1901.

1700-01-01 - 1799-12-31

Eighteenth century