The auctioneer was both surprised and delighted. He was selling a tray of crucifixes, talking them up so us auction-goers would bid up the price. He had taken one crucifix from the tray, eyed it closely and realized that it was more than it appeared to be.
He had made an unusual discovery: There was a knife inside, he announced as he pulled out a short blade. A pen knife masquerading as a crucifix? I found that a little disconcerting and sacrilegious – the two weren’t supposed to go together, good mixing it up with evil.
On one side was the body of Christ on the cross. On the other were the words “God Protect.” Someone apparently didn’t take the words to heart but instead wanted some extra human protection. That made me wonder about the owner. Was it someone who wasn’t taking any changes, who prayed with one eye open just in case his/her enemies were around? Someone not so trusting in the slogan on the crucifix? Or someone who wore or purchased it in jest?
Crucifixes come up pretty often at auction. Sometimes there are so many in a lot that I’ve wondered if they were more collectible than functional. As a people, we do believe in physically demonstrating our religiosity, and crucifixes are among our adornments.
This one at auction was likely a novelty item meant to be a conversation piece, because the inch-long steel blade was much too small to do any real damage to most body parts.
In Googling, I found that this was actually a key ring, and the O ring was missing from the end. Most sites dubbed it the “crucifix knife,” and some described it as a “lucky.” One site said that it was made in China, and I came across a photo of one with the words “Made in China” inscribed at the top.
A crucifix pen knife was selling on eBay for $3.99, and the seller must’ve had plenty of them because you could get 3 for $10. Another pen knife – also described as a letter opener – had nine bids and sold for $15.50. Another had two bids and sold for $19. Several others were described as silver at $30 each but did not sell.
Safe Havens International, a school safety organization, listed it among the hidden weapons that could be concealed by students at school. And it was in an FBI guide to concealable weapons, which noted that it could be used as a key chain or necklace. The guide was started after 9/11.
The crucifix knife at auction and most of the ones I found on the web appeared to be pretty cheesy. But I also came across a very different one, a mother of pearl that was said to have been made in the 19th century in Great Britain. Shapes like this were very popular and showed the skill of the cutlers who made them, according to a website displaying the piece.
Here’s another different one identified for sale as the “DaVinci Code Cross Necklace With Hidden Knife.” It referred to a 2006 movie starring Tom Hanks who investigate the birth and lineage of Jesus as it related to Leonardo DaVinci’s paintings and a secret society.
A knife inside a crucifix seemed a little blasphemous to me. What do you think?
Update: A reader wrote to tell me about his own crucifix knife and sent along a photo:
“The crucifix knife mentioned on your page is a Chinese copy of rare handmade ones by a small group of Christian monks living in the Andes Mountains of Chile. They make no more than 100 per year, and solicit them for donations in the small villages below their secluded monastery high in the mtns. I got the one I have over 30 yrs ago while there on an exploratory expedition with a grant from a major publication. Just thought you might like to know the real story about these.”
