2004

Art McKee's personal brass dive knife, signed and dated 1937 and with a cob soldered on to the handl

Currency:USD Category:Antiques / Periods & Styles Start Price:350.00 USD Estimated At:500.00 - 1,000.00 USD
Art McKee's personal brass dive knife, signed and dated 1937 and with a cob soldered on to the handl
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Art McKee's personal brass dive knife, signed and dated 1937 and with a cob soldered on to the handle, housed in a very thick, hinged wooden box and accompanied by two round lead weights and a small flyer about Art McKee on the back of which is a hand-penned "treasure map" for an undisclosed location off Honduras. 4 lb 14 oz overall, the box 14-1/2" x 3" x 4" and the knife about 11" long. The famous Art McKee, whose Sunken Treasure Museum on Plantation Key was a tourist hotspot for decades, had just moved to Florida from up north and begun hardhat diving when this knife was engraved in 1937. We have to assume it was his own personal knife, as it looks well used, and the signature and date on the handle are somewhat faded. Soldered onto the same side of the handle is a Mexican cob 4 reales, presumably from the 1733 Fleet, almost certainly from among Art's many finds. The blade bears the words BARRACUDA on one side and SHARK on the other, two denizens Art probably fought off with this very knife during his adventures. If only this piece could talk! Rounding out the interest is the thick wooden box it comes in, which is very rustic and bears the name ART carved in high relief on the top. The accompanying printed promotional flyer has the words "Art's Map" written at the top and on the back is a treasure map drawn in 1973 by C.P Webster of Tavernier with a notation that it referred to what he saw in 1929-33, probably yet another treasure trail for Art to follow (but whether he looked into this one or not, we may never know). We expect spirited bidding on this historic item!