In my experience, gentlemen's fruit knives tended to have blades made of silver or metals that weren't so susceptible to accelerated rust from the acidity of the fruit, the exception being the "melon testers" that did indeed have a long blade of this general form. However, I haven't encountered a melon tester as finely embellished as this knife.
Tim - could you post pictures of the reverse side of the knife? Also, what is the length of the knife? Are there any markings on the blade?
Also, the gold (-colored material) on the bolsters looks like thin sheet that has come off in a couple spots. Am I seeing this correctly? And if so, is the incising limited to the gold sheeting, or is it chiseled into the underlying metal as well?
Lastly, where are these killer swap meets at which you're finding this stuff?
