Foster Bros "Franco American Slicer" 12.25" Wide Slicer Forged Carbon Steel USA 1880-1910

Before Spagetti-o's there was Foster Bros. apparently. Marked "Foster Bros Franco American Slicer", antique 12.25" wide slicer with an integral one piece construction with a distinctive deep grooved bolster sporting a brass pinned rosewood handle. 

A super unusual knife, Foster Bros made a slicer with this recessed grooved bolster design, this is the first of the narrow chef knife / wide slicers that I have seen. 

The blade was heavily sharpened and rusted when found, and has been re-ground with a thin convex edge like it origianlly would have had. There are still some pits here and there but otherwise this is an unusual but of American knife history from the great Foster Bros company. This design didn't take off but it shows the immense influence of French cuisine on knife design and marketing, even on more fanciful designs like this one. Handle has a few cracks, which honestly on a knife of lesser rarity would be a deal breaker for restoration.