Sharpener, Scissors
Sharpener, Scissors
Sharpener, Scissors

Sharpener, Scissors

Object number2013.44.1 a-f
Made by (born 1895)
Date1917-1950
MediumWood, metal, brass, leather
Credit LineIn honor of Antonio Antonucci
DescriptionScissors sharpening device with brass bell and other accessories and tools.Dimensionsa) 14.125" L, 13.25" W, 31.25" H
b) 7.75" H, 4.125" diam.
c) 21"L, 1.50" W, 0.25" H
d) 36.25" L, 2.75" W, 0.50" H
e) 5.875" L, 3.75" W, 0.687" H
f) 6.875" L, 1.00" W, 1.00" H
Marks(e)
"GERMANTOWN" is stamped on the side of the head.
Historical NotesThe "Grinding Machine," known as an "ammolaforbice" in Italian, was made and used by Antonio Antonucci, an Italian immigrant from Ginestra degli Schiavoni in the region of Campania. Born in 1895, he sailed to America in April of 1911 at the age of 16, first settling in St. Louis, Missouri, where he lived in a boarding house. A year later, his older brother, Francesco, met him in St. Louis and joined him, becoming a tenant in the same boarding house. A fellow boarder named Mike Taranova showed Antonio and Francesco how to make the scissor sharpening machine. Mike also informed them about Pittsburgh, noting that there was plenty of work in the coal mines of Western Pennsylvania, but it was not a profession where one could make a decent living. Upon this advice, the brothers decided to start their own enterprise through the grinding machine. Antonio moved to the Hill District in Pittsburgh around 1917 with his brother, and relocated to the Italian neighborhood in Larimer Avenue. From 1917-1950, he peddled his grinding machine, styled like a backpack, around the greater Pittsburgh area, from New Kensington to Mount Oliver to Greensburg to McKeesport, covering approximately a 50 mile radius. Antonio would walk and ride streetcars to the different neighborhoods and boroughs of Pittsburgh, ringing his hand bell to notify potential customers of his presence. He charged 5 to 10 cents to sharpen scissors and knives and 15 to 25 cents to repair broken umbrellas. Antonucci joined the U.S. military, fighting in WWI from 1917-1919. While overseas in France, he received two separate shrapnel wounds, both in 1918. In September of 1919, he was honorably discharged from service. Antonucci returned to America and continued to peddle his ammolaforbice until 1950, when he retired from sharpening scissors and began working for the United States Postal Service.
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