American Historical Ephemera & Photography, Featuring Property from the James Milgram, M.D., Collection of Broadsides, Ephemeral Americana & Historical Documents

7 1/2 in. lg. interlocking steel knife, fork, and spoon set (spotting throughout though metal not pitted, fork tines and knife blade appear to have been cleaned in the past). Spoon handle stamped "Worman Ely & Co / Philad'a / Patent Feb.4.186[2]." Knife blade stamped similarly, though only a few letters and numbers are visible. 

This set required 2 patents, the first for the construction of the knife and fork-shaped "so as to be wholly closed and hollow," and the second for the design of the spoon with an opening and bent in a manner to allow the fork and knife to be inserted through the hole and fitted against the flanges on the side of the handle. An excellent example of the early war efforts made by patriotic entrepreneurs to provide soldiers in the field with equipment that was compact and practical.