Best Antique Letter Openers of 2025

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Antique letter openers are a unique and elegant way to add a touch of history to any desk or office space. These beautiful and functional items come in a variety of styles and materials, from ornate silver and gold designs to simpler, more rustic options made from wood or bone. Many antique letter openers feature intricate detailing and engravings, making them not only useful but also highly collectible. With their timeless beauty and practicality, antique letter openers are a must-have for any lover of vintage and antique décor.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Antique Letter Openers
Schooner Bay Co. Brass Horse Head Letter Opener
Schooner Bay Brass Letter Opener is a 6-1/4" letter opener with a realistic horse head handle made of solid, polished brass. This unique piece is a perfect gift for animal lovers, conservationists, or equestrian enthusiasts. Crafted in India, this letter opener not only adds a touch of elegance to your desk but also provides a convenient way to open your mail. The solid brass construction ensures durability, while the intricate horse head design adds a touch of sophistication to your workspace.
Wicks Forge Letter Opener Cast Iron Knife
Introducing the Wicks Forge Cast Iron Knife, a high-quality and all-purpose letter opener that brings a touch of luxury and rustic charm to your desk. Crafted with exceptional craftsmanship using traditional blacksmith techniques, each letter opener is meticulously made to last a lifetime. With its pointed tip and sharp bladed edge, you can effortlessly slice through sealed mail and packages with razor precision. The unique design, featuring a fun spiral end, adds a touch of elegance to this 8" long accessory. Made in America by the Wicks Forge, a third-generation family business, this letter opener is backed by a lifetime warranty, ensuring your satisfaction for years to come.
Schooner Bay Co. Fox Head Letter Opener
Schooner Bay Fox Letter Opener is a 6-1/4" solid brass letter opener featuring a realistic fox head handle. This unique piece is a perfect gift for animal lovers, conservationists, or fox & hound enthusiasts. Crafted in India, this letter opener adds a touch of elegance to your desk. The solid brass construction ensures durability, while the fox head handle adds a touch of sophistication to your office accessories. Opening letters with this stylish piece brings a sense of charm to your daily tasks.
Evenchae Classic Embossed Letter Opener
The Evenchae Letter Opener is a stylish and practical accessory for your workspace. With a double-sided embossed handle in antique gold, this opener is elegant and timeless, adding a vintage touch to your desk. It comes in a gift-ready signature box, making it perfect for any occasion. Not just a decorative piece, it provides a safe and easy way to open envelopes, ensuring convenience in your daily tasks.
Zerodis Antique Style Letter Opener
The Zerodis Letter Opener combines retro elegance with practicality. Its beautifully designed patterns and unique shape enhance any workspace, making it a stylish accessory for both home and office. Crafted from durable zinc alloy, this opener promises longevity, ensuring it won’t easily break with regular use. Lightweight and compact, you can take it wherever you go, making it convenient for opening envelopes on the spot. Plus, its design allows for easy insertion into envelopes without damaging the contents, meeting your daily needs effortlessly.
Nostalgic Impressions Letter Opener - Silver
The Nostalgic Impressions Letter Opener - Silver is a classic vintage-style desk accessory designed to speed up the opening of mail. It has an elegant look with solid weight and feel, and comes in a 7-inch length. The product is gift-boxed, making it perfect for gifting to your loved ones.
Vintage Metal Letter Opener Pack of 3 with Gift Box
This set of vintage metal letter openers is perfect for your home or office. With a humanized handle, the ergonomic design allows for comfortable use and a clean cut every time. Made to last, these letter openers are made of durable metal that is lightweight, smooth and rust-proof. The set comes with three letter openers in different colors and a gift box, making it an ideal gift for friends, family or colleagues. These letter openers have wide applications and can be used for envelopes, express delivery and more.
Treasure Gurus Antique Style Letter Opener
The Treasure Gurus Antique Style Letter Opener is a heavy nickel silver Fleur De Lis envelope knife that measures 8 1/2" long by 2" wide and 1/2" thick, making it the perfect desk accessory. Its longer handle is designed to prevent paper cuts and it can add a touch of French Country decor to your home office or office desk. This letter opener comes with 100% customer satisfaction guaranteed.
Nacreh Decorative Envelope Opener
The Nacreh Envelope Opener features an elegant inlay mother of pearl design, making it a beautiful addition to your desk. This office knife is perfect for neatly cutting open letters and envelopes with ease. Its 6.3" length provides a comfortable grip for effortless opening. The silver steel blade ensures durability for long-term use. Add a touch of sophistication to your workspace with the Nacreh Envelope Opener.
Ruksifg Antique Metal Letter Opener Envelope Slitter
Ruksifg Letter Opener is a decorative knife made of sturdy zinc alloy with an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh design. The 16cm long opener is safe and easy to use, ensuring it won't damage envelopes or harm your hands. The unique totem shape adds a classical touch to your desk, while the overall bronze color gives it an elegant look. Packaged in a black box, this opener is not only functional but also a stylish addition to your workspace.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who invented letter openers?
Russell Hawes of Worcester, Mass. patented an improved version of an envelope folding machine that enabled three girl employees to make 25,000 finished envelopes in a ten hour work day, according to “An Early History of the Envelope” by the u.s. Envelope Company.
2. What are letter openers called?
The terms paper knife and letter opener are often used interchangeably to refer to a knife-like desktop tool.
3. Should a letter opener be sharp?
There really aren't any rules about how sharp a letter opener should be. The P.P. has said that dull helps it not be considered a knife.
4. DO letter openers get dull?
Letter openers are generally made of wood, metal and plastic or a combination of the three materials. With constant use the cutting blade will become blunt and will require replacing or sharpening.
During our antique letter opener research, we found 24 antique letter opener products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 5,154 customer reviews through our big data system to write the antique letter openers list. We found that most customers choose antique letter openers with an average price of $14.13.
The antique letter openers are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of antique letter openers, including Schooner Bay Co., Wicks Forge, Evenchae, Zerodis, Nostalgic Impressions. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 201 consumers with an average rating of 4.8.

Rebecca Cantu grew up in a family-owned retail store for home and kitchen products. She worked online and gave assistance to people to buy ideal products for their sweet home after graduating from Northwestern University with a marketing degree. She has been writing content for online shopping guides since 2011 with her professional knowledge and natural sensitivity of appliances.