Antique Dental 1870's Lever Handled Toothkey With Checkered Ebony Handle

Description

A highly unusual dental toothkey with a lever handled mechanism. Pressure on the metal lever causes the clasp to rotate the hinged claw against the bolster. This allows the clasp to secure the root of the tooth without needing to rotate the key.
The checkered Ebony handle is in very good condition. The metal has a nice patina with oxidation & pitting present. An extremely rare dental instrument with "A M NIES" stamped on top of the metal lever handle.
A similar item with picture (plate #37) and description can be found on Pages 47-48 in Elisabeth Bennion's book : Antique Dental Instruments.
This is a museum quality piece which is rarely available.
Shipping quote for the continental USA only & includes USPS Registered Mail & insurance.  Contact me with any further questions.