Here we have that inevitable pairing of candy and knives. It always comes down to one or the other, eh?

The Paring Knives are only 50 cents – why, that’s a $1.25 value!

As I’ve now learned, the Old Nick was named for its price – five cents – not its relationship to Satan. It was made by the Schutter-Johnson Candy Company, which had branches in Chicago and Brooklyn. Its slogan in the 30s was rather unnerving: "EASIER TO EAT. The Candy Bar that’s Different.”

Apparently the rest had to be sawed into small pieces and placed between cheek and gum to soften them up. Hence the appeal of the knives, which could be used not on Old Nicks – gosh no, they were easier to eat – but on the Bit-o-Honeys, a confection that had the qualities of ceramic.