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manah

William and John Birks.

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by , 11-23-2011 at 11:24 PM (7780 Views)
Quote Originally Posted by manah View Post
So, it's not G. Johnson's mark. I couldn't find a dart near the pipe.
And it's not a Wostenholm razor, it's not his pipe.
And now. I'll try to tell my idea.
I believe the razor was made by William and John Birks.
It was a very old Sheffield company. The founder was William Birks, who became Master Cutler in 1766. At the beginning it was Birks, Withers & Sykes. It was one of the first enterprises to register a silver mark in 1773. It has a complicated genealogy, because it involved three notable families, several Master Cutlers, and partnerships that became intertwined. The original partners were William Birks (Master Cutler , 1766); Benjamin Withers (Master Cutler, 1756); John Sykes and Dennis Sykes. The address was variously given as Pincin Lane or Pinston Croft Lane - thoroughfares that now correspond to Pinstone Street.
Birks, Withers & Sykes was dissolved in 1780. William Birks & Son then registered a silver mark in 1781 in Norfolk Street. When William Birks died in 1783, aged 55, control passed to his sons - William Birks (Master Cutler, 1795) and John Birks. Henceforth, the Birks' operated alone as manufacturers of table knives and razors until about 1817 (with a pipe device and "Fabre" mark).
So. It was a short history of the company.
And as I could understand, "pipe" mark wasn't used after.
Here the mark on your razor and William and John Birks mark:



After all, is it possible to see picture of all razor?
I want to see the razor, that was made in the early 1800s.


P.S. Of course, I can be wrong.

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