Thread: Simmons Hardware co. / What do I have?

I've spent several hours looking thru this great site and the internet in general but have come up empty. I have been unable to find another SR like the one I have. So I've decided to create this post.

It was manufactured by the Simmons Hardware co. according to the stamp on the tang. Furthermore, and also according to the tang stamp it was made in the U.S.A. but no city and state is indicated. The last mark on the tang is the numeral "1" which I am assuming is the wedge. On the scales and written in cursive is what I believe are the letters "J.W.C.". I could be wrong on these letter and will post a picture below for you to decide.

The scales are made from some type of metal. They have that unpolished silver look. But could also be a worn brass/bronze.

Is this a Simmons hardware company razor? And approximately when was it made? Also, any other info that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

As always, thanks in advance!!

YOMV
You may have one scaled as a surgical razor. Metal scales were made to be steamed autoclaves without damage. Fancy aluminum scales were in use as high buck scales prior to about 1915 or so. Stainless steel scales were WWI and later. Aluminum had become cheap by the end of the war.
From Wikipedia:
In the mid-1880s, aluminium metal was exceedingly difficult to produce, which made pure aluminium more valuable than gold.[66] So celebrated was the metal that bars of aluminium were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle of 1855.

the first true stainless steel, a 0.24wt% C, 12.8wt% Cr ferrous alloy, was produced by Brearley in an electric furnace on 13 August 1913.
~Richard

Thanks for your help and thoughts Geezer. Your reply was very informative.

And, most important; who they were:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simmons_Hardware_Company
Some of their brand name items were "Keen Kutter" a really large group of cutting tools of which many were razors of the best quality.
Have it honed and enjoy a good long lasting edge!
~Richard

Interesting how the scales are sporting a fancy monogram. They do have a rather plain appearance such as scales on medical razors, however. Look around on them and see if you might find a silver hallmark?

The tarnish seems to indicate they may be silver??

Thanks for the thoughts and links. I've taken another look and do not see any hallmarks. I'll look again tomorrow under natural light.

The J.W.C. marking is quite fancy and throughout the letters there are fine lines or ridges for lack of a better word. The mark appears to be etched on the scale and not a stamp. I also do not notice any indication of an indention or a raised area on the other side of the scale as a stamping might leave directly opposite of the JWC mark.

Another observation that might be a clue is that there is only one visible pin which is the pivot point for the blade on the scales.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Interesting how the scales are sporting a fancy monogram. They do have a rather plain appearance such as scales on medical razors, however. Look around on them and see if you might find a silver hallmark?

The tarnish seems to indicate they may be silver??

Tom, as soon as I saw them (scales) I had a feeling they had to be sterling by the tarnishing on them.
Wow & he found it too. It couldn't have been where he found it too long with all the humidity in Florida. The blade isn't rusty. It seems to have someones initials on it too so someone might have broke into a house & dropped it while on the run, probably out of a pillowcase with the corner torn. Who knows? I'm sure the owner would have had it a lot more protected than to drop it somewhere.

Could be worn silver plating on a brass type base metal.
Simmonds was a retailer. They bought where they found the best balance of price to quality.

Originally Posted by Geezer

Could be worn silver plating on a brass type base metal.
Simmonds was a retailer. They bought where they found the best balance of price to quality.

Yes, Richard! We also both know they spared no expense with adornment? Being paid, of course!
(original Simmons Keenkutter scales)

The mystery unravels a bit...

After cleaning with soap and water a silver hallmark has appeared.

According to several sites, the silver hallmark is from the Gorham company. My mark has the lion facing towards the right which indicates that it was made after 1853. Further dating is a bit more tricky. The markings are as follows:
Gorham hallmark
STERLING
K O T

For reference I used Gorham: sterling silver marks, hallmarks, dates and history and Gorham: sterling silver marks, hallmarks, dates and history.

So what does the K O T mean? Is it a date code? If so, the "K" would indicate 1878, the "O" would indicate 1882, and the "T" indicates ???. So maybe it's not a date code in which case if no date code is found it could possibly indicate a date of between 1933 and 1941 due to Gorham discontinuing the year markings between that time period. Why would a piece have two or more date codes on it? Could the KOT be a marking from a plating company such as gold plated silver? My research continues.

In case anyone was wondering, I found this SR back in the late 1970's or early 1980's in the woods in Lutz which is near the Tampa Bay area of Florida.

The pictures below were captured with a Dino-Lite Pro digital microscope.



I found an old post from 2006 on this site from a member that has a silver scale SR. I mention it due to his only having one pin in the scales as well.
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...led-razor.html