Attachment 288478
My newest old acquisition.
GERMAN STEEL?
German Steel.
Attachment 288479
Attachment 288480
You would think a mark like that would be easy to track down, wouldn’t you?
Both Sketchley’s and Gales & Martin list Thomas Tarbottom (whatta name!), penknife cutler as using the mark QUEEN.
Except this razor is the word QUEEN with a cross at the end and an old-style fleur-de-lis above it. Details like that mattered, and while both Sketchley’s and Gales & Martin are full of errors, they never omit that much or agree on their misprintings.
So I sent a request to the Cutler’s Company and within an hour Joan Unwin sent me back all the marks that used the word Queen, because she is amazing.
The answer is Joseph Hall. He was granted the mark in 1789, a few years after Gales & Martin went to press, and he doesn’t seem to have done much advertising after that either. So this razor was likely made between 1789 and about 1800.
Now Thomas Bromley had the same mark before him, but Bromley had the word QUEEN on a slight curve and when Hall bought it he changed the mark to the form you see on the razor.
The scales are a very nice, early decorative pressed horn. If you look carefully, you can see they’ve got a very slight ‘S’ curve to them as well.
I’m looking forward to honing this and shaving with it in the next few days!
And for a real treat, here’s Hall’s signature next to his stamped mark!
Attachment 288481