Bismarck 502

I got this Bismarck 502 "Fine Hollow Ground", but there is no "registered" or "works", is it Dovo? any date?

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Yes, it is a Dovo. Honed to shave ready it ought to be a real good shaver. Looks to be in great condition.

Is that not one of the original Bismarck's before it was bought out by Dovo? Cracking razor what ever

As an interesting aside, Zak recently picked up a Bismarck, presumably from the old days, and it has a different tang stamping than either the one in this thread, or than the two I'm showing photos of below. http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...-bismarck.html

These have the usual 'Registered' on the monkey tail, while the one by Zak does not. I'm told by a friend in Germany that Dovo acquired Bismarck in 1957.

If the Bismarck in this OP of this thread is not a Dovo, than they were making them identically to that one as late as 7 years ago. Anyway ........... if it is a good razor it is a good razor no matter who made it. Here are a couple of others. Note the differences in the inlay on the scales, and on the tang stamps. Not making any particular point, other than they are not the same, so from year to year they changed things. No surprise in that. The last pic in line is a Dovo Bismarck I found a pic of in the razor clubs forum.

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Thanks for the info

I ask Dovo the same question and this is the answer:

Thank you very much for your email. I am sorry I cannot provide information, many of our records were lost or destroyed during World War I and II. It might not even be one of our razor models, as a few decades ago there were many small companies (often consisting only of one or two people) in Solingen producing straight razors, and since they were such small enterprises, they shared forging batches to be able to get the forge to make the minimum quantity necessary for a forging run. So even the shape was not unique to one company.



Maybe our Solingen cutlery museum can help. Their email address is klingenmuseum@solingen.de.



I am very sorry for not being able to give you better news.



Best regards,

Anne

In retrospect it could very well be a Bismarck. The blade looked so similar to the one they've made in recent years, but it is not exact. The scales and box would indicate Bismarck, and the '502' I'm not sure about. Probably the older company.

My money is on it being a pre-Dovo Bismarck. The Dovo Bismarcks are stamped with the number 2.

Maybe is the same age as this one here from our friend Rockabillyhelge

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on this thread

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ml#post1298199

what do you think?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rarreola

Maybe is the same age as this one here from our friend Rockabillyhelge what do you think?

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I think robellison01 hit the nail on the head in post # 8 when he pointed out that the Dovo Bismarck has a # 2 stamped on the tang. That is visible in the photo of the Dovo I posted. Yours does not have the # 2, so it must be from the older Bismarck production.

Thanks for your help

An old Thread but the 502 on the first Page remindes me off my newest Bismarck, a 02 (stamped on the tang) with a 39 on the Tail.
The Spine is designed just like the actual No.2 Blankets but it has a french head. Size is 13/16"+.

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i absolutely love the design on these bismarks .
i have found them to require more attention when stroping ,probably because of the thumb notch :shrug:

I agree with you, the thumb notch makes it a bit more difficult to strop. I guess its the smaller tang at the Notch that makes it a bit more difficult to hold instead of the standard tang razors. It took some time until i got used to, although i think that the Bismarck has more a moderate thumb notch, there are more complicated razors.

Nice Bismarck @Rockabillyhelge. I have a newer Dovo Bismarck and they are lovely razors.

As far as I have been able to tell all original Bismarck razors (pre 193x). Have similar characteristics.

Some have the monkey tail stamp, either registered or ges geschützt.
All of the inlays in the scales are Bismarck registered or ges geschützt.
There are very few razors that have odd grinds. Hollow, Round point rarely a square point, Nice jimps small defined almost sharp feeling. 3/8 - 6/8.
The boxes are black with the old style label. With Wiesbaden devices.
Some use Sheffield steel and have marks that indicate this.

1957 dovo Fritz Bracht era razors are far more varied.

They have Bismarck Solingen scale inlays.
They have number stamps on the tang.
They come in a Black box card box with either the old label, or a revised green label with a similar design.
Modern style introduced, But also a huge variety of odd sizes and shapes. 7/8 introduced, Square points, extra hollow and some fancy spines.
Jimps from this point on are often softer, wider and not as deep.

1970's era

Plastic box (normally blue)
Old style Bismarck box label generally in green.
Scales become varied. The cheapest end we see a screen printed Bismarck super tag on plastic, Others may use Bismarck Solingen as an inlay.
Modern style still in production, but also more classic 5/8 styles.

1990's

Only 1 Bismarck blank in production.

The period between the 1930's and the 1957 buy out is odd. We see a few Bismarck works, and generally odd razors from what I can only assume to be this period. I'm not sure who made them, and where they were ground since the mark shouldn't be in use according to the mark information.

rarreola your 502 is a 1957-1970 era razor. Made under Fritz Bracht's ownership. It'll be fantastic.

I might not be 100% with the time line but it's as close as I've been able to work out with the limited information I have on them.

The Wiesbaden device features the Kurhaus.

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Great info Iceni, thanks.