Thread: cutlers to his/her/their majesties...

I saw this and post #28 might answer your question....a bit
LINK: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...ures-Cutlers-t

Originally Posted by RezDog

I have not seen a Frederick Reynolds with a royal warrant, but I have a few Joseph Elliots both with and without the warrant. Other than the WR or VR or GR it all needs more research for me to fully understand who was were when.

Can you please upload some pictures of them?

Originally Posted by scag315

I always assumed this was just a marketing gimmick. huh.

As good as it was to be able to proclaim 'Cutlers To' it was surely not without much politics and fancy freebies, etc to secure one.
I don't think anyone who used it in an unauthorized way did it for long?
I expect it was quite difficult to secure one. It seems I read once of Rodgers presenting the King with a finely detailed miniature multi-bladed knife which was mishandled during inspection and disappeared in the carpet. Took a long while to find it. Must have been tiny!

Originally Posted by sharptonn

As good as it was to be able to proclaim 'Cutlers To' it was surely not without much politics and fancy freebies, etc to secure one.
I don't think anyone who used it in an unauthorized way did it for long?
I expect it was quite difficult to secure one. It seems I read once of Rodgers presenting the King with a finely detailed miniature multi-bladed knife which was mishandled during inspection and disappeared in the carpet. Took a long while to find it. Must have been tiny!

From what I've been reading you're definitely right about that, though it was great for marketing, it was not simply a marketing gimmick. The companies had a number of standards, and though politics were most definitely involved, the companies with a Royal Warrant were top notch.
On another site someone mentioned Marshes & Sheppard. Can anyone verify that they had a RW? Symbol or words?

Razors weren't the only things given a royal warrant. Truefitt & Hill has a royal warrant. In 1887 in the United Kingdom it was made illegal to falsely claim to have a royal warrant. I think any razor able to claim a royal warrant would have increased its sales significantly since everyone would think that if it was good enough for the royal family it is good enough for them. They would have to make sure that their quality control was top notch otherwise they would have kept the warrant. Many countries gave out royal warrants.

Originally Posted by MikeT

From what I've been reading you're definitely right about that, though it was great for marketing, it was not simply a marketing gimmick. The companies had a number of standards, and though politics were most definitely involved, the companies with a Royal Warrant were top notch.
On another site someone mentioned Marshes & Sheppard. Can anyone verify that they had a RW? Symbol or words?

No, they're nice razors, but don't have royal warrant - it's just the usual lack of knowledge being compensated with making stuff up.

Originally Posted by JSmith1983

Razors weren't the only things given a royal warrant. Truefitt & Hill has a royal warrant.

Well, the royals are well known for not producing anything themselves, so the clever people who supplied them with goods after the industrial revolution brought mass production figured out they can use that fact in marketing. Previously a royal warrant was meaningless - initially you either worked for the court full time or you didn't and then when you worked for the court part time the rest of your customers knew that fully well. Mass production is what makes the customers far removed and clueless about the manufacturing, so marketing becomes rather important. In some ways it is a gimmick as the only common thing between what the royals and the hoi polloi get is the pocket where the profits end up.

BTW, the fragrance house with most royal warrants is Yardley. These days you can buy many of their products at walmart and dollar general.
If you have spare six- or seven-digit sum you can actually get close to the royal offerings and have a bespoke fragrance designed. But since a large part of the cost is exclusivity you will never get a fragrance that the queen uses regardless of anything.

The royal warrants go back, way back with many products and countries both public and private with or without official declaration. English hierarchy at the latter part of the 1800s wanted it to be more exclusive and so began enforcing laws regarding royal warrants.. I think there are many reasons for this one of which is simple cronyism, capitalistic strategy.
The idea that the king is shaving with the same razor as me.. I'm sure sold many razors. Same goes for other products, but your right, it is most likely far from truth.
As far as quality.... well I can't say for sure, but my blades with royal warrants are better than others I have without, but also equal to many without... but never less than those without. If that makes sense. Anyway IMHO.

Yeah, I have read through a bunch of old threads. Seems it got out of hand and was reigned in. (pun intended)
I even saw that old Packwood was claiming to be Cutler to His Majesty! That was in the 1820 era.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Yeah, I have read through a bunch of old threads. Seems it got out of hand and was reigned in. (pun intended)
I even saw that old Packwood was claiming to be Cutler to His Majesty! That was in the 1820 era.

LMAO puns always get me... like "dad jokes" my dad always made the dry joke puns, didn't get them until i became a dad, now LMAO every time.
Packwoods. I know little of them. Are they good, bad, highly sought after?