finding maker marks

So I have been looking in all of my usual p;aces for information on the makers of these two razors.
My presumption is that they are English razor.
I am hoping that someone will be able to point me in the direction of the information, that way my research abilities will grow. However I am happy for any information that I receive.
Attachment 233884
Attachment 233885
Attachment 233886
There were quite a few Johnsons that made razors. I have not found any that used that gothic G with the bold Johnson.
I have not found anyone that simply had a bell either.

Here are some of my resources,,,,,,


Manah's Site

STRAZORS.com - all about classic razors - Home page

Horological Trademarks

http://www.archivingindustry.com/cut...lermarks-1.pdf

Maker Marks

Online Encyclopedia of Silver Marks, Hallmarks & Makers' Marks

Razor makers

Straight Razor Manufacturers and Dates of Operation

http://www.sha.org/assets/documents/...0Tableware.pdf

For old English razors, isn't it faster and more effective to just ask Voidmonster?

To me the bell looks quite like that of the Brookes & Crookes mark seen on Shilling Razors. See below:

Attachment 233957

I cannot see the name on the front tang, but do think ScienceGuy has given the answer. I have several with a maker's mark on the blade, reverse tang with the retailer's name on front tang, etc.

This one is killing me! A Chicago retailer on front tang...This on the back!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

To me the bell looks quite like that of the Brookes & Crookes mark seen on Shilling Razors. See below:

Attachment 233957

---

Thanks. That is exactly the same bell. In one of the online resources the Brookes and Crookes bell is not open on the bottom so I had discounted it as not being made by them. I would say that that is the perfect example.

Sorry, but those bells do not look the same to me.

How so Ron? To me they both have an open bottom a band around the middle and a polygon on top, the general shape of the bell is more or less the same. The one in ScienceGuys example in not nearly as deep but the shape is very close. I cannot help but be left wondering what it is that you are, or are not seeing.

The shape of the hanger is different. One is wider than the other in comparison to the top of the bell.

The horizontal line is vertically centered in one and is slightly higher in the other.

The clapper is centered in one and off centered in the other.

Certainly small anomalies occur in tang stamps in different examples from the same maker?
I doubt if these stamps were made any other way than by hand and I reckon they went through many of them.
The stamp for the razor in the OP would be designated for razors stamped for a retailer, only a bell, while ScienceGuy's bell example is part of the overall Brookes and Crookes stamp.

That, and Shaun's razor screams Sheffield-made. No one else in England would have used that stamp unless it was sold to another maker, I think. JMO

Excellent point. They very well may have had to make several stamps over the years and there is no reason to expect that they would be identical.

I did look at several examples of other bells and that one seems to be pretty darn close, and oddly enough one of the examples I was looking at was a Brookes and Crookes bell that was completely different, however it was an illustration in a book and as far as I am concerned a photo of a stamp trumps a drawing in a book. If feel confident that we have a maker. Now if we can figure out Tom's mark and this G Johnson thing. I will try to get better pictures of that one. Those looked much better in the camera than on the internet.

I concur on the bell: most likely Brookes & Crookes.

The G. Johnson is mysterious, however. I've never seen one quite like it. It's a later model for sure -- 1870's at a minimum, probably 1890's (based on the blade style and the type of bone scales), but the mark is completely baffling.

And Tom's is an enduring mystery as well!

But hey, mysteries are fun!