Thread: What is your most rare straight razor?

Neat! He did make razors (I've never seen one), but the form of that razor is much more recent, probably mid-late 1800s. The pamphlet was published after he was already well established in (first edition was I think late 1700s). It's possible this could be his mark passed down or bought but I'm just not sure.

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

Neat! He did make razors (I've never seen one), but the form of that razor is much more recent, probably mid-late 1800s. The pamphlet was published after he was already well established in (first edition was I think late 1700s). It's possible this could be his mark passed down or bought but I'm just not sure.

Seems Kingsbury was a Royal Barber?
Anyway, this thing is unusual, I suppose.
Top and bottom jimps and no other stampings.

Loving this thread and pictures, keep 'em coming fellas!

Science guy!!!!
I've been wondering if there was anyone out there with stamps/dies from when they etched/stamped the blades or put the maker on the tang. That was an amazing find! Thankfully you found it before it ended up getting recycled.
Thanks for posting that!!!!!

Here are a few of mine, some maybe not so much rare in the traditional sense, but with unique aspects. First up is a rarity, a Heljestrand Mk 134 7/8. I've only seen one other. Beautifully made razor.

Next is a James H. Flagg lever-action removable blade French frameback. What's so rare about that? The patent and patent date. First, the tang says 'USA Patent' and the blade is stamped with a patent date, January 2, 99 which had to be 1899 from the records on James H. Flagg who ran a cutlery shop in NYC. The razor is stamped 'Made in France' which it undoubtedly was as the lever-action mechanism is uncommon but seen on French framebacks.

How can you patent a French design that's been produced for years? Good question, because other than the locking mechanism, it's just a frameback. The biggest chuckle is the date. New Year's Day in 1899 was on a Sunday, which means Monday was a holiday and if you look at patent records, there are none because well, it's a holiday. I also found no record of the patent number though I did find some other patents issued to James H. Flagg.

Cheers, Steve

Next up is an Unwin and Rodgers, a company that made shears and only a few straight razors and I've not seen any in this good of shape. I bought it off eBay in a Victorian traveling razor box and couldn't see the brand, but the razor looked OK. Everything else was pretty much junk including the razor's original scales.

What's rare about it? How many of your classic razor makers would also make you a matching pistol knife?

Cheers, Steve

I've posted this Le Jaguar once before here, but it is rare in the sense that it is a 63-year old razor that I know almost the entire history of. It was sold to a gentleman in Haute Maroc, on March 31, 1955 and came with the original postcard order confirmation, and two promotional 'cards' one of which is actually a silver gelatin black and white photograph. I wonder why he never used it.

Cheers, Steve

Here's a nice original cased pair of Touron-Parisot razors in tortoise shell. Touron Parisot was an upscale Parisian cutlery shop and the razors were not that rare but I've never seen another cased pair. The case has an address on it, and there's now a chocolate shop there and you can see it on Google maps street view. Their cutlery shows up on eBay now and then.

The acquision is part of the story here, they were listed by an antiques dealer in Barrington, RI, home of Doc226 aka Alfredo, so I'm glad he wasn't prowling the antique shops then! The dealer listed them as faux tortoise, which they could not possibly be if the scales are original and the washers and scale shape (ironing board) indicate that they are. Why? These razors were made circa 1850-1860. Before about 1850 the brand was Parisot and after 1860 they were out of business. Plastic wasn't invented until about 20 years later, so they didn't have any faux tortoise when these were made. And they looked like tortoise, but that alone isn't enough to bet the farm on. The dealer undoubtedly knew what they were but you can't overtly sell tortoise or ivory on eBay. I suppose he figured knowledgeable buyers would know and he'd flip them faster.

Cheers, Steve

Here's another cased pair of French razors, again maybe not so rare except for them being an original cased pair, and I've not seen another Spanish point Le Grelot. I also know most of the history because I bought them on BST from one of the finest gentlemen at SRP, JimmyHAD. Jimmy said that he bought them NOS years ago from a dealer in France who had honed them once. Jimmy did not hone them but I touched them up on a jnat finisher once.

These lovely razors came in genuine faux tortoise (lol) scales that I had two problems with. One, they were in no way complimentary of the superb steel they encased. Cheap plastic on some world-class steel, and only the Japanese were worse. They'd put the world's finest razor steel in scales so cheap you wouldn't throw them at a stray cat spraying your heirloom roses. Secondly, I was worried about the potential for cel rot destroying these beautiful blades, though maybe that was unfounded, but better safe than sorry I think. So before all the ivory was gone, I had Mark Yount (mycarver) scale them in elephant ivory, a material that was used occasionally by Le Grelot and that turned this pair into a work of razor art IMO.

Thank you JimmyHAD.

Cheers, Steve

Paul Waldmin - Mora. Not very common


The first Gebrüder Meis I ever saw. Full hollow!



Sold both to a collector in Germany recently, that is just to much gold for me.