Thread: Need help identifying a razor...

I picked up a razor at an antique store the other day and I'm having problems finding out about it. It's a Griffon XX 60 with the inscription "the real IXL razor" and "carbo magnetic" on the blade. I'm coming up pretty empty about the history of the company and about when the razor was made. I love the way it shaves, so any information about it would be great.

I have a Griffon "Carbo Magnetic" stamped 'made with Kayser Ellison steel'. Griffon was a Solingen made razor.Appears to me you have a Griffon blade in a Wostenholme IXL set of scales.

There were a number of Griffon companies, most of them US based and with the same date of foundation - 1893 - and belonging to the Griffon Cutlery Works, HQ in New York City. The Company was run by Albert L Silberstein (some sources say date of foundation was 1888) up until 1927, then his son Alfred took over.

The most likely one looks to be Griffon XX of Bridgepost, Conn.

They had a factory in Solingen, Germany, too.

In the 1940s the name changed to Griffon Cutlery Corp.

Some of the Carbo-Magnetic blades (magnetic carbon steel) had "60 Rex Tonsor" on them and a tiny stamping right at the end of the tail. No doubt we'll get the usual "...back in the old days they said anything they liked and it was totally meaningless..." but the blade was made from carbon steel and it was magnetic - though why magnetic blades should be any better than others is beyond me.

Regards,
Neil

+1 on what Jimmy says about the scales.

I've worked on many Griffon's. A Griffon carbo, #10 and #00.

Beautiful shavers and very solid steel. There is a 'Griffon' on the back side of the tang.

Yes,good. So the scales are from another razor then? Interesting, what is the history of that do you think? About how old is the blade and the scales respectively- or is there any way to tell for certain. I like the razor a lot and I use it everyday now, so collectability is not an issue for me, but it would be cool to know about when it was made.

Originally Posted by Ozzlefinch

I'm coming up pretty empty about the history of the company and about when the razor was made.

Griffon is in the SRDB. You will find there also the #60 model.

Thanks, but according to the information Griffon made razors from 1893-1921, but the Carbo Magnetic and Antelope are circa 1930, 9 years after they stopped making them, but the company is either still in business today, or went under either in 1921 or 1966 depending on what source is used.

The SRDB is wrong.

So what are the correct years of manufacture for this company and particularly the Carbo Magnetic? Every source I go to has a different date of production.

Front page of Time, 1933 - here - so 1921 is very clearly wrong.

New York times article - here - shows a building used as Griffons HQ from the 20s to the 60s.

Cole National Corp - article - acquired Griffon in 1969.

There's a ton more - try Google.