Thread: Two New Razors (new to me at least)

Hi again everyone, I have another couple of questions, I purchased a Bismarck razor the other day at an antique shop for $15, the blade was tarnished and had some rust on it, I set to polishing it and the blade looks brand new, I also polished the scales to a near new shiny black, I know that Dovo bought out Bismarck but there is no reference to Dovo on the box, the instructions for use are on the box and it states that you should lay the blade as flat as possible. I also picked up a Victory razor the other day for nothing that was gorgeous, very wide blade, made in Germany, the writing is old, it was made for a Barber Shop supply company in New Haven by Victory in Germany, hence, the box says Victory, Made In Germany and the other half of the box as well as the tang says Amendola Bros. New Haven Ct. The handle appears to be bone or Ivory and it is a square point blade, any ideas on these razors as far as quality, history, materials or anything else that might be interesting or helpful? Thanks in advance.

I've heard nothing but good things about Bismark razors, and I seem to recall that the pre-Dovo ones were great. I've not heard anything about the Victory blade, but I've yet to hear of a vintage German blade that is not at least a solid shaver.

Pictures would help alot. One picture says 1000 words

No problem, I'll take a few and post them in a few minutes

Before 1957 "Bismarck" was a separate company. And they didn't know that "Dovo" will buy them.=)
About second company I can say nothing yet.

And here they are.

What is that one, a 7/8? Looks to be bone or celluloid - Ive never seen ivory that thick in scales that shape.

The hatching/criss cross on the tang is the same on my Hibbard Spencer, another German brand without 'Solingen' present.

I dont know anything about that blade, but being the size it is, and vintage German it looks like a winner.

Get it honed and use it!

Looks like you did pretty good there for 15 bucks.

I don't believe that it is a man made material due to the fact that it is always cold feeling to the skin, i.e. plastics are usually room temperature due to their insulating properties bones and ivories are conductors of heat and pull the heat from your skin and make the surface feel cold like marble and granite do. The inside of the scales appear to be sawn as there are linear tool markings but I just have no idea whether bone or ivory

I don't know for sure, but I think that ivory has a layered look to it and bone has an open grain structure. However, Whale bone may have the same layering as ivory. This is based on my two razors: one is French Ivory and the other is bone. The French ivory has straight lines of white running through the off-white scales.