Thread: A little historical help please

Hello,
I have come across two straight razors, and I am not sure value wise what I have. Both have their original cases. The first is from Union Razor Cutlery Co. Union City, Ga. It is a Griffon 60xx from Germany. Imprinted on the blade is Carbo Magnetic. No nicks in the blade, and feels sharp after all these years.
The second says on the case Marshes and Shepherd. The Ponds Works Shepherd is engraved on the blade. Also engraved close to the handle in small print is "Manufactured of Marshall and Shepherd celebrated cast Steel". There is a #1 inset on the brown handle.
I do sell on E-Bay, but these are not my specialty. I bought an antique cabinet for myself and these were inside. I tried to take them back to the lady i bought the cabinet from, and she said if they were in there just keep them.
I am off to work, and I will not be able to see return posts until I get home. But thank you in advance for any history you may be able to provide.

Larry

Welcome.

We can provide history here, but not valuations as it is against site policy.

There is a great knowledge base here that should be able to provide information as to the history of your razors. Pictures would also be a great help if you are able to provide them..!

Good luck!

Welcome to SRP. Those are both "good" razors and would be fine shavers if they are in good condition and were professionally honed. If you want to know what they are worth do a search in completed items on ebay and you'll eventually run into some examples of what the market dictating at present. If you want to begin to shave with a straight razor you'll find pro honers in the SRP classifieds here under 'member services'.

I'm confused about your description of the first razor. If it's a Carbomagnetic, then it's not a Union. The Carbo was made by the Griffon Cutlery Company in New York City and in Solingen Germany. Union is an entirely different company. Is the CarboMagnetic razor in a Union box? This mistake is made by many ebay sellers and causes problems for inexperienced buyers. The odd thing is that some sellers will continue to insist that the box properly identifies the razor. By their logic, if you put a Timex watch in a Rolex box then that makes it a Rolex.

As I stated at the beginning I have no idea, this was the box it was in. So it appears that I have a Union Razor box. The Griffon does say Germany on it, but does not say it was made there. Can you give me an idea of how old it is based on the info I provided. Also still need info on second razor. Thanks in advance.

Originally Posted by Larcol

Hello,
I have come across two straight razors, and I am not sure value wise what I have. Both have their original cases. The first is from Union Razor Cutlery Co. Union City, Ga. It is a Griffon 60xx from Germany. Imprinted on the blade is Carbo Magnetic. No nicks in the blade, and feels sharp after all these years.
.........

I am a fan of the Carbo Magnetic/ Griffon razors.
The three I have are examples of my favorite grind
that displays a small belly.
Of interest they are fragile and often well used
to the point that they are honed well up and into
the belly (and trademark)....

Do you have any photos?

I will take some photos, working out how to get it on this posting site

I have the pics on my computer but it is asking me for a url. I don't have that, I just want to upload it.

Originally Posted by Larcol

I have the pics on my computer but it is asking me for a url. I don't have that, I just want to upload it.

If you hit quick reply, click on Go Advanced below the message box, hit Manage Attachments and follow the instructions through to Upload on that page. Looking forward to seeing the pictures.

I think I have the pics now