Thread: Torrey Army model history?

I know that this an an old thread... however.
Last week I picked up a J.R. Torrey Co. razor on e-bay, Identical to the one on the picture. Is it the same razor pictured or an other just like it?
I a new to the forum and to shaving with straight edge, didn't use the razor yet, still struggling to get it right.

Igor

Originally Posted by FatboySlim

Dylan, I have a cool (but long out of print) book called "The Razor Anthology" published in 1995 as a series of razor-related articles from Knife World magazine. I picked it up at an online used book store. It has articles devoted to the history of many razor makers, one of them Torrey. Maybe this was the article you're referring to. The quality of the articles varies from excellent to terrible, but the Torrey one is good. This notes below are gleaned from that article.

• In 1880, a Sheffield immigrant named Joseph Turner joined J. R. Torrey, and they started making their own razors.
• The earliest marking for the Torrey razors is three straight lines on the shank that read "THE TORREY RAZOR CO. / WORCESTER, MASS / USA".
• The article notes an 1895 Torrey catalog in which the "usual" Torrey marking appears, which it describes as "THE J.R. TORREY CO." in an arc over a "U.S." and an arrow trademark with "WORCESTER, MASS" under the trademark.

Wow, that makes my Torrey older then I thought! Mine has the text in three straight lines, so I guess that suggests that it was made between 1880 and 1895!

Torrey held the military contract for the Army for several years. It's when they put the military markings on them

I have two Torrey razors.
One with 'Army" on the blade, the other is on older one with name in three straight lines.
Both in great shape.