Thread: Razor Id Needed

Any ideas on this? It's my first this old and I'm planning on doing a restore including fixing the scales

I cant tell what the stamping is above the Temper. Whats it look like to you and ill look further into it.
Maybe it says The Union?

Originally Posted by TrilliumLT

I cant tell what the stamping is above the Temper. Whats it look like to you and ill look further into it.
Maybe it says The Union?

Here's a better picture

Goins has very little but here it is
Superior Temper c1820

Thats it. Hope it helps

Colin

Originally Posted by TrilliumLT

Goins has very little but here it is
Superior Temper c1820

Thats it. Hope it helps

Colin

Thank you very much!!

I'm not sure.
But most likely, the razor was made by Benjamin Milnes of Worrall, near Sheffield. He was in business since 1787.
The similar razor was dated by Henry T. Lummus as 1815. In that year B.Milnes used trademark "Superior" and was in London or had office there.

It is probably just speculation without an actual name. I have seen "superior temper' on saws, tools, swords, knives - lots of things, too many to believe that it was used specifically as a trademark. It probably means what it says, that the steel has undergone a process to give it a superior temper. Most things with this legend on them seem to be from the 1820s - 1870s. Possibly it's use was just as prevalent as 'acier fondu' which was not an individuals mark but merely meant cast steel. A more modern analogy might be the use of 'Silver Steel' or 'silberstahl' - just a steel formulation, not a makers mark.

Regards,
Neil

PS: Lummus records that superior temper (and other writing) on razors by Benjamin Milnes were "inscriptions" - i.e.: not trademarks. Trademarks aka makers marks were recorded as unique identifying marks by the Cutlers Company, and the mark was entered into a ledger with the current holders name (old marks were re-issued for re-use when the last holder of the mark was deceased or his business taken over, which misleads many people trying to identify the maker by mark alone). As far as I am aware Milnes used 'MILNS' (his surname without the 'e') for his trademark.

We all know the marks used by Rogers, for example, and the fact that various of their razors bore inscriptions like "Real Old English Razor" and "Fine India Steel" but we don't mistakenly assume that 'Fine India Steel' etc is anything but an inscription.