Thread: USA made CMON. A Burrell/Case connection?

I had bought this old CMon a while back. It was in rotten yellow scales, but the blade and bluing looked new. As I drug it out, I marveled at the blades condition. I wondered about the cruddy yellow scales and set to work unpinning it for some refurbed black Bakelite.It IS a Blackie, after all!
As I was drilling the pin, I saw USA on the tail, I flipped it over and saw Ellicottville, NY on the backside tang. Something else did not seem right, though. As I retrieved my PJM Blackie, I saw that the USA one had Blackie over Cmon and the PJM German one had Cmon over Blackie!
I was tipped off by the cheap yellow original scales and also the Ellicottville stamp. Off I went to retreive my unrestored Top Flight. Yep, same cruddy yellow scales. Ellicott NY seeems stamped the exact same and the blades were identical!
Did a bit of looking and ran across some cool info about Burrell cutlery. It was founded in 1940 by Harold and Addie Case Burrell. Their Top Flight razors were only produced in 1941 and 1942, probably cut short by WW2. Their products were also made with other names on them, I learned, as is common in the razor world. John Burrell, a grandson, is now the last of the Case descendants still in the cutlery business with the Seneca Indian nation in sovereign Seneca Territory, Gowanda,NY making specialty knives. Much the same as the olden days when the Cases worked with the native Seneca. Check out First Nations Knives site for some cool Case history!
Now to Carl Monkhouse. We all know he bought and resold everything from Fillys to Ducks and put his name on it. It would seem too coincidental if he did not go down the road and buy to resell from Burrell!
Any other info would be appreciated. Tom

I believe Carl Monkhouse was a manufacturer and one of his locations was in Ellicottville. PJM, a seperate company that just sold re-branded products or products made for them, purchased the rights to the "C-Mon" (Carl Monkhouse) name and had it put on the razors they sold including Fillys razors. I believe the difference between your razors is that the one in the plain scales was from Carl and the razor w/ the inlay was from PJM. Both are quality razors. I have a few PJM C-Mon razors and I am pleased with the shaves from them.

So my PJM Blackie was after Carl Monkhouse sold his name, and the USA one before? I had always heard that he was a buyer and seller, not a maker. I could not come up with any manufacturing from him. I thought that the Burrell and Ellicottville was too close for coincidence. I also read where Cmon moved from Ellicottville to Allegheny in 1937 and that Carl Monkhouse III still runs Carl Monkhouse Cutlery Associates there. Amazing how much info we can find, yet how little!

You might want to check out the geographical relationships among Ellicottville, Little Valley, Olean, and Bradford PA. I think family and business were kept pretty close around there. For us, that's probably a good thing, everyone involved seemed to appreciate quality.

Burrell also made Straights for the military I believe,I have one around here in an issue box with ordinance markings,Have to find it.great stuff.thx for posting.

I'd like to share pics of this C-Mon Hand Forged razor stamped Ellicottville NY.

An update to this thread regarding Carl Monkhouse and Burrell Cutlery. Martin dug this up a while back.

I though Carl Monkhouse was the maker first germany then US. And PJM was a reseller for Carl's Cmon razors under PJM Cmon.

Where are you getting your info on Carl being a seller etc?
Any info would be appreciated

Look at the above article. Carl was trained in Germany and emigrated to the U.S. He had Ace Cutlery in San Fran. He went east and moved into Burrell's building. Did a big business back in the 30's 40's 50's. As that thinned out, he sold his name to PJM.
That is when the 'Germany" and fancy scales came from. Prior to that, he sold HFs. Specials, Blackies, etc from Ellicottville (plain and simple razors) ,
WHICH I attribute to Mr Burrell. I have never seen a CMon razor from San Francisco, nor an Ace razor which bears his name. Hence, a dealer. A businessman!
Must have been a good one! His name seems to have been worth a pretty penny. JMO

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Look at the above article. Carl was trained in Germany and emigrated to the U.S. He had Ace Cutlery in San Fran. He went east and moved into Burrell's building. Did a big business back in the 30's 40's 50's. As that thinned out, he sold his name to PJM.
That is when the 'Germany" and fancy scales came from. Prior to that, he sold HFs. Specials, Blackies, etc from Ellicottville (plain and simple razors) ,
WHICH I attribute to Mr Burrell. I have never seen a CMon razor from San Francisco, nor an Ace razor which bears his name. Hence, a dealer. A businessman!
Must have been a good one! His name seems to have been worth a pretty penny. JMO

Makes sense about the simple razors. But I think you are confused. Carl M only sold his name to PJM until 1937 when he came to US from germany. After that they either had a partnership or sole CM operation. "Carl Monkhouse III now runs Carl Monkhouse, Cutlery Associates and Reblade Manufacturing (a sharpening service), still in Allegheny NY." PJM closed in 55' and reopend later under different ownership.

History links:
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...Carl-Monkhouse
http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...khouse-jr.html
http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...shop-Durham-NC


Either way I am trying to find out who made the Spear razor. Its a bough and resold PJM razor. Wondering if anyone knows if its a Carl M or ....?