Thread: Joseph Smit&sons sheffield. england

Jimmy is absolutely right.
That's why the Geo.Wostenholm company often filed suit against other firms with similar trademarks. This was costly but deemed necessary to protect their name. One of the first litigation in 1888 was against a Wm.Woolhouse of Melbourne for the similar trademark of "Non XL". While this action was apparently successful against Wollhouse, Joseph Allen made application to register a similar mark.
From the article in Knife World, November 1984:
"A razor marked "Non-XLL, Joseph Allen & Sons, Sheffield, England" looks very much like the "Pipe" razor . The brass pins, metal spacer, clear horn handle and the gold design are very similar to the Geo.Wostenholm razor. The word, "Dagger" and an illustration of a dagger, however, are substituted for the word "Pipe" and illustration of a pipe".

Originally Posted by manah

No, but interestingly.
Benjamin James Eyre died on 5 September 1878, aged 66.
In 1876, he sold his Sheffield firm and New York office to the New York merchant house of Frederick Wiebuch.
This razor was made more later.
After the death of F. Wiebusch in 1893, the firm became part of the Wiebusch & Hilger Company of New York.
By 1899, they had purchased the Hatch Cutlery Company of Bridgeport, and moved into the Hatch factory. The name then became the Challenge Cutlery Company.
I have no facts now, and I can only guess(!) that this razor was also made by Joseph Allen & Sons company. They used marks of different companies: Jonathan Crookes, Levesley Bros., Joseph Smith and etc.
There was a good business with trademarks/stamps.
For example, the Adolph Kastor company paid Joseph Allen a royalty for the use of its "NON-XLL" mark, because of the resemblance to Wostenholm's "I*XL".

Not only are we yet again impressed by the Strait Razor answer guy manah, but he manages to pick up another thread (Wostenholm) that is of interest to me. Todays shave was a Geo Wostenholm & Son's "Conquerer" - which adds to the doo-daa-doo-daa que the sci-fi sound effects for me.
And manah's great notes help me date my B.J. Eyre "Two Fish" to 1899-1914...yet another mystery solved.

Thank you again, let us know when you are going to start your "Straight Razor Story Time" series, I'm sure you will draw a crowd.