Thread: What do I have here?

Hi All! I recently received these razors from a family friend and I haven't been able to find any information about them online, hoping the collective knowledge and experience here can help with identification. The engravings on the razors are "A.J.Jordan Sheffield England" and "OLD FAITHFUL TRADE AaAImark". Pics below. Any information would be appreciated.

I do not know about the history of the maker, but one of those blades has been modified at the heel.

Stefan is correct. One of them looks like the heel's been modified. Other than that, Sheffield steel is legandary. Good stuff. Very hard. My Sheffields respond very well to my Jnats. They should clean up nicely, and take a good edge.....

Maker of the 'Old Faithful' brand among others, A J Jordan is notable for being the only american razor-maker in Sheffield. Originally based in St. Louis, Missouri he decided that the best knives and razors came not from Germany but from Sheffield. Most people would have been content with importing the Sheffield item, but not Mr Jordan - he left the US for Sheffield and opened his own factory - the East India Works! The factory was at 20 Radford Street, but soon proved to be too small so he moved to a three floor building occupying numbers 6 - 10 Baker Street. This soon proved too small as well, so he moved again to Furnival Street, where he kept 120 employees busy making all sorts of cutlery bearing his "AAA1" brand. After some time he moved back to America, but still maintained a residence in Sheffield.

Regards,
Neil

My little razor book says : England, Germany...St Louis Mo. I suppose A.J. Jordan was in St Louis and imported razors from England and Germany? The box seems to have St Lous on it.
I have found dates 1878-1926. Your's seem to be later in the window.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

My little razor book says : England, Germany...St Louis Mo. I suppose A.J. Jordan was in St Louis and imported razors from England and Germany? The box seems to have St Lous on it.
I have found dates 1878-1926. Your's seem to be later in the window.

He started off in St Louis Tom, in 1878 as you say. Originally he was an importer of german cutlery and at one time had a bill-head made that proclaimed him as sole agent of Friedmann & Lauterjung, but he liked hand-crafted items and often had knives, etc, made for him in sheffield, which impressed him so much that he decided Sheffield steel and manufacture was best, and what could be better than having his own works in Sheffield! So, in 1885 he duly set up shop in Sheffield, but he maintained the St Louis store, shipping his Sheffield-made goods back home. BTW his son bought Platts Bros Cutlery in Andover NY and had a concern in Clay Cutlery in the same city, with dear old dad as the agent!

Regards,
Neil

This set was made by Andrew Jackson Jordan company.
He was born in Baltimore in 1845. He established a cutlery retailing business in St Louis in 1871, which at first imported German goods. Jordan liked quality in cutlery and that led him to look across the Atlantic.
'His trade was almost entirely in America, but it was in Sheffield that he established his factory, as he wished to deal only in first-class Sheffield goods' (Sheffield Daily Telegraph, 22 June 1929).
In 1885 he started his own business in the town, first in Radford Street, and then in a more substantial building (East India Works) in Baker's Hill.
By 1900, Jordan had moved his operations to a larger factory in Furnival Street. He acted as agent for an early American version of the safety razor - the 'Star' - made by Kampfe Bros. he also had cutlery made in Germany.
Andrew Jordan left Sheffield for the last time in 1920. It marked his retirement and the US business was renamed the C.D. Jordan Cutlery Co. Jordan died in St Louis on 3 June 1929, aged 83, with his Sheffield firm still making razors. But it didn't survive his passing.

Yep Alex - thank goodness for good old Tweedale, or we wouldn't have much to repeat!

Regards,
Neil

IN addition to what Neil said, Andrew Jackson Jordan was quite and entrepreneur in the cutlery business. He bought out the bankrupt Platts Bros factory in Union, NY in 1912 and started producing knives there. Having a brain fart at the moment but after a short period of making knives under his name at the factory he started making knives under his nephew's name and at the moment I can not recall the nephew's name...

A. J. Jordan "harness punch" which is virtually identical to a Platts.


The trademark AaAA1 was also used on pocket knives made in Sheffield by Jordan who also produced flatware and kitchen cutlery as well.

Interesting company if you care to track it all down.

A. J. Jordan pearl tang Solingen razor.

Wow! Thanks Neil and Alex! Wullie, the knife history is the answer to a lot of razor questions. Good to have an educated knife historian here! Ask and you shall receive! ( ChrisMN, I will send a bill! )
Nice to learn,
Tom