Thread: Roll the dice: get something nice. E.L. & Co. Masonic

CAUTION!

Professional on closed course. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS AT HOME!



The description:
"including: pliers, wrenches, straight razors, forceps, and police truncheon"

I looked at the two pictures, saw the size of that one razor, and immediately decided to in for it as soon as bidding started. I sent the link over to ScienceGuy and commented that the black scaled razor was obviously enormous.

He countered that the scales and blade shape looked most like the old E.L. & Co razors.

I agreed.

We were both right.





At the top is an 8/8 W&B FBU, below that is an 8/8 T. Ascher Masonic etch and then this beasty.

It measures a hair under 10/8 at the widest.

E.L. & Co was Edward Leon & Company, the company being mostly his family. There are a couple of good threads about Edward and his (likely) family.

Intriguingly, the Leon and Ascher families both seem to have moved into the Masonic etching business right around the same time of a major schism in German Freemasonry over the admission of Jews. I have never found solid info on Ascher, but it's a pretty safe bet the Ascher razors and the Leon razors were made around the same time -- 1840ish. Sadly, all I've got is speculation.

And a couple of gigantic razors.

Oh, and the other razor was a bone-scaled 5/8 hollow-ground made by Pappy Ern in the 1870's.

Great finds, you gotta luv when you stumble onto something like this, Congrats.

Bob