Thread: Oldest Wostenholm's???

These two are a recent eBay find that I got separately for an exceptionally cheap deal, each less than $75. I think someone bid on the larger one which is the one with just a pipe w/o wording. The smaller one says cast steel on it & I was the only bidder. They are very old as you can see with a straight pipe stem instead of a curved pipe stem like they usually are. The larger one is 6 1/4" closed with a 4 3/4" blade w/o tail & the smaller one is 5 3/4" closed with a 4 3/8" blade w/o tail.

I'm no expert, someone who knows more will be along, but ........ There were more than one maker who used the pipe as a symbol/logo. I cannot remember who the other one was offhand. Maybe manah posted on it before, or it may have been Martin103 or Voidmonster ? I would say the smaller one is definitely a regrind. Not a bad thing, as it will probably shave very well. I had one like your larger example and sold it 8 or 10 years ago. Wish I hadn't. I also had a 7 day set of travel razor stubtails with the pipe logo in ivory. Sold that too when I purged mysefl of a 20 year collection of straights in '06. Anyway, nice pair of pipe razors. BTW, if you'll notice, Wosty had that logo on his razor cases, "The only true and original pipe razor", or something to that effect. This was because of the other guy using the pipe.

Yeah, I agree with you on the smaller one. It is too clean to look that old & someone probably hit it on their grinding machine but did a good job on it. I have read that there were counterfeit's made back then. The smaller one also has an arrow in front of the pipe.

Check out post 3 and 6 on this thread ......... http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ipe-razor.html

Thank you for the info. Any thing on this is greatly appreciated. The smaller one with the arrow MIGHT not be a Wosty!

It does not appear to be a Geo. Wostenholm as the pipe is straight but Neil should "pipe" in here shortly.

I was thinking that earlier pieces may have had a straight stem but I could be wrong. Both seem to be pretty old because of the stubby tail.

I found out this from Neil Miller:

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...ml#post1262113

Looks like one of them is a Wardrobe & Smith & the other is a Geo Johnson.

i think either in the stub tail club or the 1700's show there is a razor with the same mark , and it was determined that the Geo. Wostenholm's actually were in business post dating the razor shape ect .. forgive me if mis information as im trying to remember and havnt looked at the threads again !! but it was something like that ..lol

The smaller one (I'm guessing George Johnson) has been reground on the blade face to hollow out the blade and also had a shoulder cut into it. Originally it would have had either no shoulder, or only a very slightly pronounced one. Same thing happened to these two: