Thread: Case/ Looking for more info

Hello all, new to this forum. I found this old case razor, and tried to do some research on what exactly it is, or when it was made. I came up with nothing, and was hoping someone here would have information. The picture doesnt show well, but it says "Case brothers little valley ny" and on the opposite side it is stamped "tested xx"

Welcome to the forum and here is a start. STRAZORS.com - all about classic razors - W.R.Case & Sons, U.S.A.

Bob

There are three Case buffs here.
Sharptonn
Engine46
And the other name escapes me.
There are some very in depth threads on the subject. If you want a short cut, pm one of the two mentioned and post clear pictures of the makers marks.

Look on Strazors.com
You will find history there

Nice blade. Looks to be in pretty good condition. You going to shave with it??

I have some reference material on Case Brothers razors but it is at work, I will look for it on Monday.

Hey guys thanks for all the info. I am actually from the little valley area so i thought it was a cool find. I plan on shaving with it, but i have only used shavettes since I got into this style of shaving. So, I'll likely send it out to get cleaned up and sharpened first. And Fenster that would be awesome thank you

Jayzuv51, is this a full sized razor? What is the length of just the handle (scales)?

Here is what I found.
Short answer: 1907 – 1912

Long answer below:

Most, but not all, of the following was taken from American Premium Guide to Knives & Razors - Identification and Value Guide – 7th Edition by Jim Sargent

Brief history (there is much more): - In 1896, John D. Case, together with his brothers, formed Case Brothers Cutlery Co. in Little Valley, N.Y. On March 27, 1912, Case Brothers, Little Valley, N.Y., burned to the ground. It was rebuilt in Springville, N.Y. in 1913, but was never able to recover from two devastating fires and went out of business late in 1914. On Oct. 21, 1914, Case Brothers sold its rights to the “Tested XX” trademark to W.R. Case and Sons, ending the 18-year history of the Case
Brothers Cutlery Company.

Tang Stamps: The tang on yours appears to be stamped. Below is a picture from the guide that seemed to match yours, earlier ones were etched, not stamped. This stamp was from 1907-1912 according to the Guide.


Little Valley Stamping (c. 1907-1912).

Scales (handle): Some of the faux bamboo handles of that period had a pin at the wedge end and some (like yours) did not. It is very difficult to tell if those are the original scales or not. They are period correct, but looking at the pivot pin, it looks like it has been re-pinned. It may have been that someone unpinned the razor just to clean it up then put it back together, or the scales may have been replaced with a different set at some time. Either way it looks like a nice 100 year old vintage razor. Nice find.

Wow! Thank you that is exactly the info I was hoping to find. The scales measure about 5.5". Im excited to start shaving with it, quite happy with my first antique razor purchase

Your welcome. One thing to remember is that most of these vintage razors are carbon steel and they will rust. There are lots of different ways to take care of them and store them, but one of the biggest things to remember is to dry them off COMPETELY each time.