Hi All,
I'm looking for some help trying to determine the age of what I believe is my grandfather's straight razor. It appears to be made by Thistle Cut Co. out of New York, which is stamped on the shank with what appears to be a thistle leaf logo. Stamped or etched into the blade itself is "Electric Tower" with an illustration of what looks like a skyscraper along the edge of a harbor. It also has fancy scrolling around the edges of the illustration. On the monkey tail is stamped "x13302" which is what I can only assume is the serial number.
The blade appears to be in pretty good condition with no obvious cracks or nicks. The shank looks a little worn on the edges from what I think is stropping over the years, but this appears to be normal wear and tear. The scales are in pretty poor shape and having been chipped along the edges over the years. The rivets, however, continue to hold fast. I can't tell what material the scales are made from. They're black, but I'm not sure whether they're made from wood, bone that has been painted over, or some other material. Finally, it came to me housed in a Joseph Allen & Sons box, but based on the research I've done so far, the only connection between the two was that the box was a convenient means of storage.
Anyway, if anyone can give some info regarding the company, the overall quality of their products and possibly the approximate age of the razor, I'd appreciate it. The value of the item is more sentimental than monetary, but as I'm not really familiar with straight razors, it would be fun to know how much one this old might be worth. (Probably $20 to $40 is my guess.)
Thanks
I'm looking for some help trying to determine the age of what I believe is my grandfather's straight razor. It appears to be made by Thistle Cut Co. out of New York, which is stamped on the shank with what appears to be a thistle leaf logo. Stamped or etched into the blade itself is "Electric Tower" with an illustration of what looks like a skyscraper along the edge of a harbor. It also has fancy scrolling around the edges of the illustration. On the monkey tail is stamped "x13302" which is what I can only assume is the serial number.
The blade appears to be in pretty good condition with no obvious cracks or nicks. The shank looks a little worn on the edges from what I think is stropping over the years, but this appears to be normal wear and tear. The scales are in pretty poor shape and having been chipped along the edges over the years. The rivets, however, continue to hold fast. I can't tell what material the scales are made from. They're black, but I'm not sure whether they're made from wood, bone that has been painted over, or some other material. Finally, it came to me housed in a Joseph Allen & Sons box, but based on the research I've done so far, the only connection between the two was that the box was a convenient means of storage.
Anyway, if anyone can give some info regarding the company, the overall quality of their products and possibly the approximate age of the razor, I'd appreciate it. The value of the item is more sentimental than monetary, but as I'm not really familiar with straight razors, it would be fun to know how much one this old might be worth. (Probably $20 to $40 is my guess.)
Thanks
