Know what kind of razor this is?

E

Etap73

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May 1, 2015
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My mother gave me a razor an elderly woman she knew gave her back in the 90's. It was her husbands, he bought it when they got married and used it for 60 years. I've been using it for a couple of months and cannot find out what brand it is? The blade says Sweetheart silver steel, . The tang? Says m. Hyman Soligen. The box says fully warranted, full hollow grind $2.00. The only part of the box that is illegible is what I assume is the brand name.

I figure it was from the 1920's, just a guess based on the ages. The lady was in her 90's when she gave it to my mom. Anyone have any ideas?

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This is my first attempt to post pics so let me know if they don't show.
 
I can't say 100% for certain, but it was very common practice leading into the turn of the century to order imported razors and have their company name/logo stamped on the tang; hardware stores, department stores, manufacturers of other products, etc... And Germany was one of the biggest importers of said blades. Many "made in Germany" or "Solingen" stamped blades marked with American company names are in existence, unfortunately in depth historic information behind the German manufacturers (like bookings regarding who made blades for who) is little to none due to the fact that the Solingen factories were all destroyed and bombed to rubble during WWII, and even companies like Boker have little historic documentation left of their "prewar" era. A shame, but a casualty of war.

That being said, 60 years of use and 25 years since your mother acquired it would put it right around 1930(ish), and a quick Google search turns up a registered trademark from 1907-08 for an M. Hyman confectionery & catering co. In Denver, CO. (Further searching shows an old Hyman luncheon restaurant in Denver traced to the same confectioner/caterer, though I didn't divulge much further then that.

Maybe, just maybe M.Hyman ordered some razors with his co. Stamp as a part of a Valentine's Sweetheart candy/razor package gift for "guys" or something along those lines? Again, I can't be certain, but it's a possibility.
If you can trace this razor through your mother or the old woman to the Denver area, then that chance becomes much more plausible...
 
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That would sound pretty plausible to me. I believe the solingen makers didn't have as much of a makers mark tradition as the English makers did, as hallmarks and registered makers are very much an English thing.

Looks like a good blade, probably of decent quality.
 
Yeah, I mean, fwiw if it is in fact vintage, Solingen steel is right up there with vintage Sheffield (England) and vintage US steel, so whichever factory manufactured it, its more then likely a qualify blade.
 
Thanks for the info, I will check with my mom. She was living in oregon when the lady have her the razor. It Wouldn't be a stretch to make that connection. I was simply looking for razors when I Googled it. Very interesting thought. Makes perfect sense to order stuff with your name on it but is odd that it was a confectionery.

Very interesting, I am new to straight razor shaveing, so I can't speak to the quality. It shaves better than my mach 4 after I honed it and got the hang of it.
 
Yeah, the confectionary was just an example; a quick search, first thing I came across that roughly fit the time period, and i could make the "sweetheart" connection, but just a real rough guess... Any M. Hyman could be responsible.

As typically known as a men's grooming item, a men's clothing store makes sense too, catering to their clients with other items not just clothing; wallets, cuff links, watches, STRAIGHT RAZORS, etc.

If you can narrow down regionally where the razor originated from, it would definitely help narrow down the likelihood of who or what M. Hyman was.
 
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