Straight Razor Auction Ending 5/7 - Session 2

#301 – Collection of Henry T. Lummus 19thC horn handled straight razors. 20 unique sheffield razors all having his personal "code" or item number on the pile side head end.

Collection of Henry T. Lummus 19thC horn handled straight razors. 20 unique sheffield razors all having his personal "code" or item number on the pile side head end. When I was doing research for my Straight Razor Collecting book in the late 1970's, I came across several articles in Antiques Magazine written by Lummus on straight razor collecting in the 1920's. His articles were informative and being written in the 1920's, his collecting interests were strictly pre-celluloid handles or "goffed" blades. Subsequent research brought to light that he was a serious collector as well as the youngest Supreme Court Judge in Mass. at the time. I found his son who lived in Lynn, MA. His son remembered the razors but could not shed any light on the dot code that his dad used. I researched the Estate which led me to a prominent New Hampshire Auctioneer that handled the Lummus Estate back in the 1940's. The original collection numbered approximately 1,500 pieces. A significant number were donated to the Shelburne Museum in Vermont and are on display there today. After several years of bugging the Auctioneer in NH I was able to purchase what he had, approximately 500 pre-1880 Sheffield made straight razors. I have not been able to break the code of recessed dots, some colored red, that seems to revolve around the head pin. I once layed out all the razors, lining up all the similar patterns to the code next to each other. But, could not figure out what Mr. Lummus was thinking. Anyway, he was a collector at a time when there wasnt much interest in staight razors. He saved many for us to enjoy today. Since 1980, I have slowly sold most of the Lummus razors that I acquired. This represents most of what I still have to offer.

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