[Updated July 2021]
Hi there! I’m so glad you stopped in today. I’m going to be talking about collecting vintage scissors: a little history, some values, and how to display them.
One of my fondest memories of my dear sweet grandmother is of two pair of very long shears hanging on her kitchen wall. You always knew where to find them and God-forbid you forgot to return them to their correct location!
Grandma sometimes had a sharp tongue but always a big heart. I do miss her terribly.
Some Scissor History
During my research, I learned that historians believe the earliest form of scissors were developed in prehistory and would have looked something like the sheep shearers of today.
I picked up this pair of 4″ primitive scissors for $1 at the Gristmill Antique Center where I have my booth. I’m not sure if they are genuine antiques or reproductions. I’m leaning toward the latter, but you never know!
They are certainly similar to cutting tools that would have been precursors to our modern scissors.
Cross bladed scissors as we know them, date to the first century, but they weren’t commonly used until the Middle Ages. Through the 1700’s rivets connected the blades (as seen above), after that, screws.
Each pair of scissors would have been hand-forged from iron until about 1840. After this point, molded steel began to replace the more costly process of making them one pair at a time.
Types of Scissors
Scissors come in all shapes and sizes and and are designed for a variety of different purposes, including to cut hair, paper, fabric, or thread. Seamstresses, gardeners, school children, medical professionals, and regular people use them every day. We’d be lost without them!
Scissor Parts
Collecting Vintage English Scissors
Because of its large iron ore deposits, Sheffield (England) was a mecca, as early as 1160, for cutlery production. By the mid-1800’s, over 100 cutlery manufacturers operated out of Sheffield, filling an eager market with high quality knives and scissors.
1. The first pair of scissors (top) is marked “I. Mars, Sheffield” along with a crown and the letters “V” and “R,” which stand for Victoria Regina, or Queen Victoria.
Items marked with a royal seal were akin to a stamp-of-approval from the monarch, letting buyers know the high value of such well-constructed items.
The shape is certainly very interesting and the blades are held together with rivets, which usually indicates an older pair. Another clue to their age: after 1877, Queen Victoria added an “I” to her mark because she had become Imperatrix, or Empress, of India.
*NOTE: Seth, a very helpful reader, informed me in the comments below that these are “bookbinder” scissors. They are designed to cut through heavy materials like leather. Thanks for the assist Seth!
2. Richards of Sheffield: In 1930, the Richartz brothers, who hailed from Solingen (Germany), opened what would be the largest cutlery factory in Sheffield.
Before WWII, they anglicized their name to “Richards,” which you can see engraved on the scissors next to the rivet (above). The Imperial Knife Company in America bought them out in 1977, but the plant closed about ten years later.
3. Carl Monkhouse: The hair cutting scissors (in the first illustration above) are signed “Carl Monkhouse, Sheffield, England” on one side and “Reblade, Alleghany, NY” on the other.
They serve as a good example of what I call a hybrid scissor. Monkhouse, a German cutler, immigrated to the US and established a cutlery company in Alleghany. There, he used blades imported from Sheffield to craft these scissors.
Collecting Vintage German Scissors
Solingen (Germany), perhaps Sheffield’s most serious rival, also had a fine reputation as a source of quality cutlery. In fact, it was known in Northern Europe as the “City of the Blades,” and it remains the cutlery center of Germany to this day.
Interestingly, I read on Wikipedia, that a band of sword-smiths from the city broke their “guild oath” in the late 1600’s and took their skills and technology with them to England(!).
Wasa, Solingen
These embroidery scissors, marked “WASA Solingen” are delicately decorated and lovely to cut with.
WASA refers to a particular company in Solingen that has been manufacturing scissors for at least a century.
Germany
Aren’t these the darlingest?!! Marked simply “Germany,” this tiny 1 1/4″ pair with molded bunny decoration sold from my antique booth in 2019 for $15.
Solingen, Germany, KB Extra, Krusius Bros.
Scissor manufacturers, like Krusius Bros. of Solingen often used stork motifs for their embroidery scissors. Krusius Bros. began using its “KB Extra” mark, which I found on this pair, in 1901.
The company began operations in 1886 and didn’t close until 1983.
Western Shear Co./Germany
This dainty, 2 1/2″ pair, likely used for embroidery, is one of my favorites. I love its curves and how over-sized its finger holes appear.
They are marked “Germany” on one side and “Western Shear Co.” on the other. Another pair of hybrid scissors made in Germany, distributed in the U.S.
Westfield Shear Co./Germany
Here you see a pair of folding scissor signed “Westfield Shear Co, Germany”–another hybrid with blades from Germany and distribution by an American company.
Collecting Vintage American Scissors
Not surprisingly, immigrants from both Sheffield (UK) and Solingen (GER) were primarily responsible for establishing the first cutlery businesses in America.
Connecticut’s Naugatuck Valley, Newark (NJ), and Fremont (OH) became centers for scissor production in this country (American Scissors & Shears: An Antique & Vintage Collector’s Guide).
Clauss Shear Company, Fremont, OH
German brothers John and Henri founded the Clauss Shear Company in Fremont (OH) in 1877 (initially as the Elyria Shear Works).
After a devastating fire, followed by a rebuild, they changed the name to Clauss Shear Company and became one of the world’s largest scissor manufacturers. They are still in business.
Wiss, Newark, NJ
Wiss may be a name you recognize in scissors and shears, due in part to the fact that early in the 20th century they ranked #1 in world scissor production.
In 1847 Jacob Wiss immigrated to Newark and opened a shop where he began forging scissors and shears. He would provide the US government with scissors and other medical implements during the Civil War.
Currently owned by the Apex Tool Group, Wiss scissors are still in production.
Schnefel Bros., La Cross of Newark, NJ
The mark on this pair of scissors reads “Schnefel Bros. Germany” on one side and “La Cross, Newark, NJ” on the other. La Cross, of course, is a name most of us know and love, but why is “Germany” engraved on the same pair?
The Schenfel brothers, who founded their company in New Jersy in 1903, had extensive experience manufacturing and dealing in cutlery since they had been raised in the industry in their home city of Solingen (Germany).
In 1931, they filed a trademark for the La Cross brand and began producing nail and cuticle implements. Today you can easily find the brand in almost any drug store in America. Del Laboratories owns the division, which it integrated into its Sally Hansen line in 1994.
Griffon Cutlery Works
The sole mark on this pair of small scissors, “Griffon,” led me to the year 1888, when Albert Silberstein founded Griffon Cutlery Works in NYC, first on Broadway, then 5th Avenue.
At 151 West Street in NYC, you can still see the remains of a sign painted on a brick exterior, advertising “Griffon Shears & Scissors.”
Notably, Griffon Cutlery maintained an outlet in Solingen (Germany), leading me to think that Silberstein likely emigrated to the US with a strong background in scissor and knife manufacture.
Are They Scissors or Shears?
I learned while preparing this post that scissors measuring 8″ or more should technically be referred to as “shears.” Therefore, this blue handled pair are not scissors, they are shears.
In additions, shears will have one finger hole larger than the other.
In my scissor/shears-buying experience, I have come across many unmarked examples, like this pair of 10″ shears. I love their proportions, with its blades that seem to go on forever.
How to Collect Vintage Scissors
A beginning scissor collector could focus on a brand, a city of manufacture, or even a color(!).
Or you could focus on function. For example, a diverse collection of school scissors in a rainbow of colors would make a fun collection.
If space is an issue for you, you may consider collecting folding scissors–a fascinating little collectible. The pair on the left are marked “Hong Kong,” while those on the right, “Germany.”
Dainty embroidery scissors offer another option for those with space concerns. Who can resist a pair of scissors shaped like a stork??
On the other hand, you could follow my example and buy every pair you come across that’s priced under a dollar 🙂 In which case, you’ll end up with a very eclectic, but thoroughly enjoyable, collection.
Vintage Scissor Values
All of the examples you’ve seen today are part of my personal collection. It’s kind of an accidental one that has taken on a life of its own, LOL.
Scissors and shears like these can typically be purchased for 50¢ to $1.00 at garage and estate sales and are worth between $5-20.00 apiece.Expect to pay $20-100 or more for antique, ornate, or Sterling silver examples.
How to Display Your Vintage Scissor Collection
I store many of my scissors and shears by standing them upright in a flower frog, like this clear glass one. This works with cage-type frogs, too.
You can also display them in a vintage frame, as you see here. I have framed several pair and sold them from my booth at the annual Christmas craft show I participate in every year. They sell quite nicely.
Attach them to a backing using a dab of hot glue and when you change your mind, the glue will be easy to peel off.
Scissors in Popular Culture
Alfred Hitchcock directed movies that involved any number of different murder weapons. But he once said, “A murder without a gleaming pair of scissors is like asparagus without hollandaise sauce.”
Who doesn’t remember the nightmare-inducing Edward Scissorhands?? Not because it was so scary but because scissors for hands are horrifying!
And finally, I learned a new-to-me superstition that says dropping a pair of scissors can lead to bad luck, and under NO circumstances should you pick said scissors. Ask someone else to do it for you or you’ll suffer MORE bad luck.
Fortunately for me, I don’t believe in luck, good or bad 🙂
One of the perks of collecting scissors is that they are a relatively small collectible, even if you include larger pairs in your collection. Therefore, they don’t threaten to overtake your home, as perhaps ironstone or artwork could.
Little historical artifacts, scissors have a story to tell about industry, culture, style, and even genealogy, if you are fortunate enough to have inherited a pair or two from an ancestor.
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Sources:
The Cutting Edge: Antique Scissors
American Scissors and Shears