Cased Seven Day Cut-throat Razor Set by Thomas Lund of 57 Cornhill London

For sale, an exquisite William IV burr walnut cased seven day cut-throat razor set by Thomas Lund of 57 Cornhill, London

This superbly crafted campaign style box is comprised of beautifully figured burr walnut throughout, with brass inlay surrounding each corner of the box, a brass rectangular cartouche to the lid and brass lock escutcheon with working lock and key. The interior is lined with a sumptuous dark blue silk velvet to the lid and continues throughout the sectioned base for secure storage of the razors.

Each razor is comprised of a bone handle with a steel razor hinged to the end. All are marked to “Lund – 57 Cornhill” and are expertly etched to the edge with the seven days of the week.

I am not brave enough to have tested them but the razors maintain a high degree of sharpness and are in good working order.

The maker of this early set of cut-throat razors is one Thomas Lund of Cornhill who is considered to have started in business in 1804, moving to his famous premises at 57 Cornhill in 1814. From there Lund made his name as a manufacturer of high quality boxes, pens, cutlery and also (rather unusually) as an importer of filtering stones for water treatment.

Thomas’s son, William Lund was apprenticed to William Anderson, a cutlery and razor manufacturer and on Anderson’s death in 1835, took over his master’s business at 24 Fleet Street. This business was run separately from his Father’s business until Thomas’s death in 1845 whereupon both businesses fell under William’s stewardship. William himself died in 1872 and his son Charles continued the business under the title of William Lund & Son. The company continued to trade until 1972.

The Lund dynasty were prolific inventors and their pens, pencils, copying machines and perhaps most famous of all their patent corkscrews are highly prized amongst collectors today. The company’s example of boxes and dressing cases are also of exquisite quality and are equally sought after.

After Thomas’s death, William is known to have signed his wares with both the Cornhill and Fleet Street addresses so we can comfortably assign this piece to Thomas Lund and date it to between 1814 and 1845.

A simply stunning early example of its type and still very useable today.

Circa 1830