When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Description
An outstanding pair of original Hall & Colley professional tailor\'s shears, hand forged in Sheffield, England, dating to approximately 1845–1865.
These quality Victorian shears measure 9 3/8 inches overall with 4 1/2\" exposed cutting edges.The blades retain a smooth, precise action, opening and closing exactly as a well-made pair of Sheffield shears should.
Stamped on the blade is the historic \"S and crossed-pipes\" trademark used by Colley & Company and later Hall & Colley, one of Sheffield\'s respected nineteenth-century scissors and razor manufacturers. The Hawley Collection documents that Colley & Company used the \"S and crossed-pipes\" mark inherited from Alice Colley before the business evolved into Hall & Colley.
These shears were hand forged from high-carbon crucible steel during Sheffield\'s golden age of cutlery manufacture. Every feature reflects their quality:
- Original forged carbon steel construction
- Heavy oval bow handles
- Broad tailor\'s blades
- Original domed peened pivot
- Smooth operating action
- Wonderful untouched age patina
- No repairs or modern alterations observed
Unlike later export examples, these are not stamped \"England,\" consistent with manufacture before the widespread country-of-origin marking requirements that followed the late nineteenth century.
Professional shears like these were built to serve a lifetime in a tailor\'s shop, dressmaker\'s workroom, or textile business. They represent the remarkable craftsmanship that established Sheffield as the world\'s premier center for scissors and edge-tool production throughout the Victorian era.
Measurements
- Maker: Hall & Colley
- Origin: Sheffield, England
- Date: Circa 1845–1865
- Overall Length: 9 3/8 inches
- Exposed Cutting Length: 4 1/2 inches
- Construction: Forged high-carbon steel
- Action: Smooth
An increasingly scarce example from one of Sheffield\'s historic scissorsmith families and an excellent addition to any collection of antique tools, sewing implements, Sheffield cutlery, or Victorian industrial antiques.
