What does the Puma mark date?

The trademark. Puma was registered in 1921 and Puma Solingen in 1926, so a razor carrying either is no earlier than those years — which is a lower bound and not the year of the razor.

The maker's archive

Puma razors.

Puma is one of the rare straight-razor makers where real years exist — but they are mark registration years, not dates of manufacture. The registrations run from 1913 to 1981, and the mark itself tells you which line and which floor it stands on.

Country: Germany
Active since
Coverage: 1760–1983 · 3 code systems
Dating tier: Codes only
In the archive: 0 series · 3 code systems · 1 models
Years documented: 1760–1983

Eras

1913–1926

The marks accumulate

Capri is registered in 1913, then Pluma and Katzenbaer in 1919, a group including Gnat, Razor King and Shaver King in 1920, Puma itself in 1921, and Puma Solingen in 1926.

1943–1981

The later marks

Madonna in 1943, Foerstmeister in 1952, Nimrod in 1957, and Pumaster in 1963 carry the firm to the end of the recorded series.

What dates this maker

The mark on the tang — its registration year is a lower bound for any razor carrying it.
The documented registrations: Puma 1921, Puma Solingen 1926, Pumaster 1963, with the earlier marks from 1913.
The country mark Solingen or Germany, a lower bound of 1 March 1891.
The shared grind and scale markers.

Watch out

A registration year is a floor, not a date: a Puma-marked razor is no earlier than 1921 and could be decades later.
The registration years come from Solingen directories rather than from the firm, and they date the trademark, not the object.

Puma (Lauterjung) — stamps and mark registration yearsthe marks were registered from 1913 → 1981; the firm appears in the directories of 1932 and 1983 · 16 rows · Medium confidence

Country mark (lower bound, NOT a year)the requirement applies from 1 March 1891 (Tariff Act of 1890, also known as the McKinley Tariff) · 2 rows · High confidence

Grind, spine, scales, etching — era markers of a straight razor1700s → mid-1900s · 16 rows · Low confidence

1 Puma models are catalogued with their production years, specs and safety notes.