Gustav Felix, Gloriawerk, Solingen | RZM M7/28
The Gustav Felix Stahlwarenfabrik company traces its beginnings back to the Felix family farm where knives were being made for a hobby in 1790. Production expanded into a metal working business and commercial manufacturing began in 1843. The business was registered in Solingen on July 8, 1882. In the mid-nineteenth century: cutlery, knives, scissors and flatware were all being manufactured. Felix offered military items including British Elcho bayonet swords and a few complete French Mle 1866 chassepot bayonets before the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871. Felix registered the swan and better-known desk blotter trademarks in 1895. "Gloriawerk" was registered in 1909. From 1890 to 1914, the company began an expansionary period. A new location was established in Copenhagen, Denmark. Throughout Germany subsidiaries were created in: Hamburg, Aachen and Leipzig in the early part of the 1900s. Followed by branches in: Berlin, Frankfurt, Magdeburg and Lubeck. Knives were also sold throughout Russia and eastern Europe prior to 1914. Robert Felix was the owner in 1900. Robert partnered with Gustav Felix, the younger, in 1914. By 1922, the company was offering: cutlery, pocket knives, scissors and straight razors. In 1932, the main headquarters was located on Grünewalder Straße 2. During the Third Reich era, SA/NSKK daggers and HJ knives were being manufactured. The company received its RZM license in 1935. Gustav Felix was the sole owner in 1939. The Solingen premises was destroyed in an air raid in November 1944, but trading was re-established after the end of WWII and a modern factory was built in 1957. Five years later, Felix contributed to the formation of "Pilatus Stahl- und Schneidwaren AG" in Switzerland and was soon working in collaboration with Professor Karl Dittert of Schwäbisch Gmünd to develop a new "Classica" range of kitchen knives. The "Exacta" range of scissors soon followed. The company is currently trading as "Felix GmbH & Co. KG Stahlwarenfabrik," using the hammer and anvil trademark. The business is still owned by the Felix family and brands itself as one of the oldest and best manufacturers of knives in the world.
| Maker | Gustav Felix, Gloriawerk |
| Location | Solingen |
| RZM Number | RZM M7/28 |
| Trademark | Desk Blotter, Swan, Hammer and Anvil |
| Founded | 1843 |
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Reference:
Hogle, N. (2021). The Collector’s Guide to Hitler Youth Knives.