History of Barbershop Shears Patent

This product has dozens of uses and is in every barbershop in the world.

Leonardo da Vinci has often been credited with inventing scissors, which he used to cut canvas, but they are first thought to have appeared 3 to 4 thousand years ago in Mesopotamia. Over time, scissors evolved to be used for gardening, food preparation, metalwork, medical purposes, and clothes-making, in addition to grooming.

The form spread globally, but they didn’t become ubiquitous until 1761, when Robert Hinchliffe of Sheffield, England first started mass-producing the scissors we know today.

In the States, on February 23rd, 1909, Gustav Thorsell of Chicago, Illinois patented the design used in barbershops around the world today. He specifically patented shears with detachable blades, and in his filing specifically referenced shears used by tailors to cut cloth.

Check out the patent