doesn't look right

[rideon66]

Antique Primitive Folding Straight Razor from 1634 by Locksmith Robert Pease | eBay

Does this look like a razor from 1634 to you?

[BobH]

With limited knowledge of very old razors and just as a guess, I would say it could be from that time period. Interested to see what those knowledgeable in the field of very old razors have to say.

Bob

[Steel]

Why on EARTH would they want to sell a family heirloom like that is beyond me!! Keep it in the family and pass it down!!

[rideon66]

I am no expert either. From what I have seen this looks more like a 1775 or newer. That is why I was wondering what others thought. It is way more than I want to spend anyway. I was more interested in the history. They seem to have the provenance, but that doesn't mean it is true or even the same razor.

[Steel]

The only way I would pay that would be if it was from my own family. If it was legit and in my family I would pay 3 times that. Smh

[Neil Miller]

Well the family history looks OK. A member of the family wrote this in the late 1800s:



The razor looks about right too. This one is from 1612:



This one is from 1670:



and this one is not so accurately dated, but comes from the 17th century:



The 1670 one is of particular interest. It is dated 1670 by the artist (this is a small detail of a still-life scene painted by a Dutch artist) but look at the tail - one in the eye for those who try to assign dates by tail shape!

The tang on the razor in the auction is reminiscent of a French razor (tail-less) but it appears to jut out too far and is a little ragged, so it was probably some kind of stub tail that has been damaged, in my opinion.

Without a makers mark or name on the actual razor, then all the history and documentation are useless - it might as well be any razor, not necessarily made by a locksmith. The Art of the Locksmith goes back a long, long way. In the 17th century a good locksmith would be asked to provide intricately detailed locks for churches and public buildings, so the art was a thing in its own right, like that of the razorsmith. I can see a blacksmith of this era making razors - the french excelled at this niche, but a locksmith seems to be a bit debateable, though I might be far off the mark here.

It is a bit like selling a thuringian as an Escher as far as I am concerned - it has to have a name on it.

Regards
Neil

[rideon66]

Well at least it answered part of my question. I did not think that particular blade shape went that far back. I had one with similar shape from known maker. So I know it is not that old, but was trying to date it and came up with 1775 based on the shape and style. So mine may be a bit older than I thought only a few years though.