Thread: Okay, this seller's listing are starting to rub me the wrong way...

Originally Posted by JeffE

So I guess the lesson is that the words really don't mean anything unless you can see it in the photos, right?!

Roger that - and even when you see good photos it can still be a bit of a puzzle . Out of curiosity I just looked up Geo. Rodgers in my Goin's 2nd etc. Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings and it does have a listing for old George R.: "G(crown)R Rodgers Cutlers to His Majesty" c. 1820-1830"...

... but the shape of the blade, tang, etc. look a smidgen more recent to me (late 1800's maybe?) -- and the tang of that razor has crown with V R, not G R. So even the printed 'dependable' resources and razors themselves can deepen the puzzle further rather than solve it.

All part of the lure and intrigue of collecting and/or restoring historic razors I guess

*EDIT*
This looks like it may be a little more likely for that particular blade, just found it in Taylor's 1000: "Rodgers George springknife, razor, &c. manufacturer, court: 14 Edward street; house: 150 Broad lane From Whites Directory of Sheffield 1852"

Great info, Mal!! I like that website you found -- very good information. I've never seen the Goin's book, but it looks like it's required reading for us razor freaks. Thanks!

Like a few other guys here, I've bought from paneraiguy myself, and have been satisfied.

Back when I bought from him several months ago, he generally linked his auctions to individual external photo site albums, that had at least 8 - 10 very large photos that left little to the imagination about the actual condition of the razor. I effectively ignored his listing description, and went by the pics, period.

So here's why I like the paneraiguy - if you look, there's really no guesswork. He takes big, clinical-looking pictures, always with a ruler to show measurements. The lighting is always the same - no cute, warm lighting or ambience knick-knacks to make the razor look like anything other than what it is, flaws or no flaws.

If more people on eBay posted photos with this level of detail, it would have saved me and many others from asking a lot of unnecessary questions and buying a fair percentage of junk. He sometimes does actually sell junk, but you can clearly SEE that it's junk, and it goes for an appropriate price. That's worth something, in my book.