Thread: Old J.R. Torrey find

Originally Posted by dave5225

That ain't no Torrey . That razor is around 200 years old ! Nice find !

do you have link to a source?
I can't tell for sure from the pic but it looks like the razor is quite worn off.

Yeah, that is an oldie. In Collecting Straight Razors by Robert Doyle he mentions the transition from straight scales like those to gradual curved scales in the early 1800s. That is a stub tail as well although it has a distinct tang. Nice old razor IMO.

I don't have a link to any source . I can tell by the style of the razor , that it's 200 years or a little older . Looks pretty good for it's age , to me . I don't shave with razors that are that old , although there are others who do .

Just took a look in the Doyle book and going by his info that razor would date to around 1800. I have a late 1700s Roger's Cast Steel that I have shaved with. You can see it in the stub tailed shavers razor club here.

Thanks, fellas. As the weekend went on I realized it was not a Torrey. When I inspect the tang I originally thought it was welded back on. It looks like it was hammered on an anvil! What the hell do I do with it!
Pete

Originally Posted by Peterman

Thanks, fellas. As the weekend went on I realized it was not a Torrey. When I inspect the tang I originally thought it was welded back on. It looks like it was hammered on an anvil! What the hell do I do with it!
Pete

Pete. it is hard to say without a closer look but it might hone up and shave fine. A lot of black corrosion around the edge and I'm not sure how much blade is gone but you might luck out and have a decent shaver there. Than again maybe not. Cool old collectible though. I have an old 1700s piece with a chip too big to hone out but I wouldn't trade it for a dubl duck.

I have a shave ready Torrey I'd trade you , for it .

Thanks to everybody for the evaluation. It's old and it's not a Torrey, but who is the manufacturer? I gather from your replies that because of the age it is unclear who made it. The stamp looks like "I-SHAW", but I guess it could be a "J". Is it a Shaw & Sons? I've taken some better pictures, let me know if I should post them for another look.
Thanks,
Pete

I found John Shaw & Sons , Wolverhampton & Sheffield , in business in 1892 . Which doesn't nescessarly mean they started in 1892 . Perhaps I. Shaw could be his great grandfather or uncle . You should post this razor in the razor section of the forum . There are people there that may be able to give you more info .

Originally Posted by Peterman

Thanks to everybody for the evaluation. It's old and it's not a Torrey, but who is the manufacturer? I gather from your replies that because of the age it is unclear who made it. The stamp looks like "I-SHAW", but I guess it could be a "J". Is it a Shaw & Sons? I've taken some better pictures, let me know if I should post them for another look.
Thanks,
Pete

Just thinking Pete, if you were to post a photo of it in the Stub Tailed Razor Club here it would be appreciated. Also in the SRP Wiki Razor database here. That way the next fellow who finds a Shaw will have a point of reference and we all love razor porn.