Escher boxes and other distinguishing marks

I would have done all of this in one post but we are only allowed to upload 7 photos and there were too many pix to do it all in one so we have three posts with 7 photos in each. Here are a few Escher boxes and some other odds and ends. First ink stamps on the honing surface. If you're lucky you may find a mint unused Escher and it may have the ink stamps seen in this photo. I've also seen them where the stone had no color label on the end but did have the color designation ink stamped on the honing surface.

For boxes we start with a Pike distributed Escher Barber's Delight. We know from the old catalog that this was the highest price hone of it's size that Escher made. The 10" in the wooden box may have been more but was much larger. Below that are two boxes with identical labels on the top. I believe these stones are not as old as the other labels with the barber scene but I'm not sure of that. An oddity with these two is that the yellow box contained an end labeled Light Green hone with "Barber's Choice" on a side label while the light green box contained a yellow/green hone. No end label but comparing it with others I'm sure that is what it is. These two stones both had the same back label as is shown on the box top. Peeled off easily when wet so the labels get set aside for safe storage.

The blue box contains a blue/green hone, the one with the ink stamps seen in the first photo. The box is stamped with the name of the hardware that sold it and I was told that they were in business until 1905. I can't confirm that one way or the other. I've seen one other Escher with the identical box but in Dark Blue IIRC. The 10" long Escher stones came in a wooden box with a very large slurry stone. I haven't lucked into one of those so no pic but they are out there.

Here is a photo of saw marks on the sides of some stones that are typical of Eschers that I've run across. Many of them also have saw marks on each end. As noted in the post on back labels. Apparently the company wasn't too fussy about smoothing out the sides or back of the hones. Finally here is a photo of an Escher natural combo slurry stone. A yellow/green and blue/green. So Escher combo stones are out there too. I'm going to transfer the contents of these Escher posts into the SRP Wiki when I get the free time. I hope this information may be helpful to other lovers of the mysterious Escher razor hones.

Thanks Jimmy;

Beautiful. I appreciate the nice pics, in case I’m ever lucky enough to find any in an antique shop. I love looking at the Escher’s and the J-Nats and the Charnley Forests etc etc.. The only thing better is to actually get to use them. Randy “DANCE” had a huge yellow green at the Mid MO meet I was fortunate enough to get to use on my newly acquired Alex Jacques razor.

I usually finish with a really nice Nakayama Habutae w/ karasu but then, a few passes on my small yellow/green Escher and the edge is so verrrry smooth. I am happy with what I have learned from Sham and Kelly in honing and keeping my razors edges tip top. That’s the concept. I would rather look at these natural hone stones than precious gems. (I have a jeweler friend and have seen some magnificent gems). You guys have some amazing collections. Congratulations. :)

cool stuff, jimmy. your name really tells the tale (I'm thinking of the suffix part). any iea how many hones escher made over the years? What years were they in business? How many hones you think are still around? Also, have you figured out any way for one to ID the color of one's escher?

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Originally Posted by Mijbil

cool stuff, jimmy. your name really tells the tale (I'm thinking of the suffix part). any iea how many hones escher made over the years? What years were they in business? How many hones you think are still around? Also, have you figured out any way for one to ID the color of one's escher?

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No clue to how many they made but they began, according to the label, in 1790. They were still in business in the early twentieth century but for how long is unknown to me. Perhaps it was WW1 and it's aftermath when Germany was in a state of anarchy or maybe the great depression, which was world wide, that drove the nail in their coffin. OTOH, it may have been that demand slowed and the market wouldn't support the company or the supply dried up. Whatever it was they seem to have faded away.

No telling how many are around. To those who used them they seem to have hung on to them and they eventually make it to an estate or a yard sale. Who knows how many were simply thrown in the trash can.

The only way to ID the color is by having end labeled stones to compare and/or a lot of experience with them. IME they are all good finishing stones no matter the color. Some, as in all naturals, may be better for some things, than others.