Thread: Gilchrist. Not the composer; his dad. Not the painter; his granddad.

And then comes this oddity, which makes me think that the W. Gilchrist razors come after the Ramapo razors.





That is indeed the Joseph Elliot corporate mark next to Gilchrist's name. Seems pretty odd, doesn't it?

That is Wade & Butcher's 'Bow Razor' mark. I have seen, but do not own, a Gilchrist razor with the W&B arrow & cross mark.

This is where things get doubly interesting, and where I'd like help.

First of all, Robert Wade (W&B's main salesman in America and son of founder Robert Wade), was a personal friend of Gilchrist. The sort of friend you call on when you're being accused of treason, in fact.

Second, this marks the beginning of Gilchrist razors in my collection with model numbers (if we don't count the Ramapo razors, which I'm entirely unsure about whether we should or not).

I'd like all of you other collectors out there to find your Gilchrist & Ramapo razors and share pictures of them here with their model numbers. There are huge gaps in my collection, and having more of them might help figure out where the Ramapo razors fit into the grand scheme of things.

Another frameback, and quite close numerically to the last one.

All the rest I have are 'Razor Steel' with a model number.

Onwards!

Number 12, and another uncommon old Sheffield blade pattern, though this one turns up from time to time, it's often been reground and just has mysterious runnels down the blade length. Well, this is what those originally looked like. I have no idea what it was called. It has elements of a half-rattler, but then there's that channel which is... ?

They get weirder.

No. 14







The most distinctive of all the Gilchrist razors I've got. The blade shape and tang features are the same as W&B's Ottoman Egyptian, but it's got that half-rattler / half semi-hollowed thing going on too.

No. 39, a pair.











A BIG jump in model numbers there. Oh how I wish these were in better shape, as the scales are badly eaten up and the box has definitely seen better days too, but it is in good enough condition to see how lovely it was. (Other Gilchrist boxes are indigo blue, well before Levi's came onto the scene).

No. 44





Again, a distinctly unusual blade design. It's somewhat similar to the Old Army Razors, but has different proportions.

Now then, why do I think the W. Gilchrist razors come after the Ramapo?

Because I think Gilchrist and some workmen were making the Ramapo razors themselves until their forge burned down, from there all his razors are clearly Sheffield designs and even include corporate marks (Elliot's C's & cross, W&B's bow, also their arrow), and what I know of the poor guy suggests his fortunes were at their highpoint in '53 and then went steadily downhill until they reached their nadir during the Civil War (even though Lincoln carried a Gilchrist pocket knife).

And here my contribution ends, at least for now.