Thread: Greaves, Pauldrons, and Gauntlets

I was just outbid on a nice one on ebay...my day will come I guess.

They are absolutely beautiful, Jimmy. Great score.

Wow, Jimmy! What a great catch. Really beautiful. And I'm glad Holli located that last one because I really like the unusual tang on that guy. Here are a few that I have to contribute to the collection. This first one is a 13/16 near wedge with an unusual oblique kind of point. It also has an original Greaves coffin.

Regards - Walt

This one is a 6/8 near wedge with that sexy swayback and a nice thumb notch. I think this is the only razor I own that has the wedge and the bolster cast as a single unit. I looked with a 10x loupe and couldn't see any seams or joints.

And finally one that is sitting in the repair box. It is a 15/16 half hollow, which appears to be a regrind. The barber's notch is very deep (about 3/16"), and is marked only Sheaf Works. Does anyone know if this mark pre-dates the Wm. Greaves & Sons inscription?

Originally Posted by Walt

And finally one that is sitting in the repair box. It is a 15/16 half hollow, which appears to be a regrind. The barber's notch is very deep (about 3/16"), and is marked only Sheaf Works. Does anyone know if this mark pre-dates the Wm. Greaves & Sons inscription?

Nice collection Walt, thanks for showing them. I don't have it now , nor do I have a photo, but I once owned a stub tailed razor marked Greaves on the tang and Sheaf Works was pressed into the horn scales. So it goes back to the stub tailed era and is associated with Greaves that far back. Maybe Manah might have some documentation on whether or not it Sheaf Works was a marque used by any other maker or if it was exclusive to Greaves. I've never seen it on any but Greaves but I am not an authority.

Originally Posted by Walt

And finally one that is sitting in the repair box. It is a 15/16 half hollow, which appears to be a regrind. The barber's notch is very deep (about 3/16"), and is marked only Sheaf Works. Does anyone know if this mark pre-dates the Wm. Greaves & Sons inscription?

It's my understanding that Wm. Greaves & Sons later moved to the Sheaf Works. There's several entries on Uniclectica for Greaves but it's not clear. I'll dig out my book at home I think it's a little more specific.

My Greaves collection. The last one is a stub tail I recently acquired.

I know that (according to Goins' Encyclopedia) Greaves built the Sheaf Works in 1826 and then sold out to B.J. Eyre in 1850. So, all of Greaves razors must have been made during those years. My question was whether Greaves used the singular "Sheaf Works" stamp before, after or during the same time they used the complete Wm. Greaves & Sons stamping. It may be a rhetorical question since documentation from those years is very scare.

Regards - Walt

Standard Guide to Razors has the following:

W. Greaves & Sons, England/Holland; 1780-1816
W. Greaves & Sons, Sheath Works, England; 1816-1880

There's also a Wm. Greaves, England; 1820-1858 which I assume is a different maker than the others.