Fantastic thread! I love the idea of obtaining something from this era, but it is rather daunting looking at the condition some of these razors are in.

I think my current oldest vintage is a Marshes & Shepard stub tail that I purchased already restored guessing 1825-40 if I recall the company dates for the way the tang is stamped.

I am going to assume that the same general condition issues apply when looking for an early straight, such as pitting, rust and edge condition...but what gets me is blade geometry? Some of these razors appear to be mere slivers of steel. At what point is too little, really too little steel left to hone and use? Thats also brings up the honing issue. I've only just gotten into addressing some of the issues I encounter with my vintage "project straights," trying to figure out how to tackle one of these truly old razors is...well daunting to me.

Anyways, I am enjoying reading the thread from the start...a real wealth of knowledge here. Keep up the good work and posting the pictures!

Cheers,

Brian