Thread: Date Ranges of Manufacture

My husband received a straight razor after his dad passed away and it has been passed down through the generations. We are trying to determine the approximate age. Here is the description:
The Celebrated
Hollow Ground Razor
Circle B Arrow Cross brand

The tang has:
Manufactured By
Wade & Butcher
Sheffield
Circle B Arrow Cross brand

The handle appears to be Bakelite and is black. It's not bone; almost positive it's Bakelite or something much like that.
It's about 6 inches long closed and including exposed lever handle and around 10 inches fully open.
There is an inward curve on the outermost end of blade.

Any information on years this particular razor was manufactured would be most appreciated.

Pictures are always a Plus!

Wade and Butcher were in business for many years! Check here:
Straight Razor Manufacturers and Dates of Operation

With there not being any Country of Origin only Sheffield, it's probably made back in the later 1880's or so, but that's just 'my' guess!

Thanks so much. I will check the link. Also trying to date Bakelite material to narrow the timeframe down.

The link shows this under Wade & Butcher:
WADE & BUTCHER
Successor to Robert Wade; succeeded by Butcher, Brown & Butcher
Sheffield
1818-1890

I think that narrows it down very nicely. Thanks so much for the link, cudarunner.

By the way, it's still in it's original box with an embossed design on each piece where the pieces meet to open/close. No paperwork inside or branding on the box.

Best regards,

tsarnold

Originally Posted by tsarnold

Thanks so much. I will check the link. Also trying to date Bakelite material to narrow the timeframe down.

I don't trust them 100% but this might be of some help!

Bakelite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Do the handles have any grain to them ? W&B made many razors with buffalo horn scales (handles). To some people, if horn scales are shiny, they can appear to be plastic or Bakelite. They did make scales of Bakelite too though. If I understand your description the "inward curve" is probably what we refer to as a notch point or barber's notch.

Jimmy has some Very Good Points!!!

I hope that this link will be informative and helpful!

Scroll down and you will see the different grinds and then what Jimmy refereed to as a 'Barber's Notch'!

The straight razor - Straight Razor Place Wiki

I don't think I've ever seen a Wade & Butcher razor with the circle and arrow that was made before 1860. If the scales (handle) are horn (which has a faint grain to it, like Jimmy says), 1860-1891 is about the best range that you can get. If the scales are made from vulcanized rubber (which is a solid black material that smells faintly of sulfur if you rub your thumb over it), it's more likely to have been made after 1870 and before 1891.

Bakelite wasn't a very common material for razor scales. I'm not sure why, precisely, but of the hundreds of razors I've examined, only a few have used it. I can say, from experience, that it's annoying to work with due to its fragility.

Yes, it's the notch point/barber's notch. And the scale does not have any grain to it and it is shiny.