Thread: Razor identification and history help required

Hi all. A newbie here from Kent, England, UK.

Have acquired this at no cost from a barber friend. Would love to know more about it please.
Many Thanks in advance

Welcome to SRP, you can find history about Joseph Elliot on this wiki link: http://straightrazorpalace.com/srpwi...Elliot,_Joseph

From another post in SRP, regarding "Joseph Elliot"...

Well, it's a common sheffield based maker, & a quality one. Silver steel is a carbon steel, often containing chromium to improve wear resistance.

Just out of interest, Google Maps shows 4 Well St, Moffat as being a gents hairdressers. It'll be interesting to know how much that shop has changed since the razor was purchased... whenever that was.

Oh yeah just found em on google maps. Well spotted sir.

I have found some pictures on google images of the same knife as mine but none of them have the writing on the blade.
Any ideas what the words mean?

I cannot make out the name on the blade, but it was most likely the name of a reseller. The last name looks like Conrabe, but the first name doesn't parse to me. I'm reading 'Fenrine' but that's a nonsense name as near as I can tell.

The name scratched into the scales and the name written on the box sticker are the same though: Hamilton.

However, the box is a Joseph Rodgers box and the razor was made by Joseph Elliot, two completely different businesses.

The razor was probably made between 1870-1890, but the sticker on the box looks a little more recent.

There's a lot of conflicting information there! Most likely, Mr. Hamilton was the razor's *second* owner, but the first to put his name on it. It may have been resold by Charles Brydone.

It's definitely been a bit of a trek from that shop to your hands!

I'd say it's a fine razor and shouldn't take much effort to put into use.

One useful bit, the old style tapered 'coffin boxes' were intended to have the razor tail go in first, so that the toe or point sticks out the top when you take the cap off. It puts a little less stress on the scales by not holding it as tightly closed. Not really an issue there since that Rodgers box is for a larger razor and it has a very slight taper.

Originally Posted by blisteredfingerz

I have found some pictures on google images of the same knife as mine but none of them have the writing on the blade.
Any ideas what the words mean?

Genuine concave?

Originally Posted by Martin103

Genuine concave

Yes indeed. It's not a name at all!

Thanks Voidmonster for that extensive reply, much appreciated.

The writing on the blade seems in perfect condition and clearly reads Benrine Conrabe.
I have googled that name and found no results.

Your reading the font incorrectly.

This should help a little.



Looks to me to say.

Gen_ine Conca_e

It's either another language, or just bad letter forms for Genuine Concave.

If it's stamped lettering then the _ in concave could just be some dross on the stamp or an upside down letter, The spacing is off for that letter as well. I think the U in genuine might have been placed in the stamp sideways or be a letter from another font all together. The spacing is correct, but the font looks wrong, The straights are a little too wobbely, and the serifs look wrong.