Razor in disguise

Came across this one on Craigslist that shows the extent that a razor can be modified. Here's the seller's pic:

Attachment 151914

Believe it or not, this likely dates to a ballpark of 1800. It is a great case for how the standard guides for dating a razor based on shape can go awry when modification is involved. Here, this one has been ground hollow, had a lot of the tang area removed to give it a shoulder, and been rescaled in modern plastic scales. It likely once looked like this: http://straightrazorpalace.com/custo...stub-tail.html

Note some things that still exist on this razor to give it away: the stamp, first of all; the stubtail; and the curvature of the spine (curves up from tail to toe in a way typical to this era of razors). It will also be very thin at the pivot, though this is not pictured.