Thread: Would appreciate some dating help.

Hi.
I just recently got two oldies that I can't find any dates on. One is only marked Paris and the other one is marked Clapperton.
The only Clapperton I can find was an explorer, and I don't think he was into razors .
Would also like som information on age if possible.

Thanks in advance.

Ullmencott

Beautiful !

First one I'd say around 1830, and the second one 1790 - 1815 (only feeling).

The Paris is really neat.

The Clapperton is a mystery. It mostly looks Sheffield, and if it is Sheffield, it's probably from 1815-1830 or so, but I can't find any records. It doesn't show up in any of the directories or apprentice registers, so who knows? Maybe it was London-make?

The Paris razor is a lot easier to sort out.

That one is definitely Sheffield (just like razors marked Senegal, Lisbon, France, etc). It was made by a man with the improbable name of Paris Justice. He made spring knives and razors and ran a pub named the Golden Ball. Apprenticed to John Jervis in 1738 he was freed in 1744. He seems to have died in 1797, the same year he was listed in Gales & Martin's Sheffield Directory. Technically Justice's mark was the word PARIS below a Maltese cross, but those old die-strikes are often a bit weird, and it looks like that one was quite a bit off-center.

Thanks a lot Thaeris and Voidmonster for helping me out.
I was suspecting around the end of and beginning of 1700 - 1800.
I also thought that The Clapperton would be from Sheffield, but the Paris I had no clue.
Thanks a lot Gentlemen.

Ullmencott

The Clapperton truly looks like a sheffield.

The Paris, I wouldn't have guessed, nice share of history, thanks Zak !

I went back and found the razor-listings in the 1774 edition of Gales & Martin (which is MUCH shorter than the 1790's edition), and Paris was listed there too, along with his (?) brother (?), who used a very similar mark.



I've done a little more digging on Clapperton and haven't really turned up much. There was a Clapperton & Co. merchant in Glasgow circa 1850ish, which might possibly be pointed in the right direction, but seems far too late. Confounding things, I think the scales on that one are a replacement (different pins at toe and pivot).

It might possibly be Liverpool or Birmingham-make.

Awaiting Zak's many books forthcoming on early razors

We had in France later razors with the mention "Paris" plus seven stars (which used to stand for the best quality of cast steel).





This one was from +- 1830.

Don't know if this information is of any interest, but...

Originally Posted by Thaeris

We had in France later razors with the mention "Paris" plus seven stars (which used to stand for the best quality of cast steel).





This one was from +- 1830.

Don't know if this information is of any interest, but...

Ah! Very cool! I didn't know about the stars as a sign of best quality cast steel.

My estimate would be 1820-1830 for the first razor and pre 1800 for the second.