Thread: Another Wade & Butcher Date Question

Got this at a local antique store for $20. The scales are shot but the steel is in good shape. It only has Sheffield on the blade so I believe it is pre 1890. Does the lack of any other markings narrow the date down any?

AFAIK if 'Made In England' is not on the tang it is pre 1889, or '90. As hollow as it is I would guess it is closer to those dates than earlier, but that is just my assumption.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

AFAIK if 'Made In England' is not on the tang it is pre 1889, or '90. As hollow as it is I would guess it is closer to those dates than earlier, but that is just my assumption.

Agreed - and the etching on the tang looks closer to the newer style than the older stamped tangs....so closer to the 1880-90 date range.

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

AFAIK if 'Made In England' is not on the tang it is pre 1889, or '90. As hollow as it is I would guess it is closer to those dates than earlier, but that is just my assumption.

It could be a regrind.

It is not easy to see in the pictures but there are some uneven grinding marks on the stabilizer. There is also a tiny shoulder on the heel and different grind angle that looks like the heel was re-profiled. It is a hair over 13/16 now. Possibly a chip in the heel was removed?

Also not easy to see is the smile profile on the spine. Would this have had a non smiling edge?

anything is possible but the edge should always follow the spine, or at least very closely to it. The lack of the cutlers mark makes me wonder about the date, but I'm no expert, just another curious member

Looks to me like a regrind. Probably 1880's, which I *think* is when they started primarily etching the tangs instead of stamping them. Looks like it'll be a great shaver!

I agree on the re-grind.

I'd also go with what Zak said.

By regrind do you mean this was once a near wedge that was hollow ground? Would this have been done at the factory or by someone in the aftermarket?

Originally Posted by john3126

By regrind do you mean this was once a near wedge that was hollow ground? Would this have been done at the factory or by someone in the aftermarket?

It was probably originally 1/4 hollow. The regrind would've been done by a shop or street vendor. (That old post is getting a workout today!)

But don't worry, I have a goodly number of blades that've been ground like that, and they're all superb shavers. Possibly better than they were originally!