Thread: I. Pearce Ab Gibralter St

I know pretty much nothing about razors and would need some help with this! Got it few months back and after that i've started to gather a lot of interest towards these.. I haven't found almost any info about this razor or the maker and would like to know something about it.

Blade is marked I. PEARCE AB GIBRALTER ST and on the handle there's crown and number 1, actually not 100 % sure that it's number 1. Handle is definitely not wood because you can see through it.



Is this something special or just something you can buy everyday from ebay for few bucks?

Thanks!

Welcome to SRP. We have other members in FInland as well. I don't know the maker of that razor by the name. It is an old Sheffield made razor, probably from the mid 1800s I think. Horn scales (handles) and if it were honed by someone who knows what they are doing, it would probably make a good shaver.

The "I" is the latin version of "J" -so we are talking about the firm of John Pearce which was at 33 Gibraltar Street in the 1820s. Note that "ab" is also latin, for "of" in this case .

The firm moved to 15 Angel Street in 1836, so your razor is from before this date.

It is easy to cofuse this Pearce with others as the name was common, possibly familial, in the area at this time, including booksellers, butchers, surgeons, etc, several of whom reside in Gibraltar Street.

The inlaid crown is not uncommon, signifying either a royal warrant or appointment but most often used as a 'warranted' or guarantee mark. This razor was part of a matched set - numer 1. Sets at this time were often just a pair, though 4 piece sets and 7 day sets were common.

Like Jimmy said, it is a Sheffield piece and the handle material is cow horn. The inlays were sometimes heated and melted their way into the thermoplastic horn, whereas the larger escutcheons and shields had small pins on tbe back.

Pearce was a good maker. Your razor is quite special as far as I am concerned!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by Neil Miller

The "I" is the latin version of "J" -so we are talking about the firm of John Pearce which was at 33 Gibraltar Street in the 1820s. Note that "ab" is also latin, for "of" in this case .

The firm moved to 15 Angel Street in 1836, so your razor is from before this date.

It is easy to cofuse this Pearce with others as the name was common, possibly familial, in the area at this time, including booksellers, butchers, surgeons, etc, several of whom reside in Gibraltar Street.

The inlaid crown is not uncommon, signifying either a royal warrant or appointment but most often used as a 'warranted' or guarantee mark. This razor was part of a matched set - numer 1. Sets at this time were often just a pair, though 4 piece sets and 7 day sets were common.

Like Jimmy said, it is a Sheffield piece and the handle material is cow horn. The inlays were sometimes heated and melted their way into the thermoplastic horn, whereas the larger escutcheons and shields had small pins on tbe back.

Pearce was a good maker. Your razor is quite special as far as I am concerned!

Regards,
Neil

AND YOU CAN TAKE THAT TO THE BANK... and, uh, possibly get a sucker or some chewing gum. Anyway, Neil knows his stuff.

Great razor!

Here's a similar razor, although a bit later manufactured and from a totally different maker.

Joseph Wostenholm, No 30 West St, Sheffield

Thanks a lot for the answers! And yes, Neil seems to really know his stuff.

Hi,

I believe I have a John Pearce as well that just came from my aunt.

I have a letter that says it was given to a family member in 1822.

I posted it on another site, and someone pointed out that the tang may be broken, I'm not sure, but it is quite small. I see that earlier razors did seem to have smaller tangs though.

Do you think the handle is made of bone?

https://goo.gl/photos/ztXWZZceHJUyW9ud9


Interestingly I also got this masonic blade but no handle unfortunately. There's also a small crack in the blade.

https://goo.gl/photos/ZH68tcgAJHHnamJs8

Thanks for this thread, I found it by searching for Pearce.

Regards,

Gabe

Certainly the scales are of bone. The pivot repair is extremely old and all should be left alone, esp as having familial value.
The really old ones had stubby tails, but ones I have seen were rounded somewhat. Part of it's journey, I suppose.

A pic for posterity?

Am I seeing that right? Is it cracked all the way through the letter G on that Butcher? That's a helluva crack for a big wedge!

Yeah the crack does go that far, I was wondering how that could happen. Do you think it's still covered under warranty? 😉