Wade and Butcher Centennial 1776-1876

[steve0580]

This Wade and Butcher, etched "Centennial 1776-1876" was a gift to me. I could find almost nothing from the search engines. Does anyone have any information about this particular centennial blade and the history behind it?

[appa69]

Try this. Beautiful blade, BTW. Awesome piece of history.

STRAZORS.com - all about classic razors - Wade & Butcher, Sheffield.

[steve0580]

Thanks for the link and the compliment. I looked at the link but I couldn't find anything thing for that particular special edition. Obviously, it's not hard to date or to figure that it was made for the United States Centennial celebration but I'd still like to know more, like how many were made in this limited edition and stuff like that.

Through Google and Bing, I could only find three other Centennial editions but I could barely make out the etching on one of the blade. One of them appeared to have a different design than mine and it sold for $40. There was another one that referenced worthpoint and while it was in a better condition, it sold for $81. The third has no image but the listing mentions that it has the same etching as mine.

Here's a link to the one on Ebay that sold for $40 but the etching on the blade is different from mine. (You'll have to scroll down to see the original listing).

1876 Centennial Etched Wade Butcher Antique Straight Razor Blade Vintage | eBay

FWIW, I'm getting it restored. Ideally, the scales can be repaired and restored to their original color as well. I know that it needs some major restoration voodoo done to it but person who is doing it for me is well respected and is extremely talented, so I'm confident that if it can be restored the way I want it, it will be. I'll post pictures after it's done.