Thread: John Barber razors, real or fake?

Another thought, reading the documents again and as you pointed out Martin, is that the counterfeits John Barber was talking about were stamped either "I. Barber" or just "Barber" and were packaged and sealed to resemble a John Barber. He states that he stamped his razors "...with his own name John Barber confiding in the honor of the trade that no one would infringe upon his right..."

This makes me confident that the razors I have with the name John Barber on them are all authentic. The frameback without the name is still suspicious to me though.

Yeah, we posted that at the same time, Martin! That was my thinking too.

As always, you are a wealth of information

I have this "John Barrer" (bought in Sweden) which could be an example of counterfeiting??

Originally Posted by guillaume

I have this "John Barrer" (bought in Sweden) which could be an example of counterfeiting??

Maybe it's just that the B was struck a little too lightly along the bottom making it look like an R? A little hard to see.

Another picture, yes may be you 're right even if the double RR looks similar!

In the world of collectible vintage pocket knives counterfeits began popping up 50 years ago at the knife shows. Names like Remington (the bullet shield models) Case, Winchester, Russell, and probably a few other HIGH DOLLAR knives. I haven't seen it in vintage razors, though I suppose it is possible.

Maybe Wade & Butcher FBUs would be a likely candidate, since the larger examples bring a good buck. I find it unlikely that anyone would go to the trouble of counterfeiting an obscure British maker using a razor that is in a condition which wouldn't bring much whether it was genuine or not. YMMV.

Looks like RR to me based on that close up picture. But maybe it is a B missing the bottom.

Originally Posted by guillaume

I have this "John Barrer" (bought in Sweden) which could be an example of counterfeiting??

That is impressively fake! A wonderful find!

It doesn't look Sheffield-made at all to me. The shape and proportions of the blade are slightly off, the scales are odd, and the mark is pretty straight-forwardly misspelled. The B and the R letterforms are different, and that is definitely two R's. (The B bows out more than the R does).

The typeface also looks slightly wrong to me.

That said, I assume it's a perfectly fine razor to shave with.

I actively collect antique fakes because it's a fascinating part of the history of production.

This one was probably made in Sweden to be sold on the Swedish market.

However, counterfeits or aspirational copies like the I. Barber razors were made in Sheffield and very possibly by the same workmen using the same tools. Their status as counterfeit stopped being scandalous 170+ years ago when John Barber died. At this point they're cool in their own right!

Counterfeit of 150 years ago was probably still a fantastic razor. I sincerely doubt anybody today would waste the effort required to make a knock off of a quality high enough to pass. Some where in my collection of oddities, I have a 1950's George Washington quarter that is counterfeit. I wouldnt trade it for the world, simply because of how uncommon it must be.

Some more pictures with two others John Barber 's razors, genuine I guess, just to compare!

The steel of the swedish one is quite good and was very collaborative while honing!