I’d say it’s definitely ivory.Quote:
Originally Posted by JP5
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I’d say it’s definitely ivory.Quote:
Originally Posted by JP5
I don’t know how rare this is, but I’ve never seen another. It technically shouldn’t be that rare considering how long the manufacturer was in business! I’d really expect to have seen more of them...
Alexander Still, 3 Infirmary Lane, Edinburgh. Once listed as a surgical instrument maker, but most of his many local listings describe him simply as a cutler. In operation from 1796 to 1830ish.
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There is a decorative blade etch of a sort I’d previously only seen on early French blades. A kind of pebbled look.
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If you’re thinking that the proportions look odd, you are entirely correct. It’s very long for its width, then it’s got that dreadnaught point on top of that.
Here it is next to one of my other unusually long razors.
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I can’t turn up much information about him. He was a prominent member of the Edinburgh Hammermen, a sort of catch-all guild for people who hit metal with hammers, and in at least one instance was the chief signatory of a petitition to the government, but that’s about it. No ads for his goods, no real genealogy to speak of. There may well be other STILL razors out there, but on its own, it’s almost impossible to google search.
The only way I was able to track him down was to dig into the root of the name to see if it had regional specificity (it did! English, Scotts & German, plus it’s the same root as STEEL), then do regional searches on STILL, CUTLER, which netted me the Edinburgh address.
His shop is currently a small Indian restaurant directly across from the university.
That's way cool, Zak! :tu
I have 2 that I would consider rare.
First although a common razor has etching on both sides of the blade. What makes it rare is the etching stating " made expressly for T Sharp Tobaconist Perth Wa". It was a local place yet have not come across another as of yet. Attachment 292708
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The second I can't tell much about other than it was made in Germany so if anyone else has more would love to know. What makes it different is the way the tang and tail are finished. Scales are bone
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Beautiful Razor
That is on beautiful razor sir.
Gorgeous W&B
Beautiful!
Prettiest razors I’ve seen.
This W & T Marsh is the rarest Sheffield razor I own. Nice history and still a great shaver. https://straightrazorpalace.com/razo...erd-c1820.html
That Marsh is an interesting razor for sure. Thanks for adding the link! Great that you kept it original with those big collars and wood scales.
Zak shared some interesting information in that thread. I may have to get him to elaborate on something for me later.
Hi Ed, the Bengall Imperials are old favourites of mine and it's great see such a nice one
A unicorn
NOS 1st generation Red Kanji Yukio Kamijo
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Another Unicorn
NOS Yukio Kamijo bellied hollow
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This is just the sexyest grind arroun...for me at least.
I've got 3 as well, bought them like 4 years ago at a local flea market. If remember correctly I gave around $8 each and they look to have been used very little.Quote:
Originally Posted by Srdjan
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Here are two that are fairly rare I believe.
Only recently saw another Gebr Dittmar like this.
And with the help of those better than I at research, could find nothing on the Bencini.
To be fair, I don't think Bencini was a manufacturer, but I've never seen another and can turn up nothing.. But with tortoise scales, great blade condition, and a shape and grind I like, I'll keep it! Thanks goes to Outback for the restore.
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I like the frameback with the sun stamped. I thought you sold it Mike?
This one I just HAD to hold on to.
I've sold off too many, 2/3 of my collection in the last year.
Many that I probably couldn't find again. But I've still got some good ones, and have been focusing on finding time to simply be able to shave once a week.
Here is a pic of the tang, I love the sun and moon!
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Have you had a shave with the Joseph Elliot Magnum Bonum yet Daniel? One like that is a rare find..
Loving those stamps! No not yet Mike. It's still in the same condition, new scales are needed.
I really don't have any rare straight razors, at least none I am aware of. But I am fortunate enough to have nabbed some well-known desirable ones over the years, either off the forum here, eBay, or the much rarer local find. But I am very much enjoying seeing the rare razors on this thread, almost all of which are news to me and I've been doing this a while now.
I'm a big fan of the French LeGrelot razors (the older stamped-tang P. Hospital & Co, not the newer etched-tang Thiers-Issard, which I find to be harsh), as a vintage LeGrelot was the very first good vintage razor I ever bought, honed myself, and shaved with. It had a nice etching and I just bought it because it was pretty, but it was so outstanding it led to a whole bunch of vintage razor purchases of all kinds, an addiction that persists to this day.
So I don't know how rare this one actually is, but I've never seen another LeGrelot like it, and I've been buying LeGrelots for a while. I've seen etched-blade LeGrelots before, and a few with gold wash. But this one is untouched NOS in the original packaging with instructions in French, with lovely faux tortoise scales, over-the-top gold wash on almost the entire blade, jimps, a decorated spine (!?), a third pin, and the LeGrelot bell logo on the scales. A true "double-wide with a porch" razor, the full package. I jumped on it immediately when I saw it listed on eBay. The seller was in France, near Thiers, and I even got a nice French postcard greeting (written in English!) with my purchase, pretty cool. It's so pretty in person that I just can't bring myself to hone it and shave with it. The only razor I own with this honor, that's how much I think of it. :confused: I can't help but share here with those who can appreciate.
My limited photography skills don't do it justice, but here goes.
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I have a couple of razors I've had trouble finding others of or info about but the rarest I have is this Skinetolin.
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I posted a question about it. It appears to be made by F. von Brosy-Steinberg. The company (Skinetolin) was a perfumer out of London and also sold "pharmecutical accessories" but nowhere can I find ANY mention of another razor with this name or even that they made razors. Actually, I could hardly find anything out about the company itself at all. It shaves well but it's a 1/4-1/2 hollow and a little stiff for my taste. The hollow-er the better imho.
This is probably my rarest Razor, a Dittmar Bros. of Heilbronn, 11/16" Frameback with brass covered Tang and a blade of cold milled steel.
The Scales are Original and made of sycamore wood. Got it some time ago as part of a WW1 Lot, without rust but not touched for decades
it was still sharp enough to make a good hht after stroping, the shaving character of that blade is briliant.
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This probably my rarest, given the short period of time in which they were ground.
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I just love a tapered blade, I need to find some more...
Yours is now the third I've seen, but I would say that is very rare.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockabillyhelge
Thanks for the info on blade quality, I have not had the pleasure of a shave with it yet, the point is a little scary! Lol
Now I'm going to have to send mine out to be honed up!
I may see if I can get Tom to give her an edge, but I try to avoid his edges, as one should need a license to operate an edge as sharp..
:tameshigiri:
I've seen maybe 15 of these for sale over my collecting, but all of the same form. I've seen I think only one of an earlier form from the same maker, but I don't have a picture of it anymore. If I remember correctly without looking it up, they were produced around the 1830s +/-.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
Right now this probably my most rare razor.
A Marsh Bros Ponds Works. Interesting blade with ivory scales.
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Are those ivory scales?
Yep. I don't think I've done the hot needle test but I'm fairly certain they are.Quote:
Originally Posted by dan656
I remember that one from eBay. It looks really spectacular.
Dang it, and there I was thinking I had captured a unicorn!Quote:
Originally Posted by ScienceGuy
I'm gonna have to dig up a rare one.. Gotta T. Ascher that I hear there's only a handful of...
:jedi:
Looks like a unicorn to me. Brass tang AND wood scales. Beautiful razor. I always like seeing the contrast of brass on steel razors. Would love to find ANY brass frameback.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
That gentle taper and notch look classy. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by jfk742
I have 5 T. Aschers. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
Muahahahahahah!Quote:
Originally Posted by Voidmonster
It worked! I was trying to draw you out of the paperwork!
Mine is not as nice as the ones I've seen you post, but I did infact feel special to be among the few.
When I get home I'll post a pic.
And I'll have to see if I can find another rare one, though the Bencini is probably the most rare that I have.
Really nice
Oh, I've bought every one I've seen regardless of condition. I have a few that're unusable.Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeT
Here's that pic. Sorry it took so long.Quote:
Originally Posted by Voidmonster
T. Ascher SupeSilv Steel
Quarter hollow. 4/8". Has a frown at heel. Needs a bit of a restore. I really like to see the grain in the horn. And those collars are always nice!
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I have one that just says john curtin Damascus. I've never heard of another made by him and couldn't find anything about it so I'm guessing it's rare. No clue as to value I found it at as renansounce fair for like 15 dollars in good condition so I got it. Shaves great.
are those "tapered" like supposed to be like that? that's very interesting - my first reaction would be to think it's some sort of mistake...have u seen many of those, when/where were they ground?Quote:
Originally Posted by jfk742
I have 3 from various makers. Made in England and I want to say from 1840’s to 1860’s (hopefully voidmonster or scienceguy can jump in here to correct me). The spines are tapered as well to maintain geometry.
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The marshes was reground at some point and probably had a barbers notch as well.
The Rodgers is the only one I’ve seen from them. The chip in the edge is a bummer and the only reason I haven’t cleaned it up. I’m going to lose a bunch of steel and looks to have not been honed too much through out it’s life.
Edit: photo looks super clear on my tablet, not so much uploaded, apologies for quality.
At this point, I'm not even sure how many tapered razors I have. There are ten of them in my 'tapered blades' drawer, but I know I have at least several others waiting to have scales put on them, and one out on loan.Quote:
Originally Posted by jfk742
The classic tapered point razors were made between 1837 and the early 1840's, with a few notable exceptions.
I'll cover the exceptions first.
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The illustration is from the 1815 Smith's Key, and is a pretty unequivocal example of an original razor ground to a tapering point. The photo was made by Joseph Hives between 1803 (when he was freed from his apprenticeship) to 1808 (when he died). The hives razor has some hone wear that exaggerates the design, but that's because people unused to honing this shape of blade end up putting too much pressure on the point and flattening it further.
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This razor was made by John Bagshaw of Liverpool in the 1870's and was part of an unmarked 7-day set.
So, the style has existed for a very long time, and it persisted for a very long time too...
But there was an explosion of them over a brief period when nearly every manufacturer made one and most all of them were etched 'AN EXCELLENT RAZOR' along the top of the spine. A few are stamped with King William's crown mark 'WR', most that have a crown are Victoria's (which dates them).
The beginning date there of 1837 for 'AN EXCELLENT RAZOR' is pretty firm. The ending date -- well, we're relying on Henry Lummus.
Here are some of the manufacturers I've seen whose razors were etched 'AN EXCELLENT RAZOR' on a tapered blade, in the order I remember them:
Fred Fenney
Wm. Greaves & Sons
Wade & Butcher
George Savage & Sons
Joseph Elliot
Hawcroft & Pearson
Marshes & Shepherd
J. Bingham (pre-Fenney buy-out!)
You can triangulate the dates a little more using the companies, since people like Hawcroft & Pearson went out of business, the Greaveses died, Fenney died and was sold of to Bingham. Many of those were clearly made before 1845 due to company closures, and after 1837 because a lot are marked VR.
Except for things like the Bagshaws from Liverpool (Bagshaw was a cutler from Sheffield who moved a lot of American product and decided to relocate to the port most of his goods went through in the 1840's, so there's another interesting data point).
When they're properly honed, they are fantastic to shave with around a mustache.
