Thread: Joseph Rodgers & Sons - Info Please

When my Mother passed in 2007 I inherited several items she had held on to through the years. Most of them I knew the origin of, but one item I knew nothing about was this Joseph Rodgers & Sons razor. It looks pretty beat up but I'm hoping it can be restored to a usable condition. Right now I'm just trying to determine an age range for the razor so that I can make a guess at what ancestor might have owned it.

Anything you can share will be more than I know now.
"The Master Razor ???"

Look on strazors.com
Probably mid 1800's.

Here are a couple more links for info;

Straight Razor Manufacturers and Dates of Operation
http://www.strazors.com/uploads/images/rodgers.pdf

Looks like it might take some work to restore but looks doable, I've had worse looking ones. Unless you are proficient restoring razors if it were mine and a possible heirloom you might give Glen (gssixgun) a holler, he does some outstanding work.

I can tell you from personal experience that JR&Sons are some of the best shaving Sheffield razors out there. I have a few and have never met one I didn't like.

1870 at the absolute earliest, but probably closer to 1890.

These came as pairs and were offered in fancy dressing kits.

They are lovely little blades.
I dressed mine in ebony & brass.



mine is a number 2....

Originally Posted by bouschie

Look on strazors.com
Probably mid 1800's.

Thank you sir. I did go there and found so much interesting reading I nearly didn't make it back..

Originally Posted by DoughBoy68

Here are a couple more links for info;

Straight Razor Manufacturers and Dates of Operation
http://www.strazors.com/uploads/images/rodgers.pdf

Looks like it might take some work to restore but looks doable, I've had worse looking ones. Unless you are proficient restoring razors if it were mine and a possible heirloom you might give Glen (gssixgun) a holler, he does some outstanding work.

I've already decided that it is going to be brought back. Just how far is what I'm turning over in my mind right now. I talked to Glen last evening and the main problem trying to get to original would be ivory for the scale replacement. He suggested replacing the scales with bone, but haven't decided if that's the direction I want to go. I'm considering just letting him clean it up and use for display only with existing scales.

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

1870 at the absolute earliest, but probably closer to 1890.

These came as pairs and were offered in fancy dressing kits.

Could you please share a little more information? What clue or clues steer you to the pairs information?

First of all I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. It is however nice that you have things that she left you. My very first straight razor was one left to me by my father and I cherish it dearly. I'm certainly no expert but this is a little information as I understand it.

Historically Rodgers began making razors in 1800.The best identifying year marker for Wade and Butcher was 1891. Before 1891 they said Sheffield. In 1891 and after they said Sheffield England. This is an oversimplification I know and certainly not the whole story but this all had to do with the McKinley tariff of 1890 and the Wilson-Gorman tariff act of 1894. After 1894 all of the manufacturers that imported razors into the u.s. had to have country of origin on them. So I don't know whether Rodgers started the country stamp in the same year that Wade and Butcher did but it cannot be any later than 1894 if I'm correct. That's one hint. Another is that Rogers & Son became an LTD in 1871. this does not however mean that they necessarily put the LTD after their name especially since they were trying to fit all that other information in. It's almost certainly not after 1901 when Queen Victoria died because it says "their majesties" (even though Prince Albert died in 1861 Victoria left his name on there royal title) instead of his majesty which is what it would have said once Edward VII was crowned. Very often manufacturers who used by appointment to his majesty or her majesty or whatever would put a crown and the initial of the reigning monarch. It's hard to see on it but it's possible that that last symbol on the blade stamping could be a marking that might tell you.
Also the marking stamps to the left of the insignia might tell you as these makers marks varied from time to time by specific, identifiable year periods with many manufacturers of various products.
I don't think that sufficiently narrowed it down much for you as some other comments have but it's at least some information. Again I must state that I'm not an expert on this and beg forgiveness in advance for any incompleteness or incorrectness of any of my answers but this is what I have found in my searching. Finding out this historical information is one of the parts I love about this hobby turned obsession. Good Fortune to you and your pursuits with this. I know Joseph Rodgers and Sons is among some of the finest cutlery you can get.
Paul

Originally Posted by Diboll

Could you please share a little more information? What clue or clues steer you to the pairs information?

Sorry for being so terse about it!

Years ago I purchased one of these from ebay. The seller had both razors, but sold them separately. One was etched THE MASTER RAZOR #1 and the other was THE MASTER RAZOR #2. Since I bought the last of them, the seller sent me the small dressing case they'd originally come in as well. Despite the fact that both razors look very, very similar other than the blade etch, the on I have only fits into one of the two slots in the case because the case was custom made for these two razors (this is pretty typical of old dressing cases -- it makes it very difficult to find replacement razors without resorting to a router to customize the cutouts).

Since then, I've seen a goodly number of this particular design of razor from Rodgers (and a few from other manufacturers as well, though with different blade etchings). All the ones from Rodgers have had a #1 or #2 on them.

Thanks for all the responses. Now I have some information on the razor but still working on who it might have belonged to.

I have narrowed it down some. My parents got it in personal items when my Grandfather on my Dad's side passed away in 1978. There were several razors but this was the one my Dad liked. Dad's brother told him it was the oldest one in the bunch. Several years ago my baby sister was going through some things with my Mother after my Dad passed away and my Mother told her that it came from my Grandmother's side of the family, not my Grandfather's. My sister "thinks she remembers" it belonging to either an Uncle or Grandpa Dan Fuller.

Still working on it but one of the candidates for original ownership would have been my Grandmother's Great Grandfather. If it was his he had to have acquired it late in life. He was born in South Carolina in 1807, came to Texas in 1834 and died in 1882.

This made me look up some family history. Wish I could just ask my Mother, she belonged to the DAR had genealogy information back to many years before the American Revolution and loved talking about it. It's been 14 years since she passed and I still miss her.

Moms are special and it sounds like yours was extra special to still be missed. What a tribute to her sir.