Thread: Is this a John Shepherd?

Going by the dating link in the sticky it says John Shepherds trademark was a Crown and Wolf. The scales on this one are pretty similar to the N&S razor I have, you almost can't even tell if it has a spacer in either. It looks like a solid piece of wood. On this one the scales are oddly sized, the blade is longer then where it is pined. The scales are so tight it doesn't appear that the blade can hit the pin though. Looks like it would be tough to shave with this as the blade goes almost the whole distance to the pivot, very little room for your thumb and almost no monkey tail to hold onto.

Needs some rust removal on the spine and general cleanup. But if this is a John Shepherd and the sticky link is accurate it means it is at least 213 years old and potentially slightly older then the US.

Last two pics are with the N&S razor.

Thanks,

Shawn

Yes that razor is around 200 years old . They aren't really worh alot of money , because of the wood scales , but I think they are very cool . I would advise you to use a newer razor to shave with , and clean the rust off the old razors and save them for posterity . If you want to sell them , shoot me a PM . The reason the scales look funny , is because they've been cut down at the pivot pin , and re-drilled .

That's a Shepherd all right, though I think that it if possible it should be a 'high days and holidays' shave razor - I have a 1790's Clayton I use for that purpose so it isn't going to wear out anytime soon! Nice one and also consider me if you ever want to part with it!

Thanks guys. I certainly wasn't planning on using either as a daily shaver. Just a once in a great while kind of thing. I just think it would be very cool to have shaved with a tool that is that old.

Thanks,

Shawn

this is the same wolf. I have restored it and fitted with horn shells. Just as it once was.

nice. Are the washers original?

yes this is original

This is my first post, so be gentle!

I bought this razor from Strawinski who was selling it on a certain well known international web based auction site. He has done a wonderful job with it, and it presents as a real slice of history ( geddit?). Seriously, the razor looks great. The scales and pins look spot on to my unpractised eye.

I shaved with it on Sunday. Let me say that I have only been straight edge shaving for a year. I am just about proficient, but have much to learn. The razor wasn't over sharp. I couldn't get it as sharp as my other razors.It had trouble with my abrasive beard in holding whatever edge it took.
Surprisingly however it felt quite smooth, though after 2 passes it seemed as though we'd be here forever. So I got hold of my Bartmann and one more pass was all it took to seal the deal.

But what a joy, for a lover of history as well as shaving to be able to use a razor made between 1770 to 1795