Thread: Help with Reynolds ID

I recently bought a lot of 15 straights from a lady whose husband had collected them over the years. All are in great shape. I know what most of them are -- several Rogers, several W&Bs, several Gencos, etc. But the one that has me a little stumped is this one (borrowed the pic from a previous post -- mine is identical). It says on the shank:

REYNOLDS
X Y QUALITY
SHEFFIELD

I did a search on this site. There were several posts about this razor. A couple mentioned how difficult the blade was to hone (steel hardness, not warping issues or the like). They mentioned how different the blade looked.

This blade is preternaturally shiny -- think mid-sixties Cadillac-chrome shiny. Not like any Reynolds I've ever seen. At first I thought it was some kind of fake. But the other posts appear to accept it as a genuine Reynolds. Pictures all show the same multicolored scales and mirror finish.

So, can anyone tell me more? What did XY quality indicate. And does anyone know the composition of the steel? Again, it is super-hard (by others' report) and eerily shiny. How about approximate age?

Come on, I know there's someone out there who could write a thesis on this little razor....

Can you do a closeup photo of the tang? I'm partly just curious and partly thinking it will make ID easier.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

Can you do a closeup photo of the tang? I'm partly just curious and partly thinking it will make ID easier.

I copied the picture from another source. The tang is marked exactly as described, all in caps. One day I'll learn how to post my own pictures... Thanks for the interest

Hm, well I've never seen a Frederick Reynolds marked with XY Quality... I wonder if maybe it's from a different Reynolds?

I know a couple of you have ackowledged owning one of these in previous threads. What can you tell me about them? Thanks.