Taking a fresh look at Robert Doyle's "Collecting Straight Razors"(out of print) I note that silver steel was invented in 1820 by Michael Faraday. The practice of etching full across the face of the blade became popular beginning around 1830. Finally the slight curve of the scales would also indicate a post 1820 mfg. This is according to the Doyle book. It is really a shame that the maker's name wasn't stamped on the tang. The workmanship is obviously impeccable. Doyle says that very few pearl handled razors from that era have survived due to the delicate nature of the material. I can testify that in years of seeing them on ebay I've seen very few and fewer with no cracks.