Two Rodgers razors, are they "Joseph Rodgers & Sons" though?

[goldragon]

Hi, I have two razors, one an antique store find, the other an Ebay score, that I am wondering if they are Joseph Rodgers razors as in "Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Cutlers to Their Majesties, No. 6 Norfolk Street, Sheffield" fame.

First up is one that I assume must be a Joseph Rodgers razor but perhaps an earlier one before the company started using their well known stamping. As you can see it says "Joseph Rodgers" but does not have the "& Sons" bit. Also it says "Shemeld & Co." What is this? Did Joseph Rodgers work for this firm before starting his own? The razor is also stamped "Sheffield" and below that "1829". Perhaps this is the manufacture year?




I like the worked spine, the jimping underneath the tang, and the little notch between the blade and tang. Btw, is there a name for that sort of notch? I've seen it on some other vintage razors but don't know what it would be called. The razor is etched with a "2" and some flowery details on the spine. I assume it was once a part of a weekend set. The scales do appear to be authentic ivory. The razor will soon go out for a professional cleaning.

The second razor is stamped "Rodgers & Son", no "Joseph" and note that it is the singular "Son" and not plural "Sons". It says "Manufacturers" and "Sheffield". I have thought that either this is a Joseph Rodgers razor from when he first started his own firm, or else perhaps it is a knockoff, someone trying to use their shared last name of "Rodgers" but not related to the Joseph Rodgers to mislead buyers.





It is a heavy near wedge with a 7/8 inch blade width. It is quite faint but the blade does have a nice etching that says "Silver Steel" with some scrollwork around it.

Can anyone confirm or deny that these razors are manufactured by the well known Sheffield firm Joseph Rodgers & Sons? Thank you for your time and responses!