Thread: Help with age ID

whats the best way to put an age on an old straight? i can pick out the really old ones but early 1900's to 1950's gets tricky

The only way to tell is if a maker used specific markings or brand for a certain period of time. Looking at the scale material can also help a little . Apart form that, there isn't much else you can do. The design of a straight really didn't change for a lot of years.

Plain black and plain cream/ivory scales are very hard to date. Celluloid and Bakelite seem to have dropped from use after WW2 to be replaced by plastic. Bakelite is mainly seen on between wars products, but I don't know when it started being used widely on razors.

If you have bolsters you can date them as being pre WW1 (art nouveau) or between wars (art deco) fairly accurately.
Inlays can help with the Art Deco/Art Nouveau breakdown too.

The script (aka Font) on stamps on the tang can provide a clue. Very broadly fonts moved from fancy to plain from 1900 to 1950. This isn't a reliable indicator but some fonts are very specific to a particular era.

Clear celluloid or plastic appears to have been mainly used in the 20s and 30s.

If the stamp has a pattern/design stamped on it you can take that as a hint to the era.

What you have to do is take the hints in their totality. If you have a razor with some fancy bells and whistles you should be able to get a reasonable feel for the age. Plain razors are very hard to date accurately unless you have a book of maker's marks.

great info guys. thanks a lot. im reading roy ritchie and ron stewarts book on razors now. its helpful but leaves me with a lot of questions. are there any other books that are helpful?