Thread: Information needed of age of a straight razor

I recently purchased this Greer and Laing razor on eBay primarily because I liked the lines of the blade. When I received it I noticed the Boker Tree trademark on the tang. Further research indicates that Greer and Laing were distributors of privately labeled Boker knives and razors out of Wheeling W.V.



There is a an etching on the blade that says "Our Unrivaled, Extra Hollow Ground, Fully Warrantied" and "Germany" is stamped on the reverse side of the blade.

The wedge is lead and the scales are a brown material that may be celluloid. Brass pins with small washers. The Tree logo is similar to this one http://straightrazorpalace.com/razors/41316-boker.html

Any help would be appreciated.

A quick check on Greer & Laing seems to indicate that they were in business at least from 1871 to 1925, from catalogs I saw. They were one of the first three businesses in Wheeling to get hooked up with a telephone.

The store could very well have existed considerably earlier and later than those dates, but earlier and later information on them is hard to come by.

Scales are likely vulcanite -- hardened rubber -- they start out black and often age to brown or even a greenish color -- depends on how much sunlight they get. That puts you into the pre-bakelite era, and that razor looks to me like something from 1890 or so to around 1920. You're right about the lines -- that's a beautiful, graceful razor.

Given the text on the blade and tang, it's almost certainly a Boker. Very nice.