Thread: Patent tempered steel

I'd guess it was made at some point between 1810 and 1830.

To my eye, the scales look like they've been heavily sanded to cause the 'ribbing'.

There are many firms that could likely have made it and at this point there's no real way to know which one it was.

Personally, I've seen Joseph Rodgers, Robert Wade, Wade & Butcher, George Hammond, Joseph Elliot, John Barber, Lord & Harvey, and Thomas Scargill razors with the same or very similar blades, as well as many others that have no identifiable maker's mark.

Along with Packwood razors, razors like this represent the great bulk of 'dark matter' in razor history. There's a minute sliver of hope that someone might ultimately dig up information about where the Packwood family had their razors made, but for blades like this the answer is almost certainly unknowable.

But that doesn't mean it's not a fantastic razor to shave with and it certainly doesn't mean that particular razor doesn't have a history. I can tell you that it hasn't been honed in many years, based on uniformity of the patina over the hone wear on the spine.