Thread: Did someone try to "counterfeit" a razor. Or a manufacture error?

Razors are tang-stamped before final heat treatment, not afterwards. If stamped afterwards the brittle metal has a tendency to break.

I have seen tang marks removed (or crudely obliterated) before, usually by means of a grinder, but this seems to have been the case mostly (only?) with razors from Germany during WW2 and sold in non-Axis countries.

Makers did occasionally buy in overstock and acquire the stock of defunct companies, as witness all the Le Grelot blanks, Klas Tornblom blanks and re-Wackered blanks that crop up from time to time. It's common enough in the knife world, too. I can see someone going to the trouble of grinding off another makers mark, but usually that is accompanied with a light etching of the current makers mark rather than re-stamping, which for reasons given above is not a good idea. The cheapness of the blanks would make it worthwhile if it was auctioned-off stock.

However, to buy-in fresh stock with someone else's mark and then go to the expense and labour of grinding said marks off seems like a big no-no, especially when they could have your own stamp applied at time of manufacture.

As well as that, there were special marks that were mainly a gum composition that could be removed by rubbing with a rag and spirit, as well as a very light etch which could easily be buffed off with hardly any effort available for makers who bought-in blades. Again, these were usually etched with the new makers mark.

Finally, there are a few complex interwoven design marks. It is hard to see from your photo, but it looks like "Sheffield Steel" is within the confines of a curving banner with other writing protruding top and bottom. Sprock razors have a 'slightly' similar mark, and I have seen a few others.



A larger, clearer, more sharply focused and well-lit shot of the tang after light cleaning might be helpful, as well as a shot of the blade ornament.

Regards,
Neil

to piggy-back on the discussion of counterfeits, is that something to look out for on eBay? I've been trying to get a W & B FBU for a while and there seem to be so many variations of stamps and trademarks on the tang even outside of the "pre-1891" country of origin stamps (for example a stamp of "Wade and Butcher's For Barbers Use" versus "Wade and Butcher For Barbers Use"). Is this a valid concern or is it just not plausible?

I have never seen a counterfeit razor. I wouldn't be worried about them. The consensus seems to be that it takes enough money to tool up that one might as well make their own razors.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I have never seen a counterfeit razor. I wouldn't be worried about them. The consensus seems to be that it takes enough money to tool up that one might as well make their own razors.

Same here. I've seen more than my fair share of straight razors and although I've seen some odd stampings, I've never seen a fake. If you were going to go to the effort of counterfeiting something, you wouldn't waste your time making straight razors.

Counterfeits are out there. But they're probably limited to mostly brands like Case, Winchester, and Remington. In an old edition I have of "Sargent's Guide to Pocket Knives & Razors" there's a picture of a Case Bros Springville razor where the counterfeiter misspelled Springville and tried to pick away the mistake. That was the most memorable example, but there were one or two other pictures of different Case counterfeits in that book as well.

Chances are if someone was going to counterfeit something like a W&B For Barbers Use, they'd pick the most common version of the stamp and try to replicate it exactly. The only real defenses are to check your purchases over very carefully once you have them in hand, and to try to buy from reputable sellers who'll let you know if they suspect something is amiss.

I thought my NOS Palmera was a fake, until i shaved with it,

I should add though, it would be really rare. Of the hundreds of razors that have passed through my hands, only one so far has struck me as a potential forgery (a high dollar piece with a sterling silver handle). But after examining it carefully under various magnifying instruments, I finally decided it was legit.

All very good information gents. I had wondered if it would even be worth it for someone to produce a forgery of something as labor intensive as a razor, now I can search with confidence. Thanks!

I believe that the tang stamp is correct. Take a close look at the banner, it appears to go through the "loops" in the letters behind it. Once cleaned this stamp may appear much more clearly.