Printable View
Attachment 132609So i was at the gun show this weekend and i found some new toys. The first was the No. 421 barbers pet, then there is the J.R. Torry with case, then a George Wostenholm celebrated I X L, and the Wade and Butcher "Magnum Bonum". I paid $50 for the lot of them. The scales are in bad shape on the magnum but the rest are ok. Some rust and waterspots but I am happy with them all.
Lucky?? get to work:)
Any chance you could get a picture of the tang stamp on that Magnum Bonum? I just got a matched pair of the, but the tang stamps were faint to begin with and someone ground them off almost completely about a hundred years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gomerpile
Here ya go Void.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...gstamps001.jpg
That can't be right! The sideways crown with the VR stamp was only used on W&B razors made on Wednesdays because Wilburt Beacham had his corns removed by a barber/surgeon named Manitude Perfringe (probably Welsh) and Perfringe told him that sideways crowns were lucky. And all the Magnum Bonum razors were made on Friday because Friday is named for the old-Norse goddess Frigg, who was thought to have especially liked the cuisine that the Romans brought with the, and so Magnum Bonum was...
No, come on. I can tell by the pixels.
My wife shakes her head when I spend far too much time reading all this cra..... :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by Voidmonster
SWMBO now says the floors need cleaning, seeya!
Sunbird
You can see my tang stamp and the spine etching are sketchy. I couldnt tell what it was till i found one on ebayAttachment 132625Attachment 132626Attachment 132627Attachment 132628
I have a question about the stamp. Bearing in mind that the crown and VR refer to Queen Victoria and bearing also in mind that she ruled our country from 1819 until her death in 1901, is there a way to accurately date a razor like his?Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelfixed
AtDhVaAnNkCsE
David
Since I spent all my money buying these razors I can't afford to pay someone to restore and rescale the magnum, and restore the I X L. Does anyone trade work for razors?
MAGNUM BONUM was a marketing term, not unlike SILVER STEEL or even WARRANTED. I don't think your razor was made by Wade & Butcher, because Wade & Butcher didn't exist yet when it was made. At some point yours has been reground to be hollow -- it's a thing that was done quite a bit during the heyday of straight shaving, kind of like taking your car in to an independent mechanic for work. Regrinding fixed the worst sins of inexpert honing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gomerpile
I'm fairly certain the Magnum Bonum razors in this thread are what yours originally looked like.
Queen Victoria had an incredibly long reign, but not quite that long. She took over in 1837.Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidBondy
Sadly, the only way of dating razors with her stamp is by cross-referencing as many other razors with known dates of manufacture as possible and comparing all the stylistic elements of the blade. There's nothing surefire, unfortunately.
That is some good info. Early 1800's and reground at some point. Still not sure of the maker, might have missed that part. Ive got most of the rust off except at the pivot. Dont know how to unpin and repin. Need help with all that.
Ok so much research has led me nowhere on the manufacture of the "MAGNUM BONUM". So far ive seen W&B, Joseph Rogers, and now Joseph Elliot Magnums but neither of the tang stamps match mine. The spine looks like others but that is all. I am considering sending it for restor but I'm not sure who to send it to so that I might be able to get some history to go with it also.
I'm working on an extensive write-up on the manufacturer of the early 'Magnum Bonum' razors and I should have it done later today.
The short version is: they were made by a Marsden.
The detailed short version is: they were probably made by George Marsden. Or Benjamin. Or maybe Robert. Would you believe Richard Marsden?
(There were 54 Marsden children apprenticed into the cutlery trade in Sheffield from 1732 to 1810, and all the razors are just stamped 'Marsden').
I've finished my exhaustive (exhausting?) write-up of Marsden. It can be found over here on my blog.
At the time of this post, the writeup is still a bit rough -- it needs copyediting for clarity and I want to add a bunch of footnotes and links to sources, but that'll give you the gist of what I know about the obscure Mr. Marsden!
I just had to let all know that I love shopping for razors at the gunshow. Today I picked up dubl duck dwarf, in perty good condition for.... are you ready for this.... only $25. Pics will be coming soon when I can get it in some good light and do a real inspection. There are some cracks near the pivot but the rest looks good. Once I hone it and give it a try I will know if I want to keep it or not.
Attachment 139077Attachment 139078Attachment 139079Attachment 139081
And here it is. It shaves as good as it looks. A little bit of clean and polish and good as new!
I dont know if thats luck ... if it us you may wana check your shoe for a leaprecan ... wish i could find that many decent razors the ones i find make me wana cry
Head up and eyes open my friend! I have walked past a million of these things in my travels and never knew what i was missing. You need to check out the worlds longest yard sale coming in october. My in-laws found me a few last time. Now that you have an idea of what to look for, you just need to get out and start looking. E-bay is good but local sales are normally better deals! Just keep at it.
Now what are Misters Marsden's razors valued at is my next question? There are not enough of them around for me to get a good sense of retail market for them. BTW I dont know where you found your information but I have found almost nothing on the internet about the marsdens or the Magnum Bonum fad. Very good detective work there Sir.
Like everything else, they're worth what you're willing to pay for them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gomerpile
I dig through newspaper archives and historical business directories, mostly. Google Books is an absolute boon for this kind of research.
I saw a Marsden on ebay with wood scales sell for around $100 on auction the other day. I dont believe there are enough of them available to command a high price for them. I'm going to have Mr. Keys look at mine and see what he recommends to do to it in order to get the best price. It does shave well but too big for my taste. I like my DD Dwarf personally.
