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I didn't see anything that would rule out possible export of strops. Even if not direct trade perhaps via Germany. I also don't know that trade would have ceased after the Revolution; Cold War didn't...

Are these "made in Russia" Russian horse shell strops or "made in the Russian style" horse shell strops? And how would one determine this?

I haven't used English Bridal, so I can't compare to...

That makes sense. Though even where dead horse bits were less rare, the actual shell area is a fairly small bit of hide compared to an entire horse. And I don't know how strict labelling regulations...

I wouldn't have the skill or tools to make any brass hardware myself. It's actually perfectly serviceable as is, but the brass would be nice for aesthetic purposes.

Thanks for pointing me to that. Fascinating info. I'm now curious to see what a Russian-made "Russia shell" would be like...

I assume the "Russia shell" I got should be actual (horse) shell, but...

Very interesting. Thanks for the additional info & photos. The one I've got seems like a pretty good strop once I'd restored it a bit. Feels a bit different than any of my cow-hide strops.

Thanks! I have actually rejuvenated it since those photos - a bit of mink oil and then a bit of lather. Seems to have worked well, it feels pretty pliable now.



At some point I recall reading...

Pickup up a vintage "Russia Shell" strop off of eBay.

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more pics: Russia Shell Strop - Album on Imgur

I assume "Russia shell" indicates a pre-Russian Revolution origin?