A Rather Unique Joesph Rodgers & Sons ( circa 1840's? )

Printable View

11-15-2014, 10:33 PM
Wolfpack34

5 Attachment(s)

A Rather Unique Joesph Rodgers & Sons ( circa 1840's? )

I wanted to share this razor with you guys here at SRP...

A new Cali member here at SRP reached out to me and asked if I would hone up a razor for him that he had just picked up at his local Goodwill store. He sent it to me and it is an absolutely beautiful Joseph Rodgers...rather unique in that it has some really neat original file work on the spine.

It has "Improved Silver Steel" stamped on the blade face and a CROWN VR on the shank as well as the makers mark. Based on the blade profile ( a Spanish point profile very similar to many razors from the 1830's and 40's) I would guess somewhere around the 1840's although maybe some of the more knowledgeable guys around here might be able to make a more accurate guess.

The scales are not original. They appear to be made of wood...I believe Ash, and obviously they were replaced some time ago, but they are well fitted.

Anyway...to me, it is such a beautiful razor (although with quite a bit of uneven hone wear on both sides of the blade) that I couldn't resist polishing up the blade and the scales just a tad before I honed it up. I set the blade edge profile with only one layer of tape, set the bevel and went through my typical Coticule/Escher honing sequence that I use for most every Sheffield blade.

I just finished the test shave, and all I can say is 'Sheffield Smooth'! A really beautiful shaver! That and I wish it were mine to keep...

Here's some pics:

Attachment 184682 Attachment 184683 Attachment 184684 Attachment 184685 Attachment 184686

P.S. I'm just now getting ready to take a trip to my local Goodwill! :rofl2:
11-15-2014, 11:09 PM
RoyalCake

Looking good buddy. You're right, unique looking spine work there. Kinda looks like a tap.
Beautiful razor.
11-15-2014, 11:45 PM
Wolfpack34

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyalCake

Looking good buddy. You're right, unique looking spine work there. Kinda looks like a tap.
Beautiful razor.

A 'Tap'...Yeah...that's what I thought! It is a real beauty, and it just happens to be one of my favorite blade profiles. I love that time period.
11-15-2014, 11:50 PM
sharptonn

I have a pair of old Sheffields which have top jimps similar on the top tang. I think this blade was part of a pair or a set FME.
Nice razor!
11-16-2014, 12:03 AM
engine46

Very unique blade. I have never seen one like that!
11-16-2014, 12:04 AM
rolodave

Excellent job. I like the scales, original or not.

The spine is different. I also thought "tap" when I first saw the pic.

I would be proud to put that beauty in my rotation.
11-16-2014, 12:38 AM
Wolfpack34

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharptonn

I have a pair of old Sheffields which have top jimps similar on the top tang. I think this blade was part of a pair or a set FME.
Nice razor!

Hey Tom! Your comment made me take a closer look at the spine on the front blade face. The Part of the spine that is squared off like a plate for engraving. Very faintly, yet barely visible with a 30 x loupe is a design at both ends with a 'Number 2' in the center.

Good call Tom...this was a set of Two at one time. :tu
11-16-2014, 12:52 AM
ctgill

1 Attachment(s)

I'm the owner, and really happy with the job Wolfpack did on this. Here's what it looked like when I bought it:
Attachment 184713
11-16-2014, 01:27 AM
Wolfpack34

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctgill

I'm the owner, and really happy with the job Wolfpack did on this. Here's what it looked like when I bought it:
Attachment 184713

It was a real pleasure Ctgill...and once again welcome to SRP!
11-16-2014, 03:42 PM
ScienceGuy

Very nice. I saw that one on the goodwill site and totally forgot to put a bid in. Enjoy it.
11-16-2014, 04:15 PM
Wolfpack34

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScienceGuy

Very nice. I saw that one on the goodwill site and totally forgot to put a bid in. Enjoy it.

Hey Science Guy...I'm glad you popped into the thread. Can you give me your opinion on the approximate time frame of when this razor was manufactured?
11-16-2014, 04:57 PM
ScienceGuy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfpack34

Hey Science Guy...I'm glad you popped into the thread. Can you give me your opinion on the approximate time frame of when this razor was manufactured?

Well it's VR, so you know the date range there. But it seems like the VR stamp lost popularity after a while, I'm not sure when this happened but there are certainly numerous examples of Rodgers stamps lacking a royal stamp that are pre-1901. Maybe Zak can chime in here - I don't have solid information on when that change may have occurred. The razor in question, if I were to guess, I'd peg it in the 1840s-60s range, but I can't offer any support for that estimate.
11-16-2014, 05:24 PM
Voidmonster

All the ones I've seen like this seem to have come from dressing kits. They were definitely a premium item!

I agree with ScienceGuy's date estimate, but I'd weight the probability on the earlier dates. The overall shape of the razor (apart from the very nice spinework) is that long-blade, shoulderless grind that was super-popular in the 1830's. Everybody made'em! Or at least everybody hired the guy that did make'em. :)

Wood scales are almost always replacements, but on this one I'm not so sure. I have a Rodgers with the exact same blade blank (minus spinework) that came in Macassar ebony scales, pinned collarless.
11-16-2014, 05:40 PM
ScienceGuy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

All the ones I've seen like this seem to have come from dressing kits. They were definitely a premium item!

I agree with ScienceGuy's date estimate, but I'd weight the probability on the earlier dates. The overall shape of the razor (apart from the very nice spinework) is that long-blade, shoulderless grind that was super-popular in the 1830's. Everybody made'em! Or at least everybody hired the guy that did make'em. :)

Wood scales are almost always replacements, but on this one I'm not so sure. I have a Rodgers with the exact same blade blank (minus spinework) that came in Macassar ebony scales, pinned collarless.

Scales I would say here are replacements, though well done. It's definitely a premium razor, and if it came in wood, should have come in something special like ebony or a highly figured wood. My guess is that this one originally was in ivory or tortoise.
11-16-2014, 06:46 PM
Wolfpack34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voidmonster

All the ones I've seen like this seem to have come from dressing kits. They were definitely a premium item!

I agree with ScienceGuy's date estimate, but I'd weight the probability on the earlier dates. The overall shape of the razor (apart from the very nice spinework) is that long-blade, shoulderless grind that was super-popular in the 1830's. Everybody made'em! Or at least everybody hired the guy that did make'em. :)

Wood scales are almost always replacements, but on this one I'm not so sure. I have a Rodgers with the exact same blade blank (minus spinework) that came in Macassar ebony scales, pinned collarless.

Thanks for chiming in Zak...

I agree that it has that 1830's blade profile (minus the spine work)...and as you well know that is one of my fav's. I pegged it in the 40's mainly because of the blade profile. The scales however are definitely replacements as Science Guy says. They're made from a rather thin veneer type light-weight wood...like blonde ash as I suggested. However if they were removed and sanded and polished properly, they would actually be rather attractive, and they do fit the razor quite nicely.

If this razor was mine, I would definitely replace them with a more period correct material. Horn of course, or Black ebony would be nice!