Thread: wade & butcher antique store finds

picked up two wade & butcher razors this weekend but i cant find them in the wiki/database.
can anyone confirm these are real w&b? are there counterfeit razors?

first has a blade face that says - General Taylor Never Surrenders
shank says - 1) manufactured by 2) wade & butcher 3) sheffield (but no additional markers mark)



second is an interestingly shaped frame-back. similar markings on the shank as above.



also picked up a third w&b 'The Celebrated Hollow Ground Razor' that appears to be around 7/8 but i found that one in the DB.
any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

thanks!
-s.

WB made 100s of thousands and of razors, but the style is in the data base, the decorations on the blade could have been sold thru a supplier in his shop, tc

I believe General Taylor is Zachary Taylor, the U. S. Army general and future president. I have a similar razor that had an etching of Daniel Webster on the blade. Part of the etching has Webster's last words so I think the etching is a commemoration. I suspect your Taylor is the same since Taylor died in 1850, in office. The razor itself is genuine I think. The blade looks very similar to mine and others I have seen.

Here is a pic of mine before etching. Note the tang.

thank you both for the information above. much appreciated.
looking forward to getting these bad boys shave-ready and taking them for a spin.

anyone ever see a W&B frame-back like the other photos?
-s.

W&B made a few frameback designs but I haven't seen that particular spine/tang/monkey tail on one. I've yet to see a counterfeit old razor. Unlike old pocket knives. You'll see plenty of rescaled razors, mismatched boxes though.

I read a bio of Harry Truman where he told how General Taylor was at some banquet in his honor and someone made a toast to "the next president of the United States", and Taylor said, "Shut up and drink your damned drink,"

Cool razor. You an experienced honer ? Sheffield wedges can be a challenge.

I don't think there were many Unitedstatesian generals who made their way into Canuck folklore via the musical traditions of Newfoundland, so I can't let this pass without comment.



As Jimmy said, those wedge-y Sheffield blades can sometimes be tricky to hone, but IMHO, they are *absolutely* worth the effort. Cool frameback too.

No worries both are real, like Jimmy said never seen a fake one... That said the one pictured below is total fake...

But it is a keychain!

thanks for all the replies guys. really appreciate it.

i am new to straight razors and very inexperienced at honing but have cleaned up a few razors to be shave-ready (at least for me). never tried a wedge yet so might send these out to be prof honed and then just maintain them. if you have/know someone to recommend please let me know.

thanks again.
-s.

Originally Posted by Martin103

No worries both are real, like Jimmy said never seen a fake one... That said the one pictured below is total fake...

But it is a keychain!

What?! That's fake, I just spent a ton on one lmao