Thread: 3/4+ Joseph Rodgers & Sons Cutlers Sheffield Near Wedge

TBH, it looks like a French razor. Perhaps made for the French market?

Originally Posted by sharptonn

TBH, it looks like a French razor. Perhaps made for the French market?

Go on.....I'm listening...lol

Can anyone help with age verification of this and has anyone seen a Joseph Rodgers stamp like this before.

In the Jolly Rodgers sub forum there is one blade that looks similar. It is a round point as well but the tail is more robust. I can't read the tang cause the photo is blurry. Page 12

Thanks

CMP

Not that I am an expert but from threads with a lot of historical information in them has left me feeling like the tail is not correct for a razor from pre 1821. The absence of the monarch endorsement is puzzling.

The "Cutlers to Their Majesties" mark refers to the fact that Joseph Rodgers & Sons won royal appointments under multiple monarchs, starting with George IV in 1820. (In fact, they were appointed royal cutlers five times in succession). So the earliest possible date they could have claimed to be cutlers to plural majesties would have been during the reign of William IV 1830-1837. Of course, Rodgers may not have started using the mark till even later than that....

Without knowing when exactly Rodgers cooked up the idea to start advertising their multiple royal appointments in the form of tang stamps, I'd probably date your razor between 1830-1840. (Victoria succeeded to the throne in 1837, and if Rodgers hadn't started using the "Cutlers to Their Majesties" mark during William IV's reign, they were certainly using it during Victoria's reign).