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Old mystery razor! Is it really old or just old?
Attachment 74945Today I got this razor that I won on eBay.
It came from Normandy, France. I nabbed it because it *looked* like a pre-1775 razor. I'm not sure about that anymore, since there are a number of features about it that don't stack up for that. However, it is in all ways baffling.
Like the blade shape.
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And the tail, or lack thereof.
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The blade is odd in other ways too. It tapers quite significantly from toe to heel.
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And then there's the tang stamp, or what little remains of it.
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I'm utterly stumped.
My very best guess is that this is some manner of production razor made prior to about 1850 or so. At a later date it was either repaired or heavily modified into its current form.
It's definitely had some regrinding, and some of it on the tang (hence the very faint stamp), but it looks like the tang has always been much thinner than the blade. I can't tell what's up with the tail. The blade itself is, at its widest is a hair over 7/8 and is just about the same length as either of my two <1830 razors. It also came with a handmade leather sheath. Even that, I'm pretty certain, is very old.
Can anyone help identify a time and/or place for this?
And yes, I fully intend to clean it, hone it and shave with it if at all possible.
(Sorry all the pictures are upside down, new phone cam)