Thread: Help dating this razor and letting me know if i got a good deal

I got this razor on ebay for about $45 and im having a hard time finding any info about it. The etching on the blade says damascus hollow and then on the arm it says joseph elliots best silver steel sheffield england.


The scales are cracked And I'm curently looking at getting new ones put on. If its an older blade its been treated really really good!

Originally Posted by dixon3162000

I got this razor on ebay for about $45 and im having a hard time finding any info about it. The etching on the blade says damascus hollow and then on the arm it says joseph elliots best silver steel sheffield england.


The scales are cracked And I'm curently looking at getting new ones put on. If its an older blade its been treated really really good!

The presence of England on the tang indicates it was made after 1891. By 1930 or so, the model etched with 'DAMASCUS HOLLOW' was significantly different and I'd say yours is older than that. So I would guess your razor dates to between 1892 to 1820ish.

From the pictures it looks basically unused. It ought to take a great edge.

It's not Damascus steel, and the steel does not have silver in it... But it should still be a very good razor.

So someone etched that on after the fact?

Originally Posted by dixon3162000

So someone etched that on after the fact?

No, calling razors 'damascus' was just marketing. Same with silver steel. Michael Faraday had experimented with adding silver to alloy steel in the early 1800s but it proved to be ineffective. The name was adopted by mfgs for marketing purposes and the practice of referring to some alloys as 'silver steel' continues to this day. No silver in it though. You got a good deal BTW.

ok so the joseph elliots and sheffield are the two important marks? I'm pretty excited i can't wait to fix it up!