It's been big week for my stack of razors...

I'm still out of town, staying with friends, but I've won some eBay auctions and gotten some very neat stuff in the midst of lots of fairly unpleasant work.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8507.jpg

This was a pure gamble. The pictures in the listing were bad, but it looked like this was a pretty sizable blade. More interesting was the unusual notched point. I've only seen a few razors in this style. The most striking was a Colley from the mid 1830's. I think this Joseph Smith is a bit later than that. Probably 1840-1850.

It sure does look pretty grungy, but I don't anticipate many problems fixing it up. It's currently about 15/16. It'll lose some width to get rid of that nasty ding, but it ought to still be nice and large.

The other thing I got that was worth getting pictures of is this set:

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8508.jpg

The spines are etched with MAGNUM BONUM, one of the earlier marketing designations for razors in America. The earliest ad I saw for Magnum Bonum razors was an 1810 ad in the New York Evening Post (along with Ne Plus Ultra and Refined Steel).

I don't think these razors are from 1810, but they're no later than 1825.

They've been very well loved over their long lives. At some point, someone replaced the scales with piano keys as well as a significant (and quite good) regrind.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8511.jpg

One's a little bit bigger than the other (and there are some subtle differences between the two blades, including the stamps, but I'll get to that in a moment). They're both in spitting distance from 8/8. When they were new, they were certainly at least that big. Also, they're heavy.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8514.jpg

The tangs were reground so I can't tell if they were originally like that, and the stamps were unfortunately mostly lost. There are two lines of text on both, and on both the bottom word is almost certainly 'Warranted'. The top line of text is in a semicircle on one razor, and both of them have EN as the last two letters. Other than that it's a mystery. Maybe they're Stenton razors? I know the old Devil Stenton was fond of gigantic razors.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8515.jpg

The ivory, of course, is cracked. Ivory is almost always cracked. But one of the two has a kind of neat old repair. That piece of wood on the bottom doesn't actually touch the blade. It just holds a broken piece of the scales in place.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...6/IMG_8516.jpg

This pair of razors simply oozes history. Sadly, there's no marks to identify who might've owned them and they were vended through one of those strip-mall eBay stores, so there's very little chance the vendor will know anything about them.

I've done nothing to either of these razors -- all my tools are 1700 miles away, but the pair will get pretty minimal cleanup. I'll probably glue the ivory and get the rust out of the pivot, but nothing else.

Big razors still aren't really my thing -- several of the ones I've gotten recently I've gotten purely because I intend to sell them -- but these three will not be leaving my possession any time soon. :)

Great razors, all of them.
As far as identifying the owners/history of the 2 stubbies, you have a lot to go on, more than you think.
It could take a lot of time, but it can be fun while doing it. I spent my most of my adult life finding things that most people thought could not be found or simply a big waste of time. Yes, it was part of my job, but my success was mainly do to 2 things persistence & I looked at the task as fun, not a burden. If you decide to play, here are a few clues to get you going;
What starts the hunt is their uniqueness; the box included.
Talk to the person who sold them to you, ask where he got them & work it back as far as you can. You might run into a dead end with the name of a person, but might be able to isolate the razor's life to a city.
Try & narrow done the razor manufacturer & possible import/sale city; you may have a clue in the name you mentioned.
The scales are piano keys, how often have we seen this done.
Most owners would have rescaled in a material at hand; I doubt that a person would have stripped from the family piano, but a person who worked on pianos for a living would have this material lying around.
Or a person would have gone to a piano shop to get some,,,point,,, there were not a lot of piano stores in those days.
You would be surprised how well people kept records before this great era of computers & businesses like these were usually passed down through the family

A lot can be done on your computer on a rainy day with a cup of coffee next to you. A phone to reach out & follow leads. Remember when dealing with people on the phone while following leads, make it interesting for them too, tell them why you are doing it and how helpful they can be, put no pressure on them with any deadlines on return information. You will be surprised how many will want to solve the mystery too.

Don't forget the members here, that have spent so many years identifying razor origins.
Just my thoughts. :shrug:

Very interesting razors Zak, the notch on the first razor is somewhat unusual and different. The set of 2 razors is quite something as well, bulky blades, in very nice condition for their respected ages. About the scales i really dont think they are piano keys, point being that traditionally piano and pipe organ and other similar instrument keys were cut in two pieces, most keys are notched because of the sharp keys (black ones), and furthermore the lenght is not there, usually under 6 inches.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Great razors, all of them.
As far as identifying the owners/history of the 2 stubbies, you have a lot to go on, more than you think.
It could take a lot of time, but it can be fun while doing it. I spent my most of my adult life finding things that most people thought could not be found or simply a big waste of time. Yes, it was part of my job, but my success was mainly do to 2 things persistence & I looked at the task as fun, not a burden. If you decide to play, here are a few clues to get you going;
What starts the hunt is their uniqueness; the box included.
Talk to the person who sold them to you, ask where he got them & work it back as far as you can. You might run into a dead end with the name of a person, but might be able to isolate the razor's life to a city.
Try & narrow done the razor manufacturer & possible import/sale city; you may have a clue in the name you mentioned.
The scales are piano keys, how often have we seen this done.
Most owners would have rescaled in a material at hand; I doubt that a person would have stripped from the family piano, but a person who worked on pianos for a living would have this material lying around.
Or a person would have gone to a piano shop to get some,,,point,,, there were not a lot of piano stores in those days.
You would be surprised how well people kept records before this great era of computers & businesses like these were usually passed down through the family

A lot can be done on your computer on a rainy day with a cup of coffee next to you. A phone to reach out & follow leads. Remember when dealing with people on the phone while following leads, make it interesting for them too, tell them why you are doing it and how helpful they can be, put no pressure on them with any deadlines on return information. You will be surprised how many will want to solve the mystery too.

Don't forget the members here, that have spent so many years identifying razor origins.
Just my thoughts. :shrug:

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It'll be interesting to see if the seller knows anything, but frankly I doubt it. Tracking things down is one of the things I'm pretty good at, and this set doesn't give me a lot of hope I'll be able to do that. I am at least likely to be able to actually get the tangs magnafluxed to recover the missing stamps, since I should have contacts here in Kansas City that can put me in touch with folks who do that.

As for the piano keys, well... First, see what Martin has to say. But during the heyday of street grinders for razors, piano keys weren't actually too hard to find in the scrap business, and I gather they were historically used for at least repairs on razor scales.... But I think Martin is correct.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Very interesting razors Zak, the notch on the first razor is somewhat unusual and different. The set of 2 razors is quite something as well, bulky blades, in very nice condition for their respected ages. About the scales i really dont think they are piano keys, point being that traditionally piano and pipe organ and other similar instrument keys were cut in two pieces, most keys are notched because of the sharp keys (black ones), and furthermore the lenght is not there, usually under 6 inches.

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I've really examined them now and pretty strongly suspect you're right. These were more likely the original scales. There's a little bit of a curve to them which further suggests not piano keys. It would also explain why such an effort was made to repair the break in the one that has the piece of wood.

However, they're awfully thick and... Well, brutish. I suppose it's possible these razors really are older then 1820. It was those heavy, squared ends that made me think piano keys (and I know I've come across anecdotes about keys being used for this sort of thing, but most razors don't have such massive scales on massive blades).

Amusingly, Henry Lummus claimed that razors marked Magnum Bonum started being produced in the 1840's and 1850's. This is one of those cases where Lummus was wrong, as this October 16th, 1810 newspaper ad makes clear:

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...ng-Post-NY.png

The Joseph Smith is definitely an interesting one. I've seen a few others with that style blade, but I only managed to grab pictures of one of them.

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...-Plummer03.jpg

This went through eBay, and I grabbed the pictures before the listing rotted. I sure wouldn't mind if the Joseph Smith also had that neat spike-tail too, but I'll just be happy that I got the one I did. :)

Joseph Smith, became Joseph Smith and Sons in 1852, so your dating was very close, post some restored pics. Perhaps use some Antique Gold to restore the writting on the scales.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Martin103

Joseph Smith, became Joseph Smith and Sons in 1852, so your dating was very close, post some restored pics. Perhaps use some Antique Gold to restore the writting on the scales.

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I feel so naked out here without my reference books! :D

Restoring that Smith razor is high on my list of things to do as soon as I get home.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Voidmonster

I feel so naked out here without my reference books! :D

Restoring that Smith razor is high on my list of things to do as soon as I get home.

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From your past projects im sure it will turn out really good, personally i enjoy your restoration, always done with respect to the age and time of the razor looking forward to see this one.

I'm revising my estimate of the date of these razors back to 1810.

The same newspaper ad I posted above ran for several months in New York, and I found multiple other ads from the same year hawking 'Magnum Bonum' razors (which was also the name of a popular racehorse a few years previously, it was also an appellation applied to Packwood by J.R.D. Huggins toward the beginning of 1810).

What's got me revising backwards the date is that the ad I posted says they had for sale Magnum Bonum razors and Refined Steel razors (as well as 'Neplus Ultra').

As it happens, I have a 'Refined Steel' razor. It came in a box nearly identical except for size:

http://theshiveringbeggar.com/wp-con...9/IMG_1521.jpg

It even uses the same color scheme inside and out. The magnum bonum box has a piece of red Morocco leather on one end, which would probably have been covered by the same thin leather sheath as the box for the refined steel razor. My Brittain, Wilkinson & Brownell 'FRANCE' stamped razor also came in a wooden box like that, though it was clearly made to be a paddle-strop.

Also, every one of these wooden boxes was designed to hold two razors. Of the two I know dates for, both are likely from around 1810. This makes 1810 seem like a really plausible date for the magnum bonums too.

And then there's my 'FRANCE' stamped razor, which also came in a wooden box like that.

Also, the eBay vendor replied to me. They didn't receive any information from the person they sold it for, and were unable to turn up anything in putting together the listing.

So YOU are the scoundrel that outbid me on those sweeties! Looks like we have similar tastes in old steel. Well, to be honest, I was not trying that hard to win. I have to pare down the collection some before I seriously start looking again. I am in agreement with Martin, not piano keys. I would not be so quick to think them replacements. And I am glad you appreciate that neeto wood fix! We should start a club called "The Repair Room" or some such. I have seen some great cob jobs! ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Magpie

So YOU are the scoundrel that outbid me on those sweeties! Looks like we have similar tastes in old steel. Well, to be honest, I was not trying that hard to win. I have to pare down the collection some before I seriously start looking again. I am in agreement with Martin, not piano keys. I would not be so quick to think them replacements. And I am glad you appreciate that neeto wood fix! We should start a club called "The Repair Room" or some such. I have seen some great cob jobs! ;)

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As a general rule, if it's weird and old and you got outbid on it, it was probably me. :D

I've now shaved with one of the two Magnum Bonum razors. It took about 20 minutes to get it into shape using Nun2Sharp's nice hone progression. I go slow, so if he'd done it himself it probably would've been more like 5 or 10 minutes of work.

It's twin had some corrosion in the bevel so it needed more work done than I had time to do.

Those are aptly named razors. They are great like a sequoia and good like sunshine.

I never liked shaving with the gigantic blades. Turns out, that's just because they weren't old enough! Gimme a 200 year old wedge and I'm happy as a clam with an enormous razor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hirlau

Great razors, all of them.
As far as identifying the owners/history of the 2 stubbies, you have a lot to go on, more than you think.
It could take a lot of time, but it can be fun while doing it. I spent my most of my adult life finding things that most people thought could not be found or simply a big waste of time. Yes, it was part of my job, but my success was mainly do to 2 things persistence & I looked at the task as fun, not a burden. If you decide to play, here are a few clues to get you going;
What starts the hunt is their uniqueness; the box included.
Talk to the person who sold them to you, ask where he got them & work it back as far as you can. You might run into a dead end with the name of a person, but might be able to isolate the razor's life to a city.
Try & narrow done the razor manufacturer & possible import/sale city; you may have a clue in the name you mentioned.
The scales are piano keys, how often have we seen this done.
Most owners would have rescaled in a material at hand; I doubt that a person would have stripped from the family piano, but a person who worked on pianos for a living would have this material lying around.
Or a person would have gone to a piano shop to get some,,,point,,, there were not a lot of piano stores in those days.
You would be surprised how well people kept records before this great era of computers & businesses like these were usually passed down through the family

A lot can be done on your computer on a rainy day with a cup of coffee next to you. A phone to reach out & follow leads. Remember when dealing with people on the phone while following leads, make it interesting for them too, tell them why you are doing it and how helpful they can be, put no pressure on them with any deadlines on return information. You will be surprised how many will want to solve the mystery too.

Don't forget the members here, that have spent so many years identifying razor origins.
Just my thoughts. :shrug:

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Coming in way late on this topic but what the hell.. that was great! Thank you, I like to research and consider myself pretty good, but you take it to a Sherlockian level!
Thanks for the input.
M