I doubt this will ever shave. It just sits in a display as a collateral of a different collection altogether. If I meet the proprietor again, I'll ask how important a piece it is to him, and whether he would contemplate parting with it.
It seems as if the center part was inlaid. It has vertical grooving midblade as if to provide better contact and the bit above looks like half-molten metal as in welding lines. Could one of you in the know elaborate on how this blade may have been made?