I agree with your sentiments. I have one on deck for tomorrow's shave. The 'Frederick Fenney' (F.Fenney) Tally Ho's date from 1833-1852. The later 'Tallies' (Bingham-stamped) were made afterwards.
More like 180 years old, give or take 5-10 years. Tail designs are beginning to get thinner and slightly longer... Frederick Fenney 'Tally Ho' 7/8"— all original. circa 1832-1840... Frederick Fenney 'Tally Ho' 8/8" — custom horn scales; circa 1850. Notice the change in tail from the one above.
I really enjoy shaving with this baby. It is fun to think about who might have shaved with it and where it has been. I had some help with research and am told I t was made in Dublin in 1803-05. The beautiful restoration was done by @HolyRollah and this razor is one of my favorites. SOTD Lisa's Natural Wet Shave Soap Wolf Whiskers Brush Millikin Stub Tail Razor Lucky Tiger Ogallala Bay Rum, Sage, and Cedar Happy Friday!
All great pieces of history. What makes it even greater is the fact that they all still do a wonderful job of performing what they were designed for. Mine is exceptionally smooth and very adept of whacking down several days of growth without any effort. Keep 'em if you got 'em, gentlemen
Good morning . Hopefully someone can help me identify the age on this early blade . The original box and blade states the same eccept the on the etched blade at end states "marked carved A.D 1684 " the box and blade states "The original &only true pure razor manufactuted only by George Wostenholm & Son limited sheffield . " Im new to this forum and collecting but my dad left me with over 300 item blade all vtg 1800,1900 and it very hard to identify them even with the name like Wade and Butcher which a have 7 of them all diffent and alot other so different . So hoping im welcome to ask the experts and this site . Thank you for any info would be so helpful . I did research on this blade but havent seen one that etched with all that info on it . Or it just wasnt mention on thete post about the etching . Ok thanks .
I would estimate a time frame of the mid to late 1800s on this razor. Since the country of origin 'England' is not stamped on the razor (merely, 'Sheffield'), we can accurately place the razor before the McKinley tariff act of 1890. Double-shouldered blade designs appear more often post-1850 so I'd feel pretty good in putting this razor in an approximate 1860-1889 time for production...give or take a decade or two.
Those old Geo. Wostenholm razors are very desirable, and shave well. BTW, welcome to The Shave Den. Please wander over to the Welcome Center, and introduce yourself.
Thank you so much . I tried to find info but couldnt get what you gave me . So helpful . Im learning my way around razor speech . I have about 30 more vtg blades around same age but different makers ,Wade and Butcher ,German blades and U. S A i just cant seem to find out the ages of them . Is it the blade shape that tells or the crest? But this is a fun learning experience . Thank you to the group for welcoming me . Most of all THANKS for you for sharing your infomation on VTG blades ..
Thats great News . Im suprised how great shape the blade and especially the great shape the box is in . Thats wonderful news .
The link below is to an article of dating straight razors, which is very helpful. of course posting a picture here will also more than likely get you the information. Besides we like pictures http://strazors.com/uploads/images/articles/Identification.pdf
It is. With the broad and varied range of makers over nearly 200 years of SR manufacture, any insight on the visible clues present on vintage razors is a boon for both restorers and collectors. Things get a little more murky into the 20th century as imports into the US begin having retailers vs makers name stamps. You'll find razors tang-stamped with something akin to 'Smythe Hardware', and 'Steel Made in Germany' (maybe) so tracking down the exact source and time period is tricky.
You can go to the Marketplace and then Classifieds on this site or equivalent BST (Buy, Sell, Trade) on other forums. Of course, eBay is loaded with them.
@HolyRollah , those are really amazing razors and look in great conditions, may I ask where did you find them?