Hi, Newbie here I have gotten my hands on a Joseph Elliot straight edge razor. The blade on one side near the handle says " Joseph Elliot adhas a C/cross/reverse C . On what I would call the back strap of the blade it is stamped " improved silver steel" and under that it says concave. This is on the side of the backstrap. The handles or scales appear to be ivory, and the bolsters appear to be nickel silver withe inlays into the handles on both sides top and bottom. The scales are perfect, and the blade has some slight discoloration, but no pitting or rust. The shank of the blade behind the cutting edge is serrated on the top and bottom. The blade has what looks to be etching on it that says H. C. Parker Harford ( my son say it says H C Porter Hartford) on it. I have got to have somebody look at it with better eyes than mine. Almost looks like it was personalized. What have I got? Anything that could help date this and or add a value to it would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete
Sorry. Can't offer any help. I'm sure someone will be along that can answer your question. But I will say welcome to the Den!
I will see what I can get done here. I personally am not real good with the aspects of posting, but will see if I can enlist son to do it
naragansett Joseph Eliot was is the name of a Sheffield cutler and his company who made excellent razors, so chances are good that you've got a winner there. Are the words "Sheffield" or "Sheffield, England" stamped anywhere on the razor? The word "Sheffield" by itself will date the blade before 1890, "Sheffield England" will indicate that it was made after 1890. Do post those picturesso we can give you some more info. Best Regards, and welcome to the Den goshawk
Goshawk, Thanks for the info. I have examined the razor pretty well, and I do not see the words Sheffield or Sheffield England anywhere on the razor, only Joseph Elliot, the 2 C's with the cross between them. As I said, the blade says " improved silver steel" and " concave on it. There is fine light scrolled etching on it that says H C Porter Hartford on it, which makes me think it was made for a company to market, or was personalized. I have researched the company on the web, as much as I can, and the re seems to be a lot of units made with " Best Silver Steel on them, but I find no mention of improved silver steel, or the word concave. Personally I might think that improved silver steel, came before BEST silver steel. The razor came from my great uncle that passed a year and a half ago. My mother(82) said that she never knew my uncle to use a straight edge, and he was 98 when he passed. She believes that the razor might have belonged to his father. I will try to get my son to take the pictures. Hopefully by tomorrow. Pete
naragansett Very early Sheffield cutlery often didn't use the name of the city at all, so what you've got may be a very old razor, which is kind of cool, and shouldn't make any difference to how well it shaves. Looking forward to the pics! goshawk
JOSEPH ELLIOT Sheffield Trademark: C reversed and C, with + between 1821-1854 ("More Old Razors" by Lummus. Antiques, May 1927 p.372-374) Elliot Joseph, razor manufacturer, 4 Holliscroft; house: Western bank Known Razors “Several Known” Picture Link, 2 on SRP 2 on ebay 1 on B&B Pictures & info invited JOSEPH ELLIOTT (ELIOT) & SONS “The True Apollo Ring” Razor ca. 1795 to present "Joseph Elliot's Chinese Razor" Historical Records at I hope this helps a little. Joseph Elliot is quite a common razor and a good one at that. If it isn't in bad shape then it should make a good shaver. As an heirloom, does value really matter? Will N.
Ivory When you mentioned Inlays that pretty much eliminated the chances of the scales being Ivory but some pics would really help...
I have a couple pics that I am going to try to post. I hope they are not to small. I am not real good at posting pictures. Also, the blade is not near as dark as the pictures make it out to be When I said inlays, it is actually part of the bolsters, and not inlaid as such
I saw this Griz on the internet. Here is another pic. I am not doing well on the correct size of the pic. I have this same problem on a fishing forum I belong to
naragansett That's a beautiful razor! :happy088 When the grind goes straight back into the tang like that it's called a "shoulderless" blade, and the long even cup at the end is what's called a "spanish" point. It looks to be in good shape too. If I were you I'd ship it off to gssixgun to be honed. Best Regards goshawk
Thanks Goshawk.....Sorry that the pics were not that big. It has no flaws in the handles that I believe to be ivory. I am still trying to date it. Do you think it is in the 1821 to 1854 period that Griz posted. It has nothing on it that says Sheffield, or Sheffield England. It truly is in nice shape. As far as sending it off, I do not know that I will do that. Any additional info from anyone would be appreciated. Thanks, Pete
I read posts like this & curiosity begins to get the better of me. I KNOW at some point in the next few months I'm going to give this a shot.....I just want to perfect the DE/SE world of things first..... People tell me I can begin the str8 shave for around $50, but would that be w. a quality tool producing a good learning opportunity? I can see not wanting to ruin something expensive, but if you have the DE thing down, isn't it safe to try something of quality? COngrats on yer new razor! Let us know how that goes for ya!
All of the razors that I have with scales like this one are almost always ivory celluloid. Celluloid was used from about 1870 to 1930. You will have to try the hot pin test to make sure, but be careful and touch inside the scale where you wont really see it. Heat up a sewing pin in a pair of pliers of couse with your lighter and then touch the tip to the scales. Ivory won't do anything. Celluloid will just melt right away and have a piney odor. Plastic will melt and smell like........plastic! Horn which it probably isn't will melt just a little and stink like burning hair. The scales might be replacement though so the blade might be a little older, but I would give a very uneducated guess at about the 1870 or so mark. Don't hesitate to send it off to Glen (GSSIXGUN) he is a master and is a first class gentleman to boot. Your razor will be in good hands with him, and you will get it back ready to go. Will N.
naragansett I've got a German razor with a pair scales just like that and they're celluloid; I'm betting Griz is right and they're replacements. In any case you've got a straight there that should be a winner. Crongrats goshawk
