Before and after pics of recent eBay acquisition for less than $20 including shipping. The before pics are the two bottom pics. Joseph Rodgers & Sons 11/16 square point in with Ivory scales. No emblems on tang, only reads Joseph Rodgers & Sons, Cutlers To His Majesty, No. 6 Norfolk Street, Sheffield. Research on another forum shows it was manufactured between 1777 and 1830 which was before the ones reading Cutlers To Their Majesties. Cleaned with Mothers, honed and shaves great!
Update: I did some checking in 'The History of Joseph Rodgers and Sons' pdf file and in the first paragraph it states they didn't make stright razors until 1800. So that narrows the age down a little. A member on another forum that is familair with JR&Sons razors said it was manufactured between 1822 & 1830....close enough for me!
Just looking at what I can see from the pics, that razor looks like it might be re-ground. The pics are a bit out of focus so I can't tell for sure FYI, regrinds are not necessarily a bad thing. I've got several JR's. They are great shavers. Like Glen said, we need to see all of the tail to get a better idea of the approximate years of manufacture. W
Some dummy cut the tail off while taking pictures.......... The tang is a little wider than any other razor I have even the big bladed W&B.
Bruce, That razor is really hard to read, The grind and point look much too modern for the tang and tail... Just looking at the back half of the razor I would still guess newer that 1830 I would guess it closer to 1850-60 but I could be wrong because the grind and point might still be deceiving me.. Willie might be on to the truth and that razor was one of the many ca. 1910 regrinds out there Just a WAG from me, sorry
WAG, that is how I learned DOS back in '91. Thanks for the input guys! So its still a bit of a mystery but that seems normal in this hobby. At any rate a JR&Sons that reads 'Cutlers To His Majesty' is something that you don't see everyday which IMHO makes it a collectable plus it gives the notorious JR&Sons shave.
The size and shape of the tang and tail suggest early to mid 19th Cent. Like Glen said the blade and grind suggest much later. After doing some further research, the "his majesty" dates the stamp to after 1901. The fact that it doesn't have "England" after Sheffield suggests pre-1892, however, that is not always the case as some articles not made for export to the US were not marked with "England" as the country of origin. Now I'll really confuse the issue for you. Here is a fairly early JR "Military Razor" There is a previous king, George IV who died in 1831, but I have no records nor have seen any thing stamped thusly during his reign. Neil Miller or Alex might know for sure, but I'm getting on thin ice. Either way, it ought to be wonderful shaver if properly honed. ALL of my JR's are among my favorites.
And that is what counts the most, the shave. I have yet to meet a Joseph Rodgers I didn't like, they are the best shavers I have. I have come to the conclusion that no matter what the date is it is old.........
