Looking for info on a Wade and Butcher straight razor.

[CJF]

Hello,

I acquired this straight razor several years ago, and was cleaning out some drawers and found it today (I’d actually forgotten about it).
Now I know absolutely nothing about these things, and was looking for some info, age, value (if any) etc.

It is obviously marked “Wade and Butcher Sheffield” and the box in came in is marked “Frederick Reynolds”.

It appears to be in excellent shape, no rust or cracks in the handle, it opens smoothly and has a hollow ground edge that is sharp as…well, a razor.

Again I don’t mess with these and I’m clearing out a bunch of unused stuff, and if there is a market I’d probably just sell it.

Any info would be appreciated, thanks.
Chris

 

[gadgetgeek]

One of the main forums for straights imploded quite some time ago, and I have no experience with badger and blade. As for value, all I do know that W&B blades had a range of tang markings, which are used to determine age. The box is likely stamped with the retailer, or is not original, something that is also very common.
If you do go to sell it, what you want to do is have clean macro photos of both sides of the tang, and a measurement of the blade height to the nearest 8th of an inch, and if possible, a macro of the blade profile, straight down the toe. Edge photos with a reference help as well since serious buyers will want to know if the edge has any smile, or frown (don't worry about that much, it's a factor that guys consider for users, but only slightly, and that one looks pretty good)
W&B is one of the more reputable and thus well-known brands, so that's a plus. I have no idea what the state of the market is, all I know is that I rarely find good blades in antique shops, and the last blades I saw were way over-priced for users, but that was before the blip. If you have nothing in it, here is probably not the best spot since most collectors are on other platforms, ebay would be the bare minimum, but I'd say sell wherever you are most comfortable, since in any collecting sphere, you need to speak the language of the scammer better than that of the buyer.

 

[AZGabe]

I would guess 1880ish. Certainly before 1892. That's the easy part. Razors made after 1892 have "England" stamped on them due to the McKinley Tariff Act. To narrow down the dates before 1892, you have to research the stamps. Earlier models will have a crown with initials underneath, indicating the king reigning at the time of manufacture. Some have different symbols that represent the king. That cross and design (hollow grind & shape) came later in the 1800s.

Frederick Reynolds is another manufacturer, not retailer.

Yours appears to have the original horn scales. I would apply some neatsfeet oil to bring them back to life. It adds moisture to horn scales.

Here is my old razor. Again pre-1892, but I've never researched the symbols.

 

[Warbler]

One of the main forums for straights imploded quite some time ago,

Which forum was that?

 

[gadgetgeek]

Which forum was that?

Straightrazorplace.com which is sad because I think a lot of their database of razors was lost then.

 

[Warbler]

I think I was on the forum for a small amount of time. Seemed like a nice place. I wonder what happened?

 

[Mique]

Straight razor place is still running just under a different name. All the files were moved there too. It is now https://sharprazorpalace.com and has been for a few years.

There was a “take over” where some of the moderators changed the domain and passcodes and locked out the owner Lynn abrams. He sued them and it went to court and he won which is why the name had to be changed. I was an active member there during the whole fiasco.