What is this and how much should I pay for it?

[roosclan]

I found an interesting straight razor last week at one of the local antique stores. I have never seen one like it before, and have no idea what it is. The proprieter said she'd take $30 for it.

It's a Wade & Butcher with some kind of images etched onto the blade, as well as the case. The picture doesn't show it well, but it is a man in a top hat, a sun, a moon, some "I"-type columns above him, and some other designs under his feet. The picture isn't that great since all I had was my 2.0MP phone camera.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazor.jpg

What exactly is this, and is $30 too much for it?

[superbleu]

Go buy it!!!!!

[Walter Sobchak]

Looks like a very beefy blade from that angle. How's the edge? Looks pretty good. Sorry I'm not more informative, I don't know much about razors. From what I've seen around these parts, that razor looks like it would clean up pretty nicely.


Oh!, and I see there's some antique Ex-Lax there too!

[wvu_law_dawg]

Don't know about the razor, but the ancient box of Ex-Lax looks interesting....

[professorchaos]

Do it! Hell, I'll give you $35 for it :lol:.

Seriously, Wade & Butcher was a pretty prolific manufacturer out of Sheffield, England. Many chaps covet their large blades. How does the other side look? It'll may want new scales, but other than that it looks like it will clean up well.

[roosclan]

Do it! Hell, I'll give you $35 for it :lol:.
Don't tempt me. I just might buy it and send you a PM...:wink2:


Seriously, Wade & Butcher was a pretty prolific manufacturer out of Sheffield, England. Many chaps covet their large blades. How does the other side look? It'll may want new scales, but other than that it looks like it will clean up well.
The other side looked fine. There was no rust on it, although the plating on the spine seems to be worn off in a couple spots (the dark spots toward the end). I honestly don't remember if the other side was etched or not, but I don't think so. I was kind of taken in with the etching on this side.

I forgot I had another pic of the blade:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazordetail.jpg

I'm not sure I would use something like this, even if I bought it, as I have my grandfather-in-law's George Wostenholm & Son's IXL razor to use once I progress to straight shaving (I'm just getting started with DE shaving).
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wostenholmrazor.jpg

[RetroGrouch]

Very cool razor. It could easily be restored to shaving condition. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

If you buy it and don't like it, I'll cheerfully take it off your hands at a profit.

(Oh oh... bidding war between me and professorchaos??)


Mike

[Utopian]

The markings don't look like what I remember, but quite a few W&Bs had Masonic etchings on them. This is likely to be a variation of those etchings.

RUN or drive back to that store, give her the $30, and once you have it in your hand, gloat (silently unless you are a jerk) about the fact that you could immediately flip it on ebay for AT LEAST 10 times that amount even in its current condition.

[pelicano]

That's a masonic razor.
If you plan to sell it, you should offer it only to us brothers.:001_tongu

[Luc]

I would buy it, nice razor, looks like it can be saved!

[professorchaos]

Don't tempt me. I just might buy it and send you a PM...:wink2:


The other side looked fine. There was no rust on it, although the plating on the spine seems to be worn off in a couple spots (the dark spots toward the end). I honestly don't remember if the other side was etched or not, but I don't think so. I was kind of taken in with the etching on this side.

I forgot I had another pic of the blade:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazordetail.jpg

I'm not sure I would use something like this, even if I bought it, as I have my grandfather-in-law's George Wostenholm & Son's IXL razor to use once I progress to straight shaving (I'm just getting started with DE shaving).
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wostenholmrazor.jpg

Buy it and hang onto it. If you get into straights, you'll be glad you have it.

[luvmysuper]

Buy it and hang onto it. If you get into straights, you'll be glad you have it.

+100

Listen to the wise man.

[Slartibartfast]

Buy buy buy buy buy buy

[chfair]

i would probably jump on that extremely fast.. then i would get all the rest of the stones to hone a razor >.>

nice find :thumbup:

[markb]

Wow!! Killer find!! Yes, definitely go get it!!

[Seraphim]

W&B + thumbnotch = BUY IT!

[Huxley]

That blade would be worth a small fortune, like others said don't sit there go and buy the thing.

[dod.e.ratherwell]

Better run and get it cause that is fabulous looking!
...better run fast too, must be someone else on here from Kansas! :laugh:

[roosclan]

i would probably jump on that extremely fast.. then i would get all the rest of the stones to hone a razor >.>

nice find :thumbup:
I plan on getting the stones eventually anyway, as I want to learn to use my granfather-in-law's razor. I have a couple stones already, but I don't know what they are. One says "Old Swaty Hone" on the side and "Fran Swaty, Maribor, Jugoslavia" imprinted on one end. I'll post a different thread about the stones I have.


W&B + thumbnotch = BUY IT!
Are you referring to the curved area on the shaft right next to the blade? Is the thumbnotch something special?

[roosclan]

That blade would be worth a small fortune, like others said don't sit there go and buy the thing.


Better run and get it cause that is fabulous looking!
...better run fast too, must be someone else on here from Kansas! :laugh:

the chances of someone else being from my part of KS is pretty slim. I'm not in one of the big cities. It was still there after 3 weeks.

On the advice of just about every single poster in this thread, I went out and bought it:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazor2.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazordetail2.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazorstamping.jpg

Anyone have an idea on how to date this thing? I have even more pics I can post showing the pins, both scales, and where the wear and damage is (one of the scales is cracked), but these will have to do for now. It's time to cook dinner.

[Seraphim]

Anybody care to decipher the satanic inscriptions?

Nice looking razor get it honed up!

[Fnord5]

You robbed that store blind.
I'd have gladly paid twice that(still would)

[professorchaos]

the chances of someone else being from my part of KS is pretty slim. I'm not in one of the big cities. It was still there after 3 weeks.

On the advice of just about every single poster in this thread, I went out and bought it:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazor2.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazordetail2.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab201/roosclan/Straight%20and%20DE%20razors/wade-butcherrazorstamping.jpg

Anyone have an idea on how to date this thing? I have even more pics I can post showing the pins, both scales, and where the wear and damage is (one of the scales is cracked), but these will have to do for now. It's time to cook dinner.

Good for you! I think the photographic etching will loosely date it.

[Fnord5]

Good for you! I think the photographic etching will loosely date it.

Well the lack of England, should put it before 1890, and the lack of the B>------------>+ puts it a bit earlier IIRC.

[Psicko]

Very nice steal! the antique stores around here overprice crappy condition blades. One wanted 50 for a chip that took up almost half the blade. In no universe was that even salvageable. Another wanted $80 for a fully rusted blade.

[grump]

Sweet find.

[chfair]

man... i am hooked i keep checking this thread just to look at the pics over and over >.<

[JPM]

That is an awesome find! I love the bigger razors.

[jdeville]

That is absolutely GORGEOUS :w00t:

The only str8 they had near my house was going for $95

[Piano Black]

Be glad you bought it! I'm from Kansas and I would have driven half way (actually probably the full distance) across the state to pick that thing up :001_cool:

[dod.e.ratherwell]

Good one! It looks even better in your pics than the originals! What a honkin razor!

[roosclan]

Be glad you bought it! I'm from Kansas and I would have driven half way (actually probably the full distance) across the state to pick that thing up :001_cool:

Only to Hutchinson, man. Just halfway.

[SliceOfLife]

Nice razor. As others said, I'd be surprised if it went under $250 on the 'bay.

[LaughingAtFate]

All I can say is HUGE SCORE

Heavy W&B razors tend to go for quite a lot on the 'bay, Razors with Masonic Markings go for Just as much.

I have no idea just how much a Heavy W&B with Masonic Etching would be worth on the open market, but the mere fact that you got it for a handful of tenners suggests this is the buy of the year, Well Done!

Chances are very high that it'd be able to be restored too, Only seems to be the one rust-spot on the toe and a little bit of gunge