Antique WADE & BUTCHER Straight Razor 13/16+ ROYAL STAMP V♔R Victorian RESTORED

Description

This Razor
: This is an AMAZING hihgly collectible mid-19th century wedge-grind 13/16"+ cutthroat straight razor made in Sheffield, England by the famous cutlers Wade & Butcher.  The tang has a beautiful clear maker's stamp including the significant royal stamp "V
♔
R," indicating it was made under the
purview
of Queen Victoria (Victoria Regina). It has a straight spine with a generous smiling bellied edge with very nice natural black horn stunning scales with its original iron pin-covers
. It has a lovely etch which appears to be floral in nature, perhaps thistle?
Comes with a coffin box.
The Work:
I refurbished this blade by unpinning it, removing all rust, carefully polishing it to a nice sheen. Some pitting and scratches remain,
as I did not want to endanger the essence of the blade with over-polishing
. I cleaned and polished the original scales and re-pinned them with brass pins and installed brass washers to the pivot to enhance this razor's already very impressive longevity.
Besides holding some history, this is a great shaving instrument . The size is perfect, in my opinion. The heavy grind is conducive to a solid, quiet shave, and the bellied edge makes it forgiving and versatile.
This is a finely made shaving instrument. 160+ years old and still going strong, ready to serve several more generations!
I honed this razor with great care, as I would for my own razors I use for personal daily use
this razor was honed with the following progression with tape to protect the spine. It will be sanitized with Clippercide prior to shipping:
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 2k
Shapton Kuromaku Ceramic 5k
Seuhiro Kouseki
Nakayama
Vintage Linen Fire Hose Strop
Tony Miller Rough Out Strop
Tony Miller Fast Bridle Strop
My Story
: I fell in love with vintage straight razors some years back when I became irritated with the exorbitant cost of disposable razor cartridges. I taught myself to refurbish antique straight razors, utilizing my background in jewelry and sculpture in learning to make custom razor scales, to pin them properly,
and, through great effort and dedication, have gained a reputation for nicely honed shaving edges
. Each of these blades is a journey, with a history. A man's hands created it long ago to last for generations. You and I are part of those generations. I try to be sensitive and cognizant of the historical context of each razor, as well as the spirit and intentions of the original blademaker so that I may bring them back to life for you, my customer.
**Please also note that props in photos (sharpening stones, holders, etc.) are not included in this listing unless explicitly specified in the title or listing