Thread: London antiques market find.

Although i haven't finished my raid on the London antiques markets for straights, I thought I'd post a few pictures of a couple of beauties I got at Portabello Road this morning. They weren't cheap but I think that for what they are, they were excellent value for money. It's not everyday you get a chance to aquire a boxed pair of scrimshaw scaled straights.











The pair are Mappin & Webb. Post 1868 but pre 1891. There was a Barque Emma. In the early 1850's it was running between San Francisco and Sydney.

wow they are nice! Congratulations on the find!

Verrrrrrrrry cool.
I think the best part is the ability to research some history behind these two beauties.

They are very clean for the age but the question is, are you going to restore them or leave them?

Most of my razors I would have a second thought about restoring them but with the possible history of those, they might be nicer as they are! As said they are very clean!

Soooo jellous!

I think I'm going to leave them. I might just hand polish the blades a little and that will be it.

Thanks for sharing the photos. Those scrimshawed ivory scales are, as far as I know unique. I have never seen a set like that before in pictures or in person. One thing I do know about old ivory is that it is fragile and prone to cracking. I would do little or nothing to those razors except love and admire them.

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

Verrrrrrrrry cool.
I think the best part is the ability to research some history behind these two beauties.

My thoughts, exactly. I too have never heard of scrimshawed scales on a razor. Send a PM to AntiqueHoosier. Mike knows a great deal about razors from that period.

I found this in a quick Google search from "the Ship's List." Passenger Lists - Sydney-California-Sydney 1849-1851

Sydney Shipping Gazette, Volume 8, Number 356 (11 Jan. 1851) pp. 350, 355

barque Emma, 295 tons, Captain Devlin
from San Francisco 23rd November 1850, arrived Sydney 7th January 1851

The Emma:— Captain Devlin has kindly favoured us with the following interesting account of this vessel's passage:— The above vessel sailed from the anchorage on the 23rd November, 1850, and has made the passage over in forty-five days, and from land to land in thirty-seven days, having been beating off a lee shore the first seven days after leaving the port, with gales veering between south-west and west-south-west, and a mountainous sea from the westward. She ran from the land to the Line in sixteen days, which she crossed in 156'50 west, carrying strong winds the whole time between north-east and east, passed seventy miles to the eastward of the Navigator group, and within one mile of the island of Vavau ; sighted Turtle Island, and carried moderate winds between north-east and east-north-east to the extreme of the Southern Tropic, when I experienced a series of moderate gales between west-north-west and north-west, accompanied with much thunder, lightning and rain. Barometer receded to 29'40 and stood so for six days in continuance. Sighted Lord Howe's Island on the 1st January, and experienced light south-west winds and fine weather for several days. On the 4th had a strong southerly gale, which lasted eighteen hours, when the wind became light at south-east to east, with fine weather, until I made land yesterday of Newcastle. Made the run for the meridian of Sandwich Islands to Sydney Heads in twenty-seven days.

Definitely a prize. I love the scrimshaw work. Those old sailors knew their craft.

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That's it. I'm moving to London.

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very nice find... wish we had antique shops here with finds like that......


here we have people selling ebay rejects for 2x retail.... lol...