Thread: Carigslist Find

Pricing is pretty much just one persons point of view and most often just leads to arguments. I have not analyzed the rules but it is something that is not done. If you want to have a look through the classifieds and a vendor site or two I think you will find pretty quickly that if you are looking for a shaving razor there are much better deals out there. There are collectors that buy razors primarily for the scales. Those people may pay more for that razor than someone who primarily shaves. As this is a shaving forum, that is pretty much the perspective you will get here. If you read between the lines here you will see that everyone is trying very politely to say that they would not spend their money on that razor with the given price.

It isn't entirely impossible to tell who made rebranded razors. I know Boker sometimes put a small tree on the end of the tail on some of there rebranded razors. Not sure if other manufacturers did it though.

Originally Posted by prodigy

Can someone clarify for me then, because I read the forum rules and to me it sounded like prices could be talked about in this sub forum...?

I went to look over the rules again an appears you are correct, but once again I don't run this site so my opinion isn't the end all be all. Usually the Mods are quite cool/nice about this stuff and will let you know if you did something wrong privately. If they don't let you know chances are you slipped through the cracks accidentally and if you contact them they will let you know about any changes made to your postings. I have had posts deleted and they were super courteous about it. Sometimes you are walking the line or cross it unbeknownst to you and they are there to keep the peace in a fair way.

I didn't mean to ask about price or value, but about the quality of the razor itself. I want to find some vintage items that I can buy from a person in my area, but the availability looks to be scarce in Des Moines. I am certainly not ready to put a heavy investment into something that requires a lot of restoration. And, without more detailed photos, that I have not been able to get, I wouldn't seriously consider purchasing it anyways. I found a posting for a good looking antique with possible bone scales that I would want more.

The thing about that razor is that it has decorated scales. There is a segment of the razor collecting society that focuses on decorated celluloid scales and couldn't care less about the blade within them. If you peruse ebay you'll see trashed blades with excellent or better decorated scales go for a good chunk of change. Stuff that we shavers wouldn't look at twice.

Add to that, antique stores tend to overvalue straight razors. Every now and again you'll find bargains but more often than not the razors are overpriced. If you're looking for a specific brand doing a search on ebay 'completed items' is probably the best bet. You could do the same search for 'straight razors', 'cut throat razors', and get an overview of what the market is doing.

There are many bargains to be had on the bay, for vintage razors that are from an obscure maker, and are 'under the radar.' If is is an old USA, Solingen, or Sheffield it will, nine times out of ten, be a good razor. The thing is, condition is the most important thing with those. A razor such as the one in the OP would clean up nicely, and probably make a good shaver. Trouble is, you're paying for collectible scales that you may not have any particular interest in.

I finally got some more pics of the blade, and I am concerned that it looks like there may be a crack or repair on the backside near the notch. Still too expensive for me at this point. What do you guys think?

I would still look elsewhere.