Thread: Question of "worth"

After really thinking about the question I first asked I've decided it isn't exactly how I wanted to word it. While condition is a factor it wasn't the full extent of what I hoped to get across.

I browsed through the clubs on the site as JimmyHAD suggested. This made me realize my actual question was how do I know if the razor has any history to it (which still isn't the best way to say it). The clubs gave me a basic idea, but telling the difference between the countless "solingens," "sheffields," etc. is difficult.

Can anyone recommend somewhere that I may do some personal research on the history and meanings of each brand, model, era, production city?

Thanks, I hope this clarifies what I was looking for but I realize since I'm brand new to this it may seem frustrating trying to help me but that's why I came to you all

The questions you ask seem simple enough however you could read books on the subject so getting easy answers here ain't gonna happen.

If you want to collect something you need to do research and become very well versed about the thing you want to collect and then decide what about the object is important to you. Info on the subject can be researched in small part on this site however you need to go way further. I'm not aware of any books on straight razors though there are some sources out there. You just need to roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty and find it.

We here are more concerned with use and repair than pure collecting.

A fellow PSUer!

Originally Posted by ats200

I'm curious as to how you all determine whether an item on ebay, etc. is worth purchasing or not.

Obviously there are certain factors going in to this such as if you can personally restore it, etc. but what are the things you look for?

I've seen plenty with nice "handles" or from antique razor producers but regardless of the name there are nearly always imperfections such as rust, stains, etc. How easily can these problems be fixed?

I haven't really begun shaving with straights yet so I'm not all to familiar but I've always been somewhat of a collector and these really interest me so I was hoping to get some input from anyone who does search for these.

Thanks so much

Yep! Are you current or Alum?

... I wonder what razor Atherton used...

Originally Posted by ats200

I'm curious as to how you all determine whether an item on ebay, etc. is worth purchasing or not.

Obviously there are certain factors going in to this such as if you can personally restore it, etc. but what are the things you look for?
....snip....

At one level razors are functional collectibles.

Thus to begin you need to explore the function.... i.e.
shave with and maintain some.

After function it is all about perception and market.
I know I paid much more for a second blade
when I had a first by the same maker that shaved me
well.

eBay is the best and the worst place to hunt for a bargain.
The obviously good blades almost never go unnoticed
so there is always a lot of risk.

Originally Posted by Utopian

Rather than addressing the main thrust of your post, I'd like to suggest that you try shaving with a straight as a first step. This will give you a better sense of what you are considering collecting.

Thank you Utop, I am trying to wrap my mind around why you are collecting something you dont use? Some are works of art,but are working works of art,so determining there worth is also a part of the way they shave ,the way they feel in your hand while doing so,and the way they take an edge,seems to me without this information judging there worth is impossable,but driving up there price for the people who use and appreciate them for what they are is easy

To explain myself, they are something that intrigue me and I'm just beginning the process of using straights which is why I asked the question.

Originally Posted by ats200

Can anyone recommend somewhere that I may do some personal research on the history and meanings of each brand, model, era, production city?

Unfortunately there isn't much out there. The best book I've found on the general history of straight razors is out of print. That is Robert A. Doyle's "Collecting Straight Razors." You can find a copy on the bay or through internet vintage book vendors. They used to go for $35 to $50 bucks for the paper back. It gives an overview but not specific to brands. The other books I know of are either price lists and out of date for that purpose but they do name various brands.

Goin's manual gives many trademarks and the dates they started and ended along with the place they were made. It gets into knives and razors. You can still get that at Knife World AFAIK. Forum member manah has some great resources on his site if you go here and follow the links. Stuff on various old companies. Neil Miller seems to come up with great stuff on companies both well known and obscure but I don't know where he gets his info.

The above refers to the early stuff, for the"hot" modern collectibles like the dubl ducks, Filarmonica, C-Mon, Puma etcetra, they are pretty mysterious. Those people went to work and made and peddled their goods and never dreamed that anyone would want to look back at what they were doing for history's sake. For the dubl ducks thebigspendur probably knows as much as anyone. More than you'll find in any book. In the razor clubs duck section he talks about the Bresnick, Bresduck and Pearlducks. Straight razor history is an esoteric field I guess.

Thanks Jimmy, I have actually been trolling the forums as much as possible to find this stuff and was beginning to realize exactly what you say, it just wasn't something that was really recorded.

I'm starting to get a feel for the answer to my question though just based on the collections of others and picking up on the manufacture dates and styles. Who knew there was so much to learn about the history of shaving? Not something many people really ever think about.

Originally Posted by ats200

Grizzley, I'm not sure that post was entirely necessary... it really isn't for you to understand. Why do people collect anything?

To explain myself, they are something that intrigue me and I'm just beginning the process of using straights which is why I asked the question in the first place. If you have no actual input you could just not post at all

Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers,I collect lighters although I know longer smoke-the point was that the value of some things is how they perform not only how they look.
Its like buying a sports car just because you like the way it looks, and that's fine ,but you missing its reason for being.