Thread: What makes this razor so highly demanded?

Originally Posted by Jonah

I wouldn't call myself an artist, but I love to paint. I totally get the allure of having these razors and I love straight razors in part due to the maker's effort they put into it. Seeing some of Dylan Farnham blades or any of Charlie Lewis's line of razors certainly makes the artsy part of me giddy with enjoyment. It's quite nice that you have those razors that are in that good of condition. As much as I would love to bolster my artsy razor collection, I would see them as too much of a time bomb

Oh well! I shan't live forever, but thanks to some preservation, these shall outlive me as well!

Originally Posted by Magpie

My first thought was Hermes too, but looking at the close up, it seems to have a feminine form?
Now that you say "automotive" though, my brain is burning with a lost thought that this might have been a symbol for some rare car company?

Nice catch. In mythology, the female figure associated with the winged wheel was Athena/Minerva. The winged wheel has traditionally been a symbol for progress & technology, so this type of image has been popular in coats of arms & logos for transportation (cars, tires, hwy patrols, etc).

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Very nice scales there Sharpton.

James.

i couldnt agree with ya more !!!

look at that... I still have a couple of functioning brain cells!

I like the "good used condition" and wonder what a "bad used condition" would be (no pictures please, I do have an imagination).

Someone must have liked the scales for some reason. Or maybe his grandfather had one of those, or it's the seller's cousin who tried to raise the price and overshot...

There are a lot of celluloid collectors out there. I have seen some of the more ornate and rare ones go for over $1000, I remember one over $1500.

Every time I've sold a razor with ornate celluloid on eBay, when asking the buyer if they want it shave ready, the response is typically "I don't care" and even sometimes "absolutely not" - apparently if the blade has a dark patina, honing a shiny strip into it can decrease the value to some collectors.

I collect only celluloid scaled razors, mainly because I have used plastics most of my career and love the history of plastics. celluloid was the first plastic that could be made to look like almost any other product available. they also were easier to clean and cheaper than a hand carved set of scales. this particular razor I have never seen before in any of my books or 15 years of looking and collecting. the price was way over my bid, but maybe a museum or large collective group picked it up. very pretty scales. wish it was in my collection.