Thread: What to look for in a vintage brush?

In my antique store searches I've seen a fair amount of brushes. Is there anything that I should look for when looking at these vintage brushes?

butterscotch color is always in high demand,simpsons,rooneys etc,most used brushes will most likly need to be reknotted.
Very few vintage brushes are rare tho.have fun.

Condition of the knot would be my main concern. I've bought "used" A.K.A. vintage Simpson brushes (butterscotch) from individual members and from ebay but never found a good one in an antique store. I'd have to like the handle an awful lot to go through the added expense of having it re-knotted. Then it would no longer be "vintage" AFAIC. DrP found a killer Ivory handled vintage Simpson a few years back. Go to Shave My Face and check out DrP's collection. Something to see.

I guess the condition of the knot is something I will just have to learn more about. I did buy one the other day that everything seems in good condition and test lathers have gone well I just need to disinfect it before it goes to my face.

It's pretty simple to pick out a vintage brush if you plan on reknotting it as I always do. If you like the design, check for the obvious cracks and large chips. If you're really anal you can make sure the logo is deep enough to read (even after a polish).

If you are talking about finding vintage brushes to collect and not necessarily use, then the above cracks, chips, and logos still applies. But then I would look more to the manufacturer than anything (eg Ever Ready and Rubberset brushes are everywhere, but vintage simpsons or dubl duck brushes are a little harder to find)

I obtained two vintage brushes recently. One is an old Kent V16 - a monster with a 38mm silvertip knot probably 1960s vintage. The other is a real ivory brush made in 1919. This has a 21mm knot.Both were owned by a former Kent employee. The brushes are unused.



I posted some more information and photos on my shaving blog:

http://fidosshavingblog.blogspot.co....eal-ivory.html
http://fidosshavingblog.blogspot.co..../kent-v16.html