Thread: Ebay Discussion...

I try to never use the word "mint" unless it's actually mint. If it's excellent, I'll use near-mint or excellent condition. The word "minty" is just stupid (although I've used it once or twice ) If it's mint, it's mint. If it's excellent, it's excellent. If it's restored, it's restored.

We have these discussions all the time on the watch forums. In that case there actually is a set hierarchy of terms to describe the condition of an item. The highest is called pristine mint and that means in the sealed box. Next is near mint and then mint. The term that really chaps my hide the most the the term New Old Stock. People assume its the highest condition but really it has nothing to do with the condition of the item but related to the retail status. Its just something that has never been sold retail before. In the case of a watch it could have been used as a loaner for 20 years by a jeweler for repair items and then sat in someones garge for 20 years after the retailer died and is finally being sold on Eboy and is all banged up and scratched and corroded but its NOS.

No different with razors I suppose. If a maker had razors in storage which he never sold and died and relatives got his old stock and twenty years later sold off the razors they would be NOS. Hopefully they were properly preserved but they might not have been and could have chipped edges and rust and pitting.

As I recall someone started a thred awhile back either here or on the other site about establishing a standard for razor conditions but it went nowhere. Impossible to police I guess.

It's possible for those of us that frequent the forums to learn and end up using the same terms to describe the condition, but there are so many other people out there trying to turn a dime selling antiques that it's just not possible to expect everyone to assess the razors the same way.

This is an excellent discussion. Would a mint razor made in the 1940s be still considered mint (assuming it's new, unused in the original package) if it had some storage wear? A 60 or 70 year old NOS razor may have some storage wear such as darkening of the scales for light colored celluloid or some oxidation might might be present on a carbon steel blade. I don't think razor manufacturers intended a razor to have decades of shelf life. It's a tough call.

What I've ascertained from the coin programs I occasionally see on The Shopping Network is that "proof" coins are simply given an extra stamp or two by the coin press, which defines the images on them a little better. After that, they're sealed in glass or plastic packaging, keeping them in their pristine state.

So aside from the extra "work" that goes into them, the same idea applies to razors. Although it's very rare to find an old razor that's in packaging has never been tampered with.

Originally Posted by EdinLA44

This is an excellent discussion. Would a mint razor made in the 1940s be still considered mint (assuming it's new, unused in the original package) if it had some storage wear? A 60 or 70 year old NOS razor may have some storage wear such as darkening of the scales for light colored celluloid or some oxidation might might be present on a carbon steel blade. I don't think razor manufacturers intended a razor to have decades of shelf life. It's a tough call.

Let's say, mint razor has some hone wear, maybe honed 5-10 times, and it's in excelent condition. NOS, besides all discoloration it might have, will be never honed, and will be without cracks and chips...

Nenad

What about a razor that has been gently used and well maintained with a thick layer of patina? What abot when the patina has been removed?

X

Okay, my thoughts....and this is from a guy who was called on selling a "mint" NOS razor on eBay <g>.

NOS, New Old Stock. A razor, usually from days gone by, "old", recently found, "stock" and bing sold to the public (not a dealer) for the first time "new".

Mint. I use this term as originally intended from the coin world.....as it came from the mint, un-worn, un-used and still looking like it. In the razor world, maybe un-honed, un-tarnished, etc..... It would also mean as it came from the manufacturer WITH all it's manufacturer induced, inherent flaws, honing marks on the spine from the factory, poor pinning, etc...... Now days though most would expect mint to mean "perfect" which in most cases it is not.

Just my take.

Tony

It seems to me that a lot, if not most, of the sellers on ebay have no clue what a straight is supposed to look like, let alone what condition it's really in.

In the world of comic books, there's a definitive description of what a "mint" comic looks like, what a "very fine" comic looks like, "poor" or whatever. I agree that there should be similar official guidelines for describing razors, and that these people are annoying with their "mint" razors that look more like corkscrews! However, there aren't such guidelines and I don't think those sellers are going to listen to us complaining about them.

You can usually tell if a seller is knowledgable (see Bill's Ebay entries). I think Lynn's point is that we should take their adjectives with a HUGE grain of salt and ask the questions necessary to find out what the razor actually looks like.

Just my thoughts.

I have to agree with Tony. If a razor is NOS it has not been used.
Mint to me means mint I really don't think that is hard to define.
However some of these ebayers lie, I won't write it off to ignorance. They are looking to make a buck and if you are not careful it will be at your expense. You will notice that reputable sellers always seem to have clear pictures. Look at the German fellow (manyware) all of his pictures are clear and his descriptions accurate. I find that you are more likely to get a bad razor from an out of focus picture than a good razor.