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I just aquired this old rock coticule .. there is some more writing under the "old rock" stamp but it is ineligible .. also there appears to be rough saw marks still visible under running water .. possibly unlapped .. would I be best to keep as it is considering it's apparent rarity ?? Thanks for any advice and information
Pretty sure the writing underneath is supposed to say made in Belgium. The stone would be worth more with the stamps.
Nice looking stone.
For me seeing no box or label looses the collector value. Any stone could be stamped easily.
I would use it but that is just me.
I would use it. Mine produced fantastic edges.
The lower text does say "made in Belgium" .. the saw marks are still slightly visible under running water , guessing it has never been lapped , was found in the back of a farmers shed 😊Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian1
My way of thinking, if I have other rocks then the stamp stays unless I really want to try the stone.
Looking at my answer I see I wasn't of much help :)
Nice find by the way.
I wouldn't hesitate to lap and use it, stamps be damned. Take pictures, then lap it and enjoy the stone for its purpose.
I've taken pictures and then said goodbye to vintage stamps on valuable Japanese natural stones, lapping and honing without shedding a tear. They are natural honing stones, meant to be used, not just admired. My attitude has always been "I'm so glad I have been blessed to have this - now can I live up to it? Can I do some justice to the people who bothered to preserve this and hand this down for me, and expected me to learn and use it properly as they did?"
You have a great find there, thanks for sharing pictures. That is a thick, old school, natural Coticule. One of the thickest I've ever seen. Is it a decent stone? Who knows, until you try it. But I can tell you with some certainty that they're not mining natural Coticules out thick like that one anymore, because they just don't exist anymore, they're mined out. That this one survived intact is an indicator that it has some juju, people don't bother to preserve stones that suck. It will last the rest of your life and then some. So you're starting out ahead of the game, that is a very cool stone. :dropjaw:
Be grateful for what you were lucky enough to get, and don't hesitate to learn and use it how it was meant to be used. It may be a doorstop, or a honing gem. Have fun finding out! You can pay no greater honor to the stone and the men who mined it, than to use it.
Nice stone, looks like the one I inherited from my great grandfather, I treasure it greatly.
Personally I'd use it as it is intended to.
I'm considering selling it as it's hard financial times .. could anyone please give me a idea as to it's value (I know it's a subjective thing) ... I understood that one sold for abit a while ago on these forums . Thought best place to start ...
One way to assess sell value is to search eBay completed sales. That's all we can say here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory78
Normally your post would be deleted as we don't allow valuations or sales talk on the open forums but as it seems you're new from your post count, just consider this a friendly warning & please folks, keep any replies on value to PM.
I'm kind of surprised that the yellow slice is as thin as it is coming straight out of the box. Maybe there was a hype back in the day?
It's a naturally occurring blue & yellow stone . Possibly it's an exceptional stone or that was all they could salvage from the quarrying.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brontosaurus
Mate I apologise for that , by all means delete that comment .. I am still curious to it's rarity and collectors value rather than any monetary kind of value. It's very unlike any coti I have used so far ... Almost a grainy sandpaperish feel .... Very fine though .
Check the “BBW” side, it may have been harvested for the blue rock and may be a special stone.
There is so much of the Old Rock/ coticule history that is unknown, in the end it was a business and much of it was just marketing. We must remember that then as now, the largest percentage of the market for hones was for tool honing, not razors, and do not know who they were marketing to.
As said about “Old Rock”, the Old Rock company was the largest Coticule manufacture, and not all “Old Rock” stones came from the Old Rock mine, they purchased from other mines.
“Old Rock” was a company name, the name of a mine,
the name of a vein and a brand.
If the old price list is any indication, the “Old Rock” labeled stones were second in highest price to the Barber’s Special.
If you want to sell for the highest price, put it on eBay, for a dollar, it will bring out the Coticule lovers and ultimately sell for the highest price, today. In days past Coticules commanded crazy prices, but the market reflects demand. There will always be collectors.
Attachment 310450.
It's funny you say that as the "bbw" side I find more like the usual coticule feel in the feedback ...that buttery fast cutting feeling.. while the coticule layer is extremely grainy and fine idk this one is abit of a puzzle to me ..
Thanks Euclid that mention of the bbw now makes alot of sense to me now, I never actually new that there was a select grade of bbw ..though it does make total sense .
I guessed that the coticule layer runs deeper in parts of the slab they quarried ??? Idk but i do know I enjoy finding out more about them :) .. coticule love eh :)
I had a few smaller Old Rock Extra Extra pretty much NIB and I think some were man put together and some 100% natural since I can't find any other explanation. I still use one, once in a while, with a rather thin layer on a side. Even so, should last for many years.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brontosaurus
Lately cotis are selling big $ again. Not having the box will hurt the value though.
Some BBWs are so dense and fine that will offer a nice shave after honing on them. But they are really rare. This looks like one of the older darker layers. Does it feel hard? As far as I could see, these were quite hard.
The one I have has a BBW side unlike any other I've seen, I haven't tried shaving off of it though, but I really should try it.
Also, I have a La Grise with an Orange in between the Coticule and BBW layer, I wonder how that layer acts.
Gotta love natural combination stones, how they were formed, how close they lie to each other and yet have different characteristics.
I've finally figured out the easiest way to easy max out Coticule edges, I should try the same with my natural combo Coticules' BBW side, but in the past I've generally found the Coticule side to be a better finisher.
The dark one were the special BBW, there is a lot written, search Salm Coticule, La Lorraine, Rouge Du Salm and French stones, for even mores mystery and good pics.
