I was wondering how the Eschers are reachinbg so high prices.
VINTAGE ESCHER & CO. WATER RAZOR HONE - eBay (item 290530826466 end time Feb-09-11 08:46:01 PST)
Do they stand for the legend ?:nono:
Cheers all,
Wal
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I was wondering how the Eschers are reachinbg so high prices.
VINTAGE ESCHER & CO. WATER RAZOR HONE - eBay (item 290530826466 end time Feb-09-11 08:46:01 PST)
Do they stand for the legend ?:nono:
Cheers all,
Wal
This one is a yellow green which seems to be the most popular color because of it's speed and it's huge: 9 13/16" x 2" x 7/8".
The Escher label is a proof of quality and adds to it's collectors value.
I would give my firstborn for that stone .... but I'm 62 and never had any kids ..:boohoo: the seller would probably want more than that anyway.:banghead: It is apparently worth it to two individuals. I have one that is 7x1&9/16ths and I like it a lot. Dunno what it is worth. Depends on the day of the week with ebay and who is looking, how much disposable income they have. I was going to bid on that one but it went beyond where I would go. YMMV.
if you know what are you doing it is worth every penny you spend on it.
gl
To me, this is the best evidence yet that we're in the middle of an Escher price bubble. I'd bet a nickel that this will collapse in a year or so. $800 for a rock is absurd, kind of like $500,000 for a 3/2 home in Stockton. The crows are enjoying those homes now...
I couldn't agree more. I''m so glad I go my Escher's when they were affordable. I saw that, it makes me want to sell a couple...I have a really nice Y/G with a complete label, but it's the standard 7x1.5 which, as Sham stated, is fine if you know what your doing.
Another 2 L and .5 width, doesn't matter to me...It's just nice to have...
Here's some pics, The one in the middle I use often. I got it from Lynn a long time ago. The one on the far right, with the really good label, is really Y/g. It's one of the nicer one's I've seen. I have two other's in boxes with complete labels...
They're a great finisher, but I don't think they're worth 800.00 IMHO.
There are hone collectors out there who don't use them.
I guess a vintage piece in that size and condition was worth much to a few people. I have one and it's a great finisher but in the end there is no magic.
I would rather have an Escher that cost 600.00$ then a new coticule 8x3 that now cost 450.00-500.00$, I'm just saying it's all relative.
Eschers being high in price really isn't that new. One that was large y/g and mint condition sold in the classifieds here a few months ago for over 700.00. I have seen dark blue ones with boxes and labels go on Ebay for over 500$, etc.
For people that buy these hones, it's not just for the shaving purpose, we are collectors, like people that buy $5000.00 paintings or sculptures. We have these things because they are collectible, rare, and old.
If you are personally not interested in that then you can buy a Shapton set for the same amount of money (or more with the 30K and the lapping plate) or a Naniwa set for less money and live with that forever and be happy. Others aren't happy with that, we want to collect antiques as well as have great shaves too, it's a duality in the hobby.
Personally I am one of those people that like Old Natural hones. I don't want to just own a norton and a naniwa 12K, they work great, but I want to collect old things too.
I own an Escher or two and I enjoy their use and their collectible value as well. Some razors go on ebay that are old and mint for 200-300USD which is comparable.
8x3 Coticules are now 450-500, really....Where have I been....?
About 1 year ago, you could get a 7x1.5 Escher for about 200.00
While I love my Escher Y/G, at this point in my straight razor journey I sometimes wonder if I should have just opted to send the razors to someone for honing. $800 buys a bunch of honing, 40 razors @ $20 each if my math is right, plus postage. Add a barber hone for touch-up and you're good to go.
Of course if you're like most of us and end up with more than 40 razors, the investment in stones begins to look worthwhile.
Or if your a do-it-yourself type.
Or if you just like the stones.
Or if you think honing your own razors is cool and self-reliant.
Or...............
You get the idea.
So I think that if you want only a couple of razors, or a seven day set, and are not going to purchase more (good luck with that), and don't want the hassle of learning how to hone, go with sending them out. Otherwise you're doomed like the rest of us that realize that 40 razors are going to pass through our hands in a heartbeat and that sending them for honing out is really not an option.
Yes the stone is expensive, so is the alternative. Any further justification needed?
They are worth having for sure, I'm not sure about the big prices. I got two in the last two years for a combined total of $30.50. Search junky antiques stores, that's where I got mine (YG with label $30, dark blue no label $.50!!!)
You guys have got to have a serious problem to pay more than... $50.00 US for - a rock!
How many Yen is that?
I'm not really a full blown collector, but I do understand this. I just like how these old rocks look. I have an Escher just like that one, but without the side "Gelbgrun" label (and maybe a tiny bit longer). Luckily I got my Escher at an antique market, so I didn't pay 800 bucks for it.
When I was a kid I found an old Fender guitar amp (tube, 1960s etc) at an antique shop in town and my mom paid 100$ for it.
The amplifier is worth over 10,000.00!
Goes to show what kind of steals you can get from people who don't know what something is.
I've never paid quite that much for an Escher but I never found any of those thirty to fifty dollar deals either. I've paid a lot for some and an average price for others. They are my personal favorite finisher though. Some guys might like the edge off of another stone better but they are tops for me. The prices on ebay or in the classifieds seem to go up and down. Sort of like real estate. :p
While it's not worth it to me, I can certainly understand someone paying that for one. I have over $1k in Shaptons, probably the same in Coticules, and I've seen individual Japanese Naturals go for double that. I've kind of shifted my thinking on a lot of this stuff, but I own a $450 brush... Is any of it worth it? It was to me at the time. Today I spent $450 on a couple of razors...
Is it worth it/that worthwhile? It is to some.
Escher is simply a well known hone that isnīt mined any longer. Whether itsīreputaion is only a question of quality… I donīt really know. But back in the days, there werenīt much different natural razor hones. Thuringians (mostly eschers) and coticules. Maybe some minors, like Arkansas, but stones like the Charnleys forest hasnīt been used for razors, AFAIK.
Iīm pretty sure, that if coticules (And maybe Arkansas, too) werenīt mined anymore, they would exceed the value of Eschers easily, because different to Eschers, they are well-known for sharpeing other things, too.
Regards,
tok
Charnley Forest Hones were used for razors back in the days. 4 months ago there was a CF for sale at Ebay.com with a note from 1850 describing it as a razor hone.
I've also seen 2 CFs that were only 1" in width and could not have been used for much else than a razor, but they didn't had notes.
I don't recall the name of the book but there is an old one on geology, found in google books, that says the best Charnleys came from the Whittle Hill quarry and that it was a widely used stone but the Turkey stone was more sought after. Turns out that there is probably no way of identifying a Whittle Hill stone and that the Turkey stones varied in quality and though the latter are still available they don't seem to be up to the standard of those written about years ago. :shrug:
I'll tell ya what, whatver the cost, Escher's are great hones for finishing, really, As a matter of fact, I keep one out at all times with a little slurry or rubbing stone. I love the feedback I get from it, and I love the edge it puts on my razor. My favorite finisher by far, and I have lots.
I haven't done the math, but I'd bet that pound for pound, coticules are about the same as Eschers. Sure, a 6x2 vintage Escher might be $350, but that's a .75" thick stone. A 6x2 vintage coticule that costs $75 is usually only .25" thick at the most, the rest is BBW or slate. I might pay $350 for a 6x2, .75" thick coticule. Especially if it's a fine, hard coticule. That's a few lifetimes worth of coticule.
Christopher
$350 for a Escher? A rock?
That's crazy talk.
But the problems with Coticules are, They're like a box of chocolates. You never know what your gonna get. I have yet to come across a bad Escher.
A guy will pay that for a golf club or a fishing rod that he only uses occasionally. I've got handguns that cost twice that and more. An avid razor honer will use that stone for years and probably often if he has the RAD to go with the HAD. Then there is the difference between the person who is satisfied with a chevy as opposed to the guy who wants the caddillac. If he can afford it I can't knock him. Like Louie Armstrong told the lady who asked him what is jazz,"If you don't know lady, don't mess with it." :)
Were there any other hone under a different name from the same mine as the Escher?
Also,what is the hone that costs more?
Go Here : Japan Tool
& look at the stones that have P.O.A. under the price. Some might be in the 4 figure range :)
Here's my Gelbgrün.
I was very lucky to try out Birnando's Y/G Escher for a few months and I can safely say they are great stones. That stone gave the closest edge to my J-Nat I've used so far; Wonderfully smooth but sharp as stink.
They're also rare and that one had a good label on it as well as being massive, which adds to the value as well.
They're great stones and definately worth their weight in gold.