Thread: What Do You Think Is the Rarest Straight Razor?

I've only seen one other razor like my 10/8 Joseph Rodgers 'Dutch Rattler' - there can't be many of those.

Probably one that most around here haven't heard of. Including me, because it is actually rare. Rare is extremely over used, in my opinion. Large Wade & Butchers in decent condition are _not_ rare at all, just desired by many, which is why they fetch the prices they do. Just like other popular brands. Dubl Duck, Heljestrand and Filarmonica come to mind.

There aren't a whole lot of rare razors. That's why they're rare. And uncommon stamp on a common brand, in my opinion, doesn't make it rare. It makes it a common razor with an uncommon stamp. But I understand that is a debatable opinion.

I would guess any hand made custom as there is only one of them

I've only ever seen one other like my 17/16 Joseph Elliot FBU wedge. When I posted it on here last year, nobody could tell me anything about it, nor could they provide pictures of any. Until a guy emailed me. He had seen one come across eBay, emailed me the picture from the listing. Said it fetched quite a high price. Anyway, I still haven't honed her up. Just have it sitting in my desk drawer in its new camel bone scales (I received it blade only- I would have LOVED to have seen the original scales!).

Mint, Helji 134 in Orig Ivory scales.

Guy named Alan Swain, who wrote a pamphlet on Case knife tang stamps, back in the 1970s, said under 500 was rare. Under 1,000 was semi-rare, and over 1,000 was not rare or semi. At least that was his opinion if I remember it correctly. This was applied to old ....... vintage ....... knives. Not one off customs or "hot" items such as the meat chopper FBUs and like that.

The ones in my collection,
as you will not likely get your hands on any of them in your lifetime....

Just about every razor you see on ebay.

"rare" and "vintage"

throw in "quality" while we're at it.

Are words without solid meaning:

Rare is relative to other items and does not necessarily affect desirability. A new found stash of NOS knocks rarity right in the head.

Vintage, we just had a go 'round here on that on.

Quality, requires a qualifier to be used properly-as in "poor" quality or "finest" quality. See, "quality" is really neutral.

Caveat Emptor, Let the Buyer Beware. Sellers gotta sell. You don't have to buy.

Learn to judge them on condition and size, then brand, is best bet.

The rarest straight is the one that hasn't been made yet and never will. From there it is all down hill especially since there is no commonly accepted definition of what rare means in terms of numbers produced. In the thread on what vintage means the problem is similar with no commonly accepted age.

Bob