Thread: Where are the fancy straights?

When I got into this I expected to see a lot of really high-end straights for sale. Surely in the Victorian Era, there were ones made for the rich folks that had ivory, antler, bone, scales and gold bolsters, etc. Yet all I've seen so far are mostly plain jane.
Thoughts?

Go through the razor clubs forum here Razor Clubs

and ......... http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ollection.html

and ...........http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...xposition.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...ued-ivory.html

http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...threesome.html

To name a few ......... they're around if you keep your eyes peeled.

Where do you look mostly? They seem to come up. There are quite a few ivory scaled razors out there, and just a while ago there was a whole slew of scrimshawed ivory scales razors on eBay. The sets can be quite fancy too.
I haven't seen a lot of gold bolsters, mostly brass.

Originally Posted by bobtail

When I got into this I expected to see a lot of really high-end straights for sale. Surely in the Victorian Era, there were ones made for the rich folks that had ivory, antler, bone, scales and gold bolsters, etc. Yet all I've seen so far are mostly plain jane.
Thoughts?

Ummm.
Remember you joined up with a bunch of razor hoarders

the really nice ones don't get sold too often,, that's because they are nice ,, good luck its not old but there is a really nice Max in the classifieds tc

It's very simple. The percentage of fancy razors relative to plain jane types is very small. That's why you don't see many and there is a sizeable contingent of folks who are strictly collectors and buy these types of razors and never sell them.

But if you keep looking they do show up now and then.

They are out there.
For many of the nicer ones we are not alone in wanting them.
There are tons of collectors of all kinds out there that never even considers actually using their razors.

But as said, they are out there, it's just a matter of being patient and have the know-how in where to look...

Have a look here.

As a general rule, with goods like this (stuff over a hundred years old), only a small percentage of what was made survives to the modern day. When you then consider that of the razors made only a small number were the fancy variety, you start to see that the extreme luxury items are going to be thin on the ground.

There are a couple of other factors.

Like others have mentioned above, they are out there but tend to end up in the hands of collectors. I know it seems like you can get anything through eBay, but in truth, 9 times out of 10, the most desirable stuff goes through established auction houses because it's worth a lot of money.

Also, most of the fanciest old razors were not sold by themselves, but as part of elaborate kits (see that link above).

Many of these razors were actually fairly delicate, especially the scales.

For example, for every fancy John Barber like this (and finding these is remarkable to begin with):



You'll find a whole lot more like this or worse:



(And those were repaired!)

Originally Posted by bobtail

Surely in the Victorian Era, there were ones made for the rich folks... Thoughts?

Who says you can't take it with you? Razors and gold watches, those greedy victorians.

Where are the fancy straights?

The "Kim Kardashian" razors are everywhere; but you'll rarely see the others out in public. If you've got the interest, energy, and time to waste, the Custom Builts and Restorations, Show and Tell, and Shave Of The Day forums are good places to look for them.

Smooth shaving!