Thread: Razors made for another vendor.

Do you think razors stamped with an additional name or as being made for another vendor in addition to the manufacturer less attractive and collectible?

For me first comes practicality then collect-ability. If a razor shaves well I will collect it.

Originally Posted by mainaman

For me first comes practicality then collect-ability. If a razor shaves well I will collect it.

Same here. I buy razors to shave with, not as an investment.

Originally Posted by CZMark

Same here. I buy razors to shave with, not as an investment.

When I think of collecting, I do not think of it as an investment, more like show pieces. I personally do not collect, what I do not use it goes.

Originally Posted by Hart

Do you think razors stamped with an additional name or as being made for another vendor in addition to the manufacturer less attractive and collectible?

As I see it, it is two-fold. Razors are tools (except for very few rare museum pieces, and even those can arguably be called tools). As such, the collectability is inconsequential to its use. So for me not less attractive. For example: I have a F.A. Koch razor imported razor from Germany. With the large amount of razors imported by Koch, as well as the large number of Solingen razor manufacturers, it is near impossible to figure out who made it. It looks good and shaves very well, though.

On the other hand, one variable of collectability is/can be provenance. Apart from knowing who owned it, provenance is made up of where, when and by whom it was made. If none of these things can be determined with certainty (well, except for the retailer who sold it), collector's value can be determined by physical characteristics.

All in all, I would say: my F.A. Koch is an attractive razor, as it is well made (grind and finish) in beautiful scales (bone with pointed edges) that gives wonderful shaves. It is not, as I see it, very collectible, as Koch razors are quite common and I have no idea who made it.

My 7/8 Klihaso round-point for me is much more collectible, since Klihaso is a known maker, not rare as such, but still I haven't seen very many razors by them. Also, the razor itself is very well made, excellent grind and finish and has a jimped thumbnotch. Not too common a combination of features. I say more collectible, because as such the razor is not highly collectable, but enough for me to say that I will never get rid of it. That, and the shaves are not too shabby, either.

But, apart from rarity, collectability is quite personal.

For some of those who are afflicted with the collecting 'bug' variations of one or another maker is something to be sought after. So if someone is collecting dubl ducks, C-mons, Pumas, Sheffields, different models, or the same model with different, but factory original scales, etching, stampings, is a plus. Same applies to guns, tobacco pipes, pocket knives ....... automobiles for those with deeper pockets.

I don't know whether it's generally true everywhere, but we Australians really like to find blades with additional wording. For example: "made especially for Wade Bros, Cutlers" or "Jno Baker" etc. YMMV in North America.

I accumulate to experiment with differing blades, sizes and edges. Some are pretty and some butt ugly.Pretty goes where I see them daily and butt ugly often are in my rotation. They all go to the kids when I croak.
~Richard

Re-stamps for "Distributors" has been very common throughout the history of SR's so no, it actually makes it more interesting to me

I don't think it would hurt the value at all. To certain collectors /collections it would add value.