This is a page from an 1885 Hibbard, Spencer, and Bartlett catalog with some Wade & Butcher and Wostenholm models. Prices are there so you can get an idea of what these cost new.
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I call dibs on W&B 2 and 3 if they come up on ebay.
I used to have the exact model WB #3. Think I sold it a few months agoQuote:
Originally Posted by HARRYWALLY
Crazy guy! Not sure I'd be able to part with such a razor, but I'm sure you had good reason. :)
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For comparison:
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Though I suspect this is a later model due to the inclusion of country of origin.
I wonder what the math works out to if you work though the formula to get to todays dollars, inflation and all that jazz.
Also, nice razor.
Interesting post.
And to answer my own question I talked to my friend Google, who referred me to a web site that does the math for you and the answer is a $20 from 1885 inflates to $500 in 2015. So what is an NOS one of those razors worth now?
Note that these prices are per dozen.Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
Also a curious observation is that for some of these, the wider blades cost less than the narrower ones.
The catalog lists purchasing by the Dozen. I broke one down and it rounded to $1.75 and an online calculator says that in 2016 it would have cost $41.74Quote:
Originally Posted by RezDog
According to the internet, the U.S. dollar saw inflation at an average rate of 2.45% per year between 1885 and 2016. $100 in the year 1885 is worth $2,384.99 in 2016. So if you take W&B #3 at $20.85 per dozen, that would be $497.27 per dozen today or $41.44 each. Now I hope I did my math right :hmmm:
Cudarunner we posted at the same time! Yep we came out about the same on that. So I guess that means the new Irontusk will be about $40.00 :rofl2:
I wonder if at the time the greatest cost was the labour and there was less labour and less loss making the wider/heavier blades.
Looking at W&B #3 it's interesting that the 7/8 at $20.85 per dozen is cheaper than the 3/4 at $23.85 per dozen.
But Really Who Would,ve Thought Back Then Where Razors Would Be Today As Far As Collectibles Or Still In Use,, Back Then It Was Just The Norm,,Ty
Thanks for sharing those! I have a few ads hanging up in my study, but none for razors just yet.
I used to have a book on Martin Guitars written by CF Martin III if I remember correctly. In the back of the book was a timeline of models and prices from 1833 until the 1970s when the book was written.
The prices didn't change substantially from the time of the great depression in the 1930s until the 1960s. The author, who ran the company at that time, said the main factor in the rise of prices (substantial) was labor.
One reason a lot of manufactured goods in the early to mid 20th century were more ornate, made 'better' was the cheap labor. So things like S&W handguns, Martin Guitars, could have the extra time spent on 'gingerbread' at a lower cost. When wages started to go up 'productivity' had to keep pace to offset the cost to the 'bottom line.'
