Thread: Help with straight razor #1

Greetings from northwest New Mexico! Brand new member here looking for some help with three straight razors and a case that I picked up recently at a yard sale. This first one is marked "Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co. Made In Germany" on one side of the blade and the numbers "1505" on the other side. The handle looks to be a faux woodgrain with flowers and swirly decoration. Is the handle celluloid or Bakelite? It had some serious use as you can tell. Is the "1505" a model number? The purple tint in the photos is from the camera. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Mark

Originally Posted by Bigmac

Greetings from northwest New Mexico! Brand new member here looking for some help with three straight razors and a case that I picked up recently at a yard sale. This first one is marked "Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Co. Made In Germany" on one side of the blade and the numbers "1505" on the other side. The handle looks to be a faux woodgrain with flowers and swirly decoration. Is the handle celluloid or Bakelite? It had some serious use as you can tell. Is the "1505" a model number? The purple tint in the photos is from the camera. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Mark

Yes, usually it is a model number. Nice scales.
Welcome to the forum.

Hi Mark. Welcome to SRP. Those look to be celluloid H. S. &B. Was a hardware company. They wound up being True Value if my memory is correct. Anyway, it is a contract (sort of like Craftsman or Kenmore) razor, likely a Böker or maybe Imperial or Ern. We can't see much of the blade but it looks like it may be shot. However you could always save the scales for a good blade that needed new ones. They are quite nice.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Hi Mark. Welcome to SRP. Those look to be celluloid H. S. &B. Was a hardware company. They wound up being True Value if my memory is correct. Anyway, it is a contract (sort of like Craftsman or Kenmore) razor, likely a Böker or maybe Imperial or Ern. We can't see much of the blade but it looks like it may be shot. However you could always save the scales for a good blade that needed new ones. They are quite nice.

Thank you both for the information - I can tell I will be getting an education! Attached are a couple blade photos - not sure what makes a blade shot? It's a little discolored but I don't see s a lot of pitting, etc. How do you go about putting values on vintage straight razors?

We do not value razors
Best bet is see what one sold for on flea bay

Thank you - good to know.

In your previous photos we couldn't see the whole blade, only from where the blue line is left.

The whole heel, halfway up the edge is missing. It used to be shaped like this.


They made a toe end shorty out of it. That's actually not a bad save really as long as the blade is stable enough without the stabilizer. It probably is though.

Wow - is that common? To shorten the blade? I never knew how much I didn't know about straight razors!

It's a way to save a broken razor. It works better with some than others

Yes it is. Shorty's need love too!