Thread: Boker 7 Day set - Ivory?

We went antique shopping again yesterday and got very lucky. We found a Boker 7 day set in what appears to be ivory. Yes I know appearance isn't good enough but since I don't intend on selling them it doesn't really matter to me. With our lighting options here it is hard to get good pics of the complete set be here are some pics. They are in as found condition except for the light oil they were coated in. Except for Monday, which has a small chip at the extreme toe, the are in the same condition as the one picutred. No other chips, no cracks, no stains and no pitting in the blades. No warpage, cracks or chips in the scales and all original pins. What do you thing?

p.s. CarrieM started this thread under Show and Tell ( http://straightrazorpalace.com/show-...-set-joed.html ) but I think they may be enjoyed by more of us here.

The rest of oour finds will be posted in a separate thread.

dont forget to post them in the brotherhood thread. great find!!!!!!!!!!

Have you confirmed they are ivory? Usually ivory doesn't show such a profound grain like that, many times celluloid does though. Either way it's a good score.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Have you confirmed they are ivory? Usually ivory doesn't show such a profound grain like that, many times celluloid does though. Either way it's a good score.

I didn't confirm that they are ivory scales and it really doesn't matter to me since I am not selling these. As for what leads me to think they are ivory: they are thinner that celluloid scales, they have a different feel than the celluloid, bone or horn scales, no veins visible as on other bone scales I have, they do not have the pattern found on horn scales. If I have a bone, celluloid, Bakelite and one of these in front of me these Bokers have a totally different feel. Guess I can do a hot pin test or search for the thread that describes how to determine the material and ivory (I've read it a while ago), but it really doesn't matter to me. I just like them for what ever they are and they are different than the other scales I have.

Thanks for your comment on our score!

I've found the grain on ivory varies. Sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle. Sometimes consistent for the length of the scale and sometimes not. One thing I have found consistently in the old production ivory scales, unlike the current custome stuff I've seen,they are thin. Nice score Joed, enjoy them.

CarrieM (my straight razor consultant) found a post from Doc (thanks Doc) that had pages from a 1906 Boker cataloge. http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...herhood-6.html On page 103 they list a straight with the same markings on the blade and shank as the 7 day set I posted here, No. 2096. Guess they are real ivory! Here is the page I am referring to:

Originally Posted by JimmyHAD

I've found the grain on ivory varies. Sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle. Sometimes consistent for the length of the scale and sometimes not. One thing I have found consistently in the old production ivory scales, unlike the current custome stuff I've seen,they are thin. Nice score Joed, enjoy them.

Elephant ivory on current customs would be really rare. I see them from time to time and wonder where all this preban stuff is coming from but that's another story. Most of the new stuff is mammoth ivory which is a different animal altogether.I have quite a bit of it and none shows any grain at all. I have several elephant ivory scales as well as some Japanese Figurines of elephant ivory and some of those do show some grain.

CarrieM has been in email correspondence with Ernst from Boker. Using pics CarrieM sent Ernst he confirmed that the scales are ivory, not that it matters. It's a great set either way, being ivory is just icing on the cake.

From: Ernst-Wilhelm Felix-Dalichow
To: Karen
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2009 4:44:31 AM
Subject: Re: this is Boker Germany

Hello, Karen,

you are correct, these are genuine ivory handles. If all of them look like this without cracks you are a lucky lady. With some thin oil you can prevent the carbon blades from getting rusty again. The fact that they eventually turn dark cannot be helped.

Ernst

This has nothing to do with your razors really and you did probably triple score with the ivory but calling on Boker about the razors leads me to two thoughts here.

One is that though Boker has been selling razors recently there is still doubt as to whether they are making them or someone else is and if thats the case it would be like contacting Pearlduck to ask about their old razors and of course they sell pet grooming supplies now.Of course Boker still sells knives though much of their stuff is imported from Asia but I wonder if anyone there really knows anything about straights.

The other is if they have retained their old catalogs with all their old razors that would be a big deal since it would help in researching all their old razors. If that is the case it makes me wonder if any of the other companies like Dovo and TI and henckels still have their old reference materials.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

This has nothing to do with your razors really and you did probably triple score with the ivory but calling on Boker about the razors leads me to two thoughts here.

One is that though Boker has been selling razors recently there is still doubt as to whether they are making them or someone else is and if thats the case it would be like contacting Pearlduck to ask about their old razors and of course they sell pet grooming supplies now.Of course Boker still sells knives though much of their stuff is imported from Asia but I wonder if anyone there really knows anything about straights.

The other is if they have retained their old catalogs with all their old razors that would be a big deal since it would help in researching all their old razors. If that is the case it makes me wonder if any of the other companies like Dovo and TI and henckels still have their old reference materials.

There is a bit of assumption here and I would not make comments based on them. Based on Doc's post Ernst stated that a lot of records were destroyed during WWII. I didn't ask if there were any other catalogs available or if he had a collection of physical straights he referred to. It is possible that some records did survive the war and are still in the companies possession, which is possible no matter which company or what they are currently selling. Guess I don't know how he determined the scale material but it does make the purchase a little sweeter hearing it from Boker! Also, I think it is very good PR for Ernst to reply to our emails personally.