Thread: Rare Razor prices

Originally Posted by Bruno

The funny thing is, IF I would buy it because the blade is nice, I would probably rip the scales off with a pair of pliers and toss them in the bin

I would pay maybe $5.00 for the scales. They are marginally better than a set of broken scales.

The Marshes&Shepherd is a "special" item.. I know, the blade has no future, but those graveyardish scales.. The auction started about $80, if I'm not wrong. I was there and thought: "Probably 90?".

I know these sometimes go for way more than they should, but if it hit 2 grand, my bet is there was a shill in there somewhere.

Did you guys see this one recently STRAIGHT RAZOR-RARE FANCY HANGING NUDE ---------CRAZEY - eBay (item 220423002330 end time Jun-01-09 19:00:00 PDT)

It pales in comparison to 2 grand though...

Originally Posted by Bruno

As a razor it is worth 40. Maybe.
As a collectible for the fancy scales... There's one born every minute. Maybe if it was carved ivory. Although the bid history looks funny as well. I find it strange that the bid jumps from 400 ish to 2000ish with nothing in between.

The funny thing is, IF I would buy it because the blade is nice, I would probably rip the scales off with a pair of pliers and toss them in the bin

Nothing funny about the bids - the top three are from different people all with high feedbacks and 100% rating. (maybe someone from this forum???) They used sniping programs most likely.

There is the "N" factor in all things - the NEATO factor that has no method of calculation beyond what a person has in their bank account.

IMHO, You may talk about ripping off the scales but in reality if you found this at an antique shop for $40.00 you would be laughing all the way to the bank...

Originally Posted by clavichord

Am I out (there) or in (here)? Is there space for me in SRP? I think I am a collector, but a user too. I enjoy shaving with my razors, even if some blades are only collectible items, like many other members with their "secret" boxes full of "project" blades. There are many most respected members, here, considering themselves as users even with a good collection of hundreds of straights, so.. I think the difference collector/user does not belong to reality: it's part of our approach to reality.

I think I should have included some "" in the text of the post. I'll put them here: .

True, but I'm talking collectors who will pay $2000 for that razor so they can put it in a display case and never use it. Guys who might buy from big auction houses, etc. To be fair most guys on this site consider themselves 'collectors' to some degree, but not THAT serious.

There is a segment of the straight razor community that collects decorated scales and they have been around for the 30 or so years I was active on and off in razor collection. Years ago when I determined that I wasn't going to shave with straights I limited my collecting to late eighteenth century and early nineteenth stuff. Also large W&Bs. I would buy them and put them in a drawer. Keep an eye on pressed horn oldies and you will be surprised at what they bring at auction.

I had one friend, a barber, who collected fancy scaled razors and had no interest in any others. He has passed away some years ago and when he barbered he would use a shavette to trim around the ears and the back of the neck. No face shaving. Anyhow, there is a new book out on collecting fancy scales by the author of the 1980 classic "Collecting Straight Razors", Robert Doyle. It is called ,"Celluloid Handle Guide For Straight Razor Collectors". It is filled with beautiful photos of scales but doesn't show the blades at all! Illustrates the point I think.

EDIT; The funny part of it is that in '06 I decided to ebay all of the razors I had accumulated and did. I would ask a friend who has a good eye for such things to evaluate my ebay presentations. In doing so he became interested in shaving with straights and found the various shaving forums. I told him not to waste his time and money but he wouldn't listen to me.

He got into it and shortly thereafter so did I. The rest as they say is history.

Wonderful!! Thanks!! I think I could read your post every night before going to bed. Also: it here a sort of secret password or something similar that I should know to visit your collection? A place, a webpage.. or just a very-well-protected room?

Originally Posted by clavichord

Wonderful!! Thanks!! I think I could read your post every night before going to bed. Also: it here a sort of secret password or something similar that I should know to visit your collection? A place, a webpage.. or just a very-well-protected room?

My current accumulation is more shavers than collectibles. I have put a couple in the SRP Wiki database and will add more as time and inclination permit.I tend to be sort of secretive about things like my collecting. I was told that I am paranoid and I should go to paranoids anonymous for help. I tried but no one will tell me where the meetings are.

Probably in the last 25 or so years this country has gone collection crazy. You name it and people buy it and there are always people who are flush with cash and can afford just about anything they want no matter the economic conditions.

I think most guys here would be really shocked at how many people have really large collections of straights they don't ever use. I remember a year or so ago I bought a razor off a guy on Eboy and he told me he had his office wallpapered with them. He wasn't even sure how many he had but at least 4 or 5 thousand. He said he just liked to look at them. He was not the first guy to tell me something like that either.

So I'm not surprised when some of these razors go for wild prices. I'm more surprised when I see say a Goldedge go for a grand then some rusty beat up razor with one of a kind scales go for 2 grand.

Originally Posted by schmoozer

IMHO, You may talk about ripping off the scales but in reality if you found this at an antique shop for $40.00 you would be laughing all the way to the bank...

No I wouldn't. I wouldn't have bought it because the blade is meh.
And if I would, I would rip off the scales or give them away, because I cannot see anyone paying anything worthwhile for scales unless they are ivory of one kind of another.