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What constitutes an collectable razor? Is there such a thing? What I mean is ,what would be a razor that would be rare and valuable, or in demand. Other than being just any Boker or Puma..What would be the one that would be the best find ever, considering it would be in good condition.
I would say, most likely, the rarer the better as far as "collecting" goes. I have yet to see even a picture of a Napoleon razor, I hear that is a rarity. Get one of those, pick me up one while you're out.
Go to the razor clubs sub forum and you'll see what some guys are collecting. Sometimes rare isn't necessarily valuable. Certain razors get a cult following and become a hot item. This may or may not last over time. The dubl duck Wonderedge and the large Fillys are hot razors. W&B 'For Barber's Only' are also in high demand. I don't think any of those are really rare in the true sense of the word. I just look for good shavers in the best condition I can find them in at this point but I've already got alot of the 'hot' ones. :)
I think it's in the eye of the beholder. Some collect based on scales, make/model, era, country of origin, point type, blade width, etc. You name it, someone prolly collects it. It's all relative, my friend.
OK Baron I will do it !
See that is what I want to know.
Lets say I am at the flea market and some guy has a Napoleon razor for $40.00 and three others for $15.00 each and I only have $50.00. I would normaly buy the three but if I know what is valuable I would not do that.
That is very helpful Thank you !!
I am getting Christmas money and I want to go razor shopping.
Mackie, if you see that Napoleon make sure it is stamped Bresnick on the reverse tang before you lay down the long green. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by mackie
Just keep in mind that the only benifit to having highly desired razors is if you want to sell them. They may or may not be any better for actual shaving...
I agree that rarity is not always desirable, then again if you are a collector that does not shave with em then performance may not be a factor.
When you asked about collectibles I assumed you meant, give me some names of razors that if I find and post em everyone here will say, "where the heck did you find that you lucky bastard!"
That is exactly what I meant. I have shavers and want to collect more, but wouldn't it be nice to put that Winchester one in a thousand on the wall !
Mackie, It's like someone else said that collecting comes down to your preference. I just started collecting SRs and I look for ones that look good on display. I personally look for etched blades, scales with different designs, etc... I don't spend much money for them (I don't have much to begin with). If I am out and see a razor that I like and it is priced higher than I want to spend, I will try haggleing to get it down to a more comfortable price, if not, I move on. There aren't any razor that I have to have. I don't just look for certain brands, of course I don't want any Pakistani garbage, but my preferences come down to what looks good to me. If there is a blade that is in poor shape, I will look very closely to determine if it can restored to a nice look and then use the condition to get the owner to drop the price.
I guess it really comes down to what a collector is willing to pay for anything that they are collecting. I have bought 8 razors and have paid only ~$75. None of which were shave ready or in pristine condition.
Sorry for the rambling, I just got on a roll, but I think you get my point.
I've got a J & W Wragg Napoleon.......:) - any good?Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyHAD
I think collector's pieces are closely associated with something you yourself value. A rare 1800's piece is 'collectable' simply for its rarity but my collection is made up of several pieces that mean something to me - razors stamped by vendors from my home town (pretty rare too but not "collectable"), my 'signature' razors i.e. the Shakespeare Butlers of which I have er, a few, and corn and travelling razors - I just admire the workmanship on them.
So really you don't need to shell out boatloads of money to get a nice collection together - just try collecting ones that in some way appeal to you!
It may be an excellent razor but the Napoleon that is sought after is the one that is a 'dubious duck'. IOW, it is one of those razors that has Bresnick stamped on the reverse tang with a couple of ducks. Here is what noted duck collector thebigspendur said about it. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by blueprinciple
I do the same thing. I have no money. I have gone to the flea market before with eight dollars in my pocket. I actually bought two razors that day for two dollars apeice. The guy said the razors were rusty and no good and he was selling the boxes. They cleaned up pretty nice. If I do not have the money I do not move on without asking for the persons phone number if I want the razor. This sure is great fun aint it. This is a great hobby for someone without much funds or someone with a lot of money. Either way we all have something in common. Thanks for all your help . You are a great bunch of guys.
Unless you have a good basic knowledge of the razor scene, it is not easy to pick collectibles for the sake of making a profit.
Collectability for the purpose of collecting something yourself is really a personal thing, and has no bearing on what the rest of us do. For example, I really dislike german razors. I honestly couldn't care less about dubl ducks, which are really popular around here.
For me, it's old (pre 1900) sheffield steel that I long for, though I am not much of a collector. However, the thing I have been wanting for a long time is a Mappin lancet point. Even if I had to restore it I would take it. Yet for you it could be something that you pass up if it is not in mint condition. We could look at the same razor and come to different conclusions. So it's all really depending on what takes your fancy.
The same applies to hones btw. Some people are willing to spend ludicrous amounts of cash for a yellow green escher despite the fact that you can have functional equivalents for much less. and I've seen a busted razor take a thousand or so dollars on ebay because it had fancy scales.
:shrug: the eye of the beholder indeed.
If you find them inexpensively enough, you can almost never go wrong buying a heavy Sheffield wedge from any of the old makers. Of course the wider the blade the better.
I travel a fair amount in my state for business and I'm able to stop at antique stores when time permits. My Dad travels as well. He had no interest in straight razors, however, he stops from time to time at antique stores to look for razors for me. I've given him a primer on razors and have emphasized that if he sees any heavy wedges (by "heavy wedges" I mean the 100+ year old English wedges almost always scaled in horn) to buy them even if the scales are in bad condition.
Chris L
Hmmmm....Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisL
:idea:
This almost makes me want to break out Grandpa's forge and beat some truck spring chunks into heavy wedges.
:dropjaw:
I'm a big fan of old Sheffield steel. Picked up a nice real Greaves a couple weeks back that cleaned up beautifully. Still waiting for me to get some honing time. I'm sure it's worth more than I paid for it now but that wasn't really a consideration. I shave with everything I own, some a little more often than others but I try.
Just PM me with prices, Bruce!:rock:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bruce
Chris L
I guess its no different with anything you might collect. People look for different things that interest them. I used to be a mineral collector for many years and folks specialize realizing no one can own one of each mineral that exists in every form. So some collect xtls, some Quartz varieties, some native elements some oxides etc.
The only difference with us is you can actually use what you get every day. Most collectibles can't be used. Even car enthusiasts for the most part take em out every now and then for a show or quick ride. Many never take them out.