Thread: Razor Collecting

Originally Posted by Maq

Tnx Jimmy,
I'll keep that in mind as I look or one.... Seems steep, but looked on Amazon and 50.00 was the cheapest and 130 the most expensive for the same book... that is now out of print... wow....tnx again... maq

Maq IIRC I paid around $50 for my copy. They come up on ebay and go for less sometimes depending on whose looking at the time. The author is an auctioneer who collected straight razors for decades. it has well written historical info and good photos. His thing was decorated scales so he doesn't focus on razors from a shaver's point of view nor does he get into specific makers and their history. More of an overview. Still it is a good book for anyone who is crazy about straight razors since there isn't much out there for us.

Last year Doyle published the Celluloid Handle Guide For Straight Razor Collectors here. It is 92 pages and filled with color photos of decorated scales and typical of the scale collector he doesn't show the blades. Twenty five bucks for a copy. I don't know if it is still available but I would bet it will become a rare collectible and bring more than his first book does eventually. Those scale collectors are plumb crazy when it comes to their passion.

FWIW, The Standard Guide to Razors, Identification and Values, Third Edition, was a disappointment to me. I feel that it's purpose is to drive prices higher instead of a reference guide. You pretty much only get Company name, sometimes a country of origin, sometimes the dates of mfg, and a "price guide" that you need to work a formula on that I personally feel is ludacris & is targeted to either make a collector feel that their razor collection is worth exponentially more or a seller think that their razor is worth much more. It's an opinion, that's all. Goins is a much better reference book.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

FWIW, The Standard Guide to Razors, Identification and Values, Third Edition, was a disappointment to me. I feel that it's purpose is to drive prices higher instead of a reference guide. You pretty much only get Company name, sometimes a country of origin, sometimes the dates of mfg, and a "price guide" that you need to work a formula on that I personally feel is ludacris & is targeted to either make a collector feel that their razor collection is worth exponentially more or a seller think that their razor is worth much more. It's an opinion, that's all. Goins is a much better reference book.

+1

I have the second & third edition and they are virtually the same book. I've found what appears to be numerous discrepancies in the book that can make this hobby confusing for those who don't know what to overlook. For instance in the third edition, pg.137, top photograph, What is a Halisestrand, C.U. razor from Elkestuna, Sweden? I have never been able to find any such razor, and under magnification the razor photographed appears to be an old C.V.Heljestrand. That's what I see on the tang anyway.
A second example would be the "Silver King" on the bottom of pg.195. The photograph shows a "Silver Ring" razor. The Silver Ring Razors I've owned/sold closely matched the one in the photograph, and were all manufactured by Grah & Plumach. The Silver King Razors I've owned/sold were simply marked "Made In Germany".
I've found Goin's to be more accurate & less confusing to understand.

Originally Posted by holli4pirating

I hear about Goins, but I have no idea where to get it. I've also seen one book on ebay a lot, and I think JoeD and CarrieM have a copy of it - it's like brownish yellow on the cover with some pictures of razors...

Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings: John Goins, Charlette Goins - AbeBooks - Collector Bookstore

This what you're looking for?

Here are some books being sold that pertain to shaving. Most of them deal with safety razors, but the last book might be useful. I haven't read any of these books and would recommend talking with the vendor to see if they might suit your needs.

Books : Razor Emporium, A gentleman’s source for his vintage shaving needs

Here's a site I sometimes use to find "hard to find" books.You should keep checking back occasionally as their inventory constantly changes.

Alibris: Collecting Straight Razors by Robert Doyle

I usually always check amazon first and pretty much always buy used if I can. That's where I got mine...

Originally Posted by Birnando

The brownish one could possibly be this one?:

Standard Guide to Razors (Standard Guide to Razors Identification and Values) [Illustrated] by Roy Ritchie (Author), Ron Stewart (Author).

I found this on Amazon the other day.

Yup that's it