Thread: Colonial razor? Earlier Chinese? Fake?

Originally Posted by Utopian

I had a friend who kept a plaque in his office that read "No man is a complete failure, he can always serve as a bad example for others."

I always say that you can learn something from anyone, even if it what not to do.

Originally Posted by Utopian

I had a friend who kept a plaque in his office that read "No man is a complete failure, he can always serve as a bad example for others."

Quinnflint, in that spirit, would you please put back at least one of your razor photos?

Okay, here it is. Moral of the story: these things are fakes, so don't buy them. However, if one happens to pop up on eBay in the next few days, that one is *definitely* authentic, and includes genuine stubble folicules from the beard of Genghis Khan, which can be DNA-verified by the seller upon request. Bid high!

(Don't worry, U, not going anywhere--too much good stuff in these forums.)

Originally Posted by Utopian

I'm sorry, maybe that was too harsh. I started another thread about these razors a couple years ago.

I have no doubt that such razors did and do exist. I'm no expert and perhaps yours may be one of the genuine ones, but the number of them that show up on eBay and flea markets makes it clear that some people are banging out a lot of fakes.

no, man, that first response response cracked me up.

Originally Posted by QuinnFlint

Okay, here it is. Moral of the story: these things are fakes, so don't buy them. However, if one happens to pop up on eBay in the next few days, that one is *definitely* authentic, and includes genuine stubble folicules from the beard of Genghis Khan, which can be DNA-verified by the seller upon request. Bid high!

(Don't worry, U, not going anywhere--too much good stuff in these forums.)

The sad thing is that you are almost guaranteed to make more than your five dollars back on it, especially if you push the fact that you bought it in New England and speculate that it is a Colonial razor. (Genghis Khan had a huge role in the Revolutionary War but Washington had a better publicist.)

I'm glad I didn't run you off.

P.S.: not putting this thing on eBay--even with an honest description, my conscience couldn't bear putting another one of these into the market. I like the throwing knife idea--seems like a much better use for it (although there's a significant chance my wife disagree).

Maybe these things really are rare ... maybe there's only one, like the solitary fruitcake that's been passed around for 85 years. Maybe it's like a game of tag; you buy it -- you have to complete the karma by selling it. Or maybe someone wins a bet if the same rusty object gets sold more than 800 times or starts more than 800 forum threads.

Originally Posted by QuinnFlint

P.S.: not putting this thing on eBay--even with an honest description, my conscience couldn't bear putting another one of these into the market. I like the throwing knife idea--seems like a much better use for it (although there's a significant chance my wife disagree).

I don't see any reason not to put it on eBay as long as you are honest and declare that you do not believe it to be a genuine antique. There are several people selling these things on eBay and there is also a knife seller, I cannot recall the website, that sells them as Chinese Razors. As long as you are honest about it, there's no harm. Someone may still want it as a decoration.

Edit: I found the website, it's Smokey Mountain Knife Works.

True...but I do sell an actual, authentic, good razor on eBay occasionally, and I know if I saw one of these ancient mystical chinese colonials in a seller's history, my maximum bid on any of his items would decrease dramatically....

Originally Posted by QuinnFlint

True...but I do sell an actual, authentic, good razor on eBay occasionally, and I know if I saw one of these ancient mystical chinese colonials in a seller's history, my maximum bid on any of his items would decrease dramatically....

Yep. That is true as far as I am concerned. These days I am more window shopping on ebay than anything else and if I see a selling pushing junk I avoid all of their listings.

The sad thing is the guy who regularly sells those razors also sells a lot of other "antiques" that clearly are not. Without any particular expertise in these things, I think it's pretty obvious that if he is selling the same antiques in a regular three week rotation, that they are not real. He just banks on a regular crop of fresh suckers to come along and apparently his strategy is working.