Two Straights found at a sale looking for help

Looking to get into using a straight from now on I have been looking for some in my area. I picked these two up from a sale.

Any info would help. The first one is marked Earl King Oklahoma City Okla, stamped "sambo" and MI Germany "sambo".

The second is Landers-Franklin-Clark made in Conn with Peerless in gold on the blade. please check out the pics.

The blades seem to be in good condition with slight rust on the top of the tang.

Both are seem tight and hold when open.

I was thinking either to get them refurbished or trade of a shave ready. Any Ideas?

Thanks
Steve

2nd razor says what?...Peerless?

pcdad

Yes "Peerless"

landers-frank & clark
New Britain Connecticut

What looks like a crack on the Peerless is a scratch on the scale

Now that I put my glasses on, the Peerless is made by

Landers Frary & Clark

I guess my question is do I just spend the money to get the blade done or have them restored to start my collection?

Thanks
Steve

The first razor (Sambo) was made by an anonymous German manufacturer to be sold by the Earl King firm which could have been a hardware store, barber supplier, cutlery distributor, etc. The photos are rather blurry, but it looks to have uneven hone wear along the spine which isn't desirable, but not always a fatal flaw. The LF&C is a good American-made razor which appears to have a chip in the cutting edge which looks like it has been subjected to some extreme honing. Both of these razors can probably be put back into shaving condition again and give you good service. But if you are looking to start a "collection", neither of these razors fall into the most desirable column for most collectors. But, hey - there's a lid for every pot. I have five LF&Cs, but then I'm not what you'd call a collector. I'm more like a hunter/gatherer. :)

Regards - Walt

The pattern of rust on the first one with the bolsters on the scales would have me fearing cell rot. The amount of rust down by the cutting edge would also have me worrying that it would fall apart when you attempt to clean and hone it. Proceed with caution on that one. The Peerless might hone up to be a decent shaver.

Thanks again guys. The pictures are not the best and I think make them look worse than they are. I am going to send them out to one of the SRP members to hone the blade(s) and if need be get them in shaving condition. Again thanks guys for all your information and help.

This site and the information on it is very addictive and I have no idea why.