Thread: The insane price of Filarmonicas

So, I was gone from this site while pursuing my latest obsessions (Motorbikes and Dungeons & Dragons) for about 6 months.
December last year, the price of a good filly was only around $150 (and a year before that only around $90). What the hell happened? Over $400 now?
And the Dubl Ducks have gone down? What madness has transpired in my absence?

Truly, it is madness. And a nice ivory handled 6/8" Mappin wedge (you know, royal warrant and all, 150 yrs old) will hardly fetch $150. Go figure.

Didn't you hear ? Spanish razors are unaffected by the global recession
Welcome back

I picked a Filarmonica up a few weeks back NOS a 4/8 off Ebay for £50.

Jamie.

Razors brands are just as susceptible to fads as car brands.
There is absolutely nothing tangible that causes the price jump from 150 to 400, just like there was nothing that made ducks worth the premium over a similar solingen brand from the same era. It is all down to desirability and collectibility.

Are these price changes driven by fashions among straight shavers, or among the collector-but-not-shaver people? Or a bit of both?

I didn't know there were collectors only until that thread about the 17k collection a few days ago.

There are always certain "in" items no matter what hobby you are in and they demand a premium to get once they are popular. When the next latest and greatest come along they loose their shine and the price drops.

Bob

Generally, these are driven by the shavers.
The scales are pretty bland so they don't attract the general collectors who are in it for the scales.
The blades are not special either, so they don't attract the collectors who might want it because of the welding patterns or rare steel types.
Ergo, only the shavers remain.

W&B's are similar. There is absolutely nothing tangible which makes them worth the premium over other brands of that era. It is all down to brand recognition and the 'must have' factor.

I had a few 14s that I got when the market was reasonable. I sold them when it became so inflated. They are good razors in terms of the steel and the shave quality. They are worth $150 to $200 for an excellent + copy. The prices they are bringing now reminds me of the Dutch tulip frenzy or the American housing bubble. Any quality Solingen razor made in the 20th century will probably perform as well for a fraction of the current price of the filly. OTOH, it is like the 'designer jeans'. It won't have that label.

Over the weekend I saw about 10 NOS Fillys for sale. One with a buy it now of $1500. All the rest close to $900.

Nice money if you can get it.