Thread: Junk Shop Finds

I was wasting some time while my wife was shopping and I walked into a few shops to kill some time. The first was a used record store, but the owner wasn't really into talking even though the shop was empty as he immediately pegged me as a non-buyer.

Next I walked into a used music instrument shop that also had a bunch of other stuff and the reality was that even though the sign led one to believe they sold used instruments all of the instruments were actually new. They did have a whole cabinet of ice sakes that looked like it had come right out of a skate shop back in the 50s.

Third time was the winner, a used Clock Shop that specialized in repairs of wind up clocks. In one of the glass toped display cabinets I spied two straight razors sticking out from under a pouch. I asked about them and the owner pulled out the pouch, which was a Dissection Kit (scalpel and all). And right there under the Dissection Kit was 7 SRs. He laid them out on a clean spot on the counter and asked me if I was a dealer. I told him anything I would be buying would be for my own personal use so he said "give me $20.00 for the razors and $10.00 for the Dissection Kit and they are all yours". I offered him $25.00 and we closed the deal.

Here's what I got:

1 - Wade & Butcher - Shefield - B arrow emblem, with a box that has the words Manufactured - John Bincham - Sheffield on the smaller piece of the box, but one scale is cracked and held on with a string wrap
1 - H. BOKER & CO (GERMANY) with the markings FINEST INDIA STEEL - EXTRA HOLLOW GROUND on the blade face, with ornate scales and the box
1- Marked John Sholler & Co on one side and The Tower Brand 103 (over a tower with a flag atop) on the other side
1- Completely unmarked SR
1 - Marked THE ADMIRALS on one side and 59S Sheffield steel E - Made in Germany on the other side, with ornate scales and 3 gold splashed circles on the blade - unfortunately there is a chunk broken out of the blade edge
1 - Marked L. S. Du Bois Sons & Co - PADUCAH KY and H Bonker & Co with a tree on the other side - On the blade Face is etched "OUR OWN" - Hollow Ground Razor, with the scales broken off (one scale is whole, the other in pieces), with the bottom part (the longer piece) of the box [accidentially placed in the picture of THE ADMIRALS SR]
1- Marked 99 H. Greenberg on one side and Hand Forged Solinger-Germany on the other side with nice trim on each end of the scales, but unfortunately there are 2 huge chunks broken out of the blade edge
1 - unpictured box marked George Wostemholm & Sons - Real IXL Razor (IXL is in a circle) [which looks very much like the Wade & Butcher one]

oh yeah, and the Dissection Kit.

Great finds. I have the same Boker and it is a wonderful shaver. Make sure to get it honed up.

um What are you going to dissect ? Nice set of razors by the way. Next nest egg I build up I got to get out and find deals like that.

I have to do some rust removal work on some of them, some of which I started.

I'm not sure if it is worth it but I was thinking I might be able to grind down the one with the single chunk broken out of the blade edge - the one marked THE ADMIRALS on one side and 59S Sheffield steel E - Made in Germany on the other side, and save the blade.

Then there's the last two - I was thinking of taking the good blade marked L. S. Du Bois Sons & Co - PADUCAH KY and H Bonker & Co with a tree on the other side - that has "OUR OWN" - Hollow Ground Razor etcched in the blade face and put it in the scales with the nice trim to replace the blade with the 2 huge chunks broken out of the blade edge.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

um What are you going to dissect ?

I really wasn't looking for a Dissection Kit but I figured if I said I only wanted the SRs he might not have gone for my offer as he had one marked $12.00, another marker $18.00, and a third was marked $17.00.

The price on the Dissection Kit was marked as either $20.00 or $25.00 I don't remember which, and I threw the tag in the fireplace when I got back to my cabin.

Originally Posted by JSmith1983

Great finds. I have the same Boker and it is a wonderful shaver. Make sure to get it honed up.

I plan on honning the Boker first as it had no rust.

I was just joking around , you made a good deal for sure. Who knows, the kit may come in handy for something someday.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

Next nest egg I build up I got to get out and find deals like that.

I stopped in another shop after that one and ran across a few more - I don't remember what they were but one was marked in the $17.00 price range, another was marked around $95.00, and a third was marked over $200.00.

I didn't look at the blade to see the make/model but that third one had the prominence that went with it of having been the personal razor of the owner of a local hardware store. It came with a very nice box that was almost double the thickness of the other boxes I've seen. The razor looked quite heavy as well.

There was also a SR with the comb blade face and a few Safety Razors (one of which was a Gillette Fat Boy that was around $30.00) in that shop as well.

After my wife came out of the shop where she was while I was checking all of this stuff out she went to another shop she wanted to go to where she picked me up a real nice heavy glass shaving mug with handle and fluted sides, and a white handled brush with very soft white bristles.

Sorry no pictures as she immediately gift wrapped it telling me it was my Valentine’s Day present so pictures will have to wait until after the 14th.

Looks like I am now on the hook for buying her a really nice gift for V day!

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I was just joking around ,

Yeah, I knew you were . . . I wonder if I can give the Dissection Kit to my wife as her V day present.

On second thought - I better not.

No knowing what she might decide to Dissect.