I need some help putting a value on a vintage strop!

Hi

I am looking a ta vintage strop from a antique seller (online) here in Norway, and I have absolutely no idea what the strop he is selling might be worth. He is offering me a full refund if I am not happy, and has told me to make him a offer.

Here is a pick:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...o-KKF5zrc3Vzdghttp://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo...o-KKF5zrc3Vzdghttp://img126.imageshack.us/my.php?image=stropll6.jpghttp://img126.imageshack.us/img126/1447/stropll6.jpg
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/s...jpg/1/w275.png

The information from the seller (translated).

"The condition is extremely good, the gold inlay on all letters is still intact, and they read: made in England ,
Skin , Genuine shell horse and The Scorcher."

So can anybody help me?

Arlendius

The seller just e-mailed me again, telling me that he thinks the strop is worth well over 500 NOK (500 NOK= about $71). So I will not be buying this.

He also added another picture.

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/8347/strop2bu9.th.jpg

Arlendius

At 70 USD you get a very nice Tony Miller strop. Advantage is: we know Tony's quality, he'll replace it if you're unhappy.

If the strop is absolutely mint it's may be worth 70 USD if you want to use it. Collector's value? I do not know.

Yea I know..
And since I am not after the collector's value, I will not be buying this, but rather go for a brand new one. I was just hunting for a bargain :)

Arlendius

It's not the same but I got a vintage strop called an Osgar # 60 with leather and canvas, few nicks on the leather but fine as a starter strop, for £3.19 on ebay so I'd say the dealer who's selling that is kidding himself bigtime.

It's worth whatever someone wants to pay for it.

I've seen vintage strops sell for a few £s to over £40. I've paid nearly £30 for a vintage british strop. One just like the one shown above sold for £23 on Ebay UK a couple of months ago. A vintage strop, especially one in very good condition like this Scorcher is a piece of history that is rapidly vanishing. As you are after a usable old strop at a bargain price or a new strop at the same sort of price, its like comparing apples and oranges!

Scorcher was a decent brand, probably 1920s or 1930s, made from horse shell which is much better that the usual smooth horse hide.

Regards,
Neil

The seller wanted way too much for that!

Probably $25ish too much, ...maybe, that's all. Or maybe there are tons of them in Norway - final destination of the lesser-spotted vintage british strop migration route :)

Regards,
Neil

Hehe

Thanks for your reply guys!

There is absolutely not to many of that strop in Norway, or any other straight razor item for that sake. I have e-mail alerts from all the bigger Norwegian classified sites and auction houses, and if I am lucky there is an item once every 2 months. Typically the seller thinks what he is selling something really great and rare, since nobody else is selling something similar, and the price is thereafter. But of course, you can get the same thing from ebay for 1/10 of the price!

Arlendius

And oh, I sent the seller an offer around $35 for the strop, based of what you guys have told me. I think that is a fair price, but somehow I dont think the seller willlike it.

If you do any ebaying for a strop, watch for signs of it being folded. A lot of old strops have been folded in half for decades and it can be difficult or impossible to ever get them to be completely straightened.