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They are still out there, if you look

Toff

Toff

Well-Known Member
Yes, the stones are out there. You may become lucky at any time you look. I saw on another forum that a fellow found and bought...21 Coticules in an old store.

Again, I was lucky. Last week, for the first time in a long time I was able to find hones nearby. Under 5 miles/ 8Km from my home. These were collected at an "estate sale" and an antique store at a home. I went to an estate sale that was clearing out an old house. I stopped and talked with the fellow that was running the sale. He said "I remember Grandpa had a straight and a hone" and took me through three houses, a shed and a couple basements. We found the razor and Thuringian on a shelf. Then he told me about a dealer that had bought some of the items at the sale. I went there and found the Coticule and a barber hone. total, $25US/€36.
Cleaned and lapped:
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7221sm.jpg

So, it is important to have a strong idea of what you are looking for and a knowledge of what the item looks like from all angles and in all cruddy conditions.
Respectfully
~Richard
 
I'd had luck like that I'd have been temped to buy a lottery ticket the same day - but what truly splendid finds.
 
Fantastic find Richard, my congratulations :thumbup: !

Yes, they are out there, but not easy to find...

And, btw. in order to make us Europeans even more jealous, $25 are even only around 17EUR for those 3 beautiful stones;) ...

Cheers
Jörg
 
sweet finds. I am a newb on here. I have been searching me rear off last month and a half. Not a single stone/hone and one razor. I was really looking for hones. I need to increase my collection without killing my pocketbook. nothing but cobwebs,dustbunnies and moths inside it anyways. Congrats on your finds.
 
The key to finding affordable shaving equipment is patience. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Anyone paying more than US$100 for a single piece of shaving equipment is doing it wrong. Yes, there are notable exceptions, such as a) new productions, where labour cost will hit you, and b) NOS (mint, never used, never honed, not near mint or any such nonsense) items. I recently helped myself to some of Jim Rion's NOS razors, and I have not regretted it. But I knew exactly what I was doing. At the same time, I also bought a few NOS Solingen razors for €25-35 each, and they are not worse by any means - their brand is simply completely unknown for whichever reason. It was exported to the Latin American market exclusively, where there must still be thousands of them around (the company is still in existence, and the current owner looked up the number of items sold between the 30s and 60s). And they shave a lot better than this blasted Filarmonica #13 that I still hate with a vengeance and intend to offload unto someone who deserves it.

As an aside, and because that particular brand came up in the past, I recently secured (as in, I will sell them at cost to a beginner or connoisseur in the near future) three Henckels 6/8 razors that were mint, "near mint", and excellent for between €30 and €62. I mention this to put some of the prices being asked in various marketplaces into proper perspective.

In a nutshell, if you can live without a brand name, you will be fine. Escher is just another word for "I am willing to pay €100 extra for a piece of paper", and "vintage Coticule" is tantamount to saying "I have more money than sense". So, US$100 should be the limit if you are looking for function. Actually, US$75 should be.

Oh, and if you ask nicely, and the seller has a conscience and is not the Ferengi type, and if you can demonstrate that you are looking because you want the functionality and do not intend to resell for a profit, you will be surprised how fast publicly advertised prices will fall once you engage in a personal conversation. I know, because it happened to me personally. For which many thanks, Richard.
 
they are out there .... but you're not always lucky :-/ last weekend I just missed a collection of 43 old razors in good condition and a load of stones. It was at a flea market, there where a lot of other razors there but none of those where worth buying.
 
I'v been looking for a while, but I have yet to find anything better than a couple barbers hones. I'v found some nice razors to be sure, but never any other gear worth mentioning. Basically I'm almost green with envy :D :w00t:
 
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