Why I´ll continue saying "vintage"

[Tok]

Hello,

I know some people don´t like the terms vintage or antique or old when used for coticules, mined quite a time ago. They say "this hone is about 480 Million vears old, so why call it vintage?" But ultimately, anything is made out of something older. Chairs and tables are made out of trees that are 100 years old and older. Ore is millions and millions of years old. Nobody says "don´t call that diamond ring vintage, the diamond is like billions of years old".

So, why is it wrong, calling a coticule, that was mined, selected and cut hundreds of years ago "vintage"? Is it the amount of work, stuck into it? Or is it the idea of "removing just the unnecessary parts" or something? There is a coticule with a silver ring attached to it (I think, you´ve seen it, too). Is it "allowed" to call that one vintage? Or the ones attached to an old paddle strop? I personally don´t get it. That´s why I will continue using the term "vintage"

Best regards,
Tok

 

[Emmanuel]

My friend its up to you how you would like to call a coticule , Newbe or Vintage or Mary, finally its your choice but one thing all of them give the same excellent edges for smoothest shaves.
Best regards
Emmanuel

 

[Bart]

English is not my native language, but as far as I grasp the language, the term "vintage" suggests 2 things: the item has a known origin in the past, e.g. a vintage 1945 Calvados, or a vintage 1957 Gibson Les Paul guitar, etc. Without a specific time reference, the term vintage is just a euphemism for "old".
The second connection is that vintage must refer to an item that lends distinct qualities from the fact that it was produced at the designated time. There is a substantial difference between a 1957 Gibson Les Paul and the models that came later.
"Vintage" has, so I have observed, for most people, the connotation of something that has unique qualities that can't or aren't reproduced today.

Now, I don't claim that this doesn't apply to some old Coticules. E.g. We know that Old Rock was a brand of Coticules of outstanding reputation, coming from a mine that closed 30 years ago. (truth to be told, also the La Veinette layer was often bought by the Old Rock company and rebranded into "Old Rock", but let's not nitpick about that). If such a hone comes with original box and label, not re-glued to another BBW or other kinds of tampering, I fully agree to call that a "Vintage Old Rock Coticule".

But in cases where any specific information is absent, an old Coticule remains to me just an old Coticule. As an old bottle of wine without a label remains an old bottle of wine. Without a formal and specific indentifiation, generally nothing ought to be declared vintage. If you see an exception to that rule, you mostly see an attempt to make an object seem more valuable than it actually is. Ebay is notorious for that practice.
But language is a weird animal. If enough people are prepared to accept that an old item may be called a "vintage" item, then eventually "vintage" will mean just that: "old".
In the mean time, I'm going to be obstinate and refuse to call an old (often worn) Coticule "vintage".

My opinion,
Bart.

 

[decraew]

I've tried very hard but I couldn't come up with an opinion, so I guess you can call them whatever you like! A coticule is a coticule is a coticule.

 

[torbenbp]

I do believe Sir Bart covered it all in his excelently well spoken and formulated post.

As most members in here are able to judge between "vintage" and "old" it seem like a minor problem.

Vintage or old,same difference in reality...

 

[vgeorge]

In my thinking, the brand is vintage and (defunct), but the stone, every stone, is just old - very, very old.

 

[Emmanuel]

Mates the issue is simple. I agree totally with Bart. Vintage is a pure french origin meaning the collection of grapes.You the francophones please confirm it.So on the wine bottles appeared <<Vintage
de 1972>> Some years the harvest was good and less good.The harvests of the good years was more expensive. That's all.By this way the word vintage takes the meaning of "old" .For an excellent example .Me. Sir Giannoulakis i am a good <<Vintage de 1957>>
Best regards
Emmanuel