Antique stores... you gotta make the effort!

[Radar O\'Reilly]

I just asked in another forum, but I'm watching American Pickers right now:
If you were watching a show like "American Pickers", "Pawn Stars", etc... and they had an episode where you saw a cache/mother lode of razors in the background, that the hosts just ignored, how likely would you be/how far would you travel to locate/buy it?

 

[OldSaw]

I just asked in another forum, but I'm watching American Pickers right now:
If you were watching a show like "American Pickers", "Pawn Stars", etc... and they had an episode where you saw a cache/mother lode of razors in the background, that the hosts just ignored, how likely would you be/how far would you travel to locate/buy it?

You know, your post sounds just like the guy in your avatar is saying it.

 

[Cmaster03]

Great post.

I went to a few shops last week with my wife while we were on vacation in Virginia. I found a few nice ones at what I thought were good prices.

I kept a G-Bar, gave away two to buddies (A Blue-Tip Super Speed and a GEM Junior) and cleaned up four that I posted on the BST.

The chase is the fun part for me.

 

[MrGuy]

Great post! I have had some great success in the antique stores in my area and have to agree that effort it the key to finding nice shave stuff. Most of my "treasures" have been found buried deep in piles of random things. In fact, I just got back home from finding a really great J-4 Slim with all paint in tact for $1.50. It was tucked into a basket with a bunch of doll parts

 

[kjparker]

Great post! I have had some great success in the antique stores in my area and have to agree that effort it the key to finding nice shave stuff. Most of my "treasures" have been found buried deep in piles of random things. In fact, I just got back home from finding a really great J-4 Slim with all paint in tact for $1.50. It was tucked into a basket with a bunch of doll parts

One might ask what you were doing ferreting through a bunch of doll parts....

 

[Radar O\'Reilly]

One might ask what you were doing ferreting through a bunch of doll parts....

Looking for razors, obviously!

 

[MrGuy]

Looking for razors, obviously!

Oddly enough, yes Some if my best finds have been in the least likely places. I always dig around in baskets just in case. My cased 1905 Double Ring ($10) was in a tray filled mostly with old election buttons. I once found two Old Spice mugs tucked way back in a kitchen hutch, both had unused soap, both were $2.50

 

[Radar O\'Reilly]

Oddly enough, yes Some if my best finds have been in the least likely places. I always dig around in baskets just in case. My cased 1905 Double Ring ($10) was in a tray filled mostly with old election buttons. I once found two Old Spice mugs tucked way back in a kitchen hutch, both had unused soap, both were $2.50

I check EVERY drawer and shelf in my local antique store. Once found Old Spice Mug, talcum powder in old Spice bottle, and Black SS in a bookshelf hutch at my local house clean out store.

 

[T Rick]

Oddly enough, yes Some if my best finds have been in the least likely places. I always dig around in baskets just in case. My cased 1905 Double Ring ($10) was in a tray filled mostly with old election buttons. I once found two Old Spice mugs tucked way back in a kitchen hutch, both had unused soap, both were $2.50

I'll give you twenty dollars for it.

Great find!

 

[82R100]

The thing that always surprises me when antique shopping is that razors (particularly straight razors) are really small. You get used to seeing them on the computer screen every day but in an antique store setting they can really blend in with the clutter if you're not careful.

- Chris

 

[KiltedShaver]

My family spent quite a bit of time going through antique stores as I was growing up, so it was easy to transition over to hunting razors. This past Thursday I popped into a recently opened antique store about 10 minutes from our house. In and out in about 15 minutes with a cased F1 Fatboy ($14) and a slim adjustable ($5). Couple of days later I noticed the guy has an old barbershop sign advertising for Wildroot. =) Maybe he's trying to lure me back! =) The hunt is always a great part of the adventure.

Happy hunting!

KS

 

[koso]

What is a "red dot"?

Is that equal to a "red point" from solingen (I think)?

Is the red point rare?

A red dot is kind of a prototype Fat Boy.

 

[The_Pastor]

A red dot is kind of a prototype Fat Boy.

Thx.

 

[KeNd0]

The thing that always surprises me when antique shopping is that razors (particularly straight razors) are really small. You get used to seeing them on the computer screen every day but in an antique store setting they can really blend in with the clutter if you're not careful.

- Chris

+1 My last antique mall outing, it was SWMBO that found three DE razors, while I was wandering around aimlessly. Sad and disappointed to not have seen any.

 

[Trigger]

Great post. I think we've all been there. I can't tell you how many times I've asked the antique store owner if they had any DE razors to hear "Some guy came in yesterday and bought them all." Once in a while you get lucky though. All I know is that "Some guy" better hope I don't find him. Larry

 

[Fatboy Slimhandle]

I hunt at antique places all the time. Last weekend I went back to an antique place that had some shaving stuff that was a bit over priced in one vendors area. I'd had no luck after a full morning of hunting at yardsales with my girlfriend; it was a last ditch effort for sure.

All the razors were gone from that vendor's space. I had a quick look around at the vendor next to his, which was very cluttered and I'd been through before as well. But wait! What's this up on the top shelf of a case stuffed with random old junk? With a price of $7.00?

Woo-hoo! A silver plated New Deluxe! The stuff in the case was %20 off too so it was just a bit more than $5 with tax. Shaver grade for sure- some very slightly bent teeth, a small crack in the handle. But with about 8 rounds of the tin foil/baking soda trick, it looks a lot better than I thought it would! I've been tempted to shell out good money for one of these recently, so I'm very happy to find a good one for a song.

A lot of those bigger antique malls are tedious to search through, and once I've looked hard I don't tend to come back for a long time. This proved to me that it's worth it to pop in more frequently, there's no way to predict when a vendor will put out new stuff!

 

[Mr. Imperial]

So, you're the guy who cleaned out all the shops in East Bloomfield !

It's a wonder we didn't run into one another.

Great post.

Hah, I thought that's what he was describing. I found zilch in those shops when I visited a couple months back.

 

[T Rick]

So, you're the guy who cleaned out all the shops in East Bloomfield !

It's a wonder we didn't run into one another.

Great post.

Wow you're good! I didn't give much info at all, but you are correct, it was Bloomfield (East maybe? I don't know). I missed this post last week. Wouldn't really say I cleaned them out though. They were pretty well cleaned when I got there. Peddlers did have two sealed 100 packs of Gillette 3 hole (IIRC) blades. Wanted $35 a piece for them. Not knowing blades prices, I passed, but that may be a find (and lowered pricing may be available).

The place across the street had the GEM I describe in case you're interested.

Traveling back Tuesday, and will be stopping at the other shop I mentioned that I had already passed, if you care to guess it's locale, maybe stop in Monday and beat me to it .

Hah, I thought that's what he was describing. I found zilch in those shops when I visited a couple months back.

Didn't think my description was that details, but I guess it helps knowing your home location. Here locally, I've got two good sized antique malls almost across the street from each other.

 

[ajsaxs]

They call NY Route 5&20 "Antique Alley" and I've tried to extract my share of razors East and West.

Times are changing. The word is out on the advantages of old school shaving and the supply of razors has really dried up. I visit the more remote shops these days. This afternoon I made two stops and picked up a nice 30's Tech and a three excellent straight razors. They're out there.

I think you might be considering a stop in Weedsport (I 90 exit 43). They had a few injectors, SEs and a couple of rough Gillettes
when I visited last week.

The Ontario Antique Mall has not yielded a single razor this year.

I didn't have any luck in Syracuse either. The only shaver I found was a broken Red Imp. The blade was cracked... I sadly left the building.


Happy Hunting !

 

[impulseballer]

i can't wait to start searching antique stores