EBAY DIGEST: Interesting Shaving Related Recent Sales Recap

[nemo]

Right, but if you look at all of those, check the knobs. The knob on this one has the same dimpled pattern as the handle, with the diamond pattern simply being smooth metal. All of the ones on Achim's site have knurling - raised spikes in a diamond pattern, with the diamond patterns being separated by raised lines.

This comes up occasionally around here, the thought being the knurling changed late in 1921 to improve the grip.
What is the serial number?

Gillette NEW Standard, really?

There are other threads on this. Enjoy the shave, New Improved is not mild.

 

[Streambrewer]

This went about$800-900 above what is usual:. Look at this on eBay DARWIN DELUXE RAZOR | eBay

I often think that time of day and the day of the week have a huge effect on the final amount, but this one went high early.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

 

[Bookworm]

Can't really read the serial number in the photo, and haven't received the razor yet.

The best I can tell is that it's five numbers long, and ends in the letter A. XXXXXA

That would seemingly put it in 1921. Okay. So I'm not nuts. I'll upload some better photos once I get it. Not concerned about 'mild' shave. I just want to try it I can put a Derby in it if it's too aggressive.

Just picked up an auction with a sealed set of Gillette Super Stainless in the white box with the black triangle at the top. That's the box I need to complete my white case for a 1966 SuperSpeed - but I'd have to open the package! *grumble*.

 

[nemo]

This went about$800-900 above what is usual:. Look at this on eBay DARWIN DELUXE RAZOR | eBay

Good gawd!

 

[Condor58]

The final price blew me away!! $1925.69 + $38.31 for shipping!! WOW! Okay Darwin owners. Are they worth that price? I am new to vintage razors. I have a couple but hadn't heard of the Darwin until recently. There is no way I could afford the prices these go for. I have to say there is NO WAY it can be worth almost "Two Grand"!! I can't imagine paying that for any razor. The last couple of bidders (you have to figure both of them in) thought this was worth a bundle. They must have gotten a good tax refund!! Ha, ha...

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I followed this to see if it would fly under the radar - vague photos, no hints in the description as to what it actually is. Somebody spotted it, hope it was someone here.

 

[mr_houston]

this is where I saw the handle posted above. I'm very surprised it sold for over $100. A+++ Cond. Antique Vintage Gillette Early Short Handle Ball End Open Comb Razor | eBay

Was it something special?

 

[Bookworm]

Yeesh. I was bidding against another couple of people on a New Standard box with a zamak tech in it. It'd ended up at about $15.56, and then fourteen or so seconds before the end a couple of sniper bots turkeys went to work. So, it ended up at $42, plus another $12 shipping. I wonder how many people never consider the cost of shipping when they're bidding? For that matter, I've seen the razors sell _with_ box for about that price. Weird. Some people have a lot of discretionary income, and/or no wives, I guess

 

[Bookworm]

I followed this to see if it would fly under the radar - vague photos, no hints in the description as to what it actually is. Somebody spotted it, hope it was someone here.

I looked at it, and didn't find it interesting at all. Of course, I've also picked up (deliberately) a set of non-gillette clones just to play with, so what do I know

 

[Salty O'Rourke]

I looked at it, and didn't find it interesting at all. Of course, I've also picked up (deliberately) a set of non-gillette clones just to play with, so what do I know

Open Comb 1912s aren't exactly rare but they aren't exactly plentiful either, especially cased ones. I have two or I'd have been all over that one.

 

[rudyt]

Open Comb 1912s aren't exactly rare but they aren't exactly plentiful either, especially cased ones. I have two or I'd have been all over that one.

Same here. I spotted that one too. It's in better shape than my OC Damaskeene, but mine has "character". Plate loss, beat up, exactly what a 100 year old razor should look like. I don't see myself replacing it, so I just sat back and watched. I hope the buyer enjoys it as much add I do mine.

 

[nEver-Ready]

The final price blew me away!! $1925.69 + $38.31 for shipping!! WOW! Okay Darwin owners. Are they worth that price? I am new to vintage razors. I have a couple but hadn't heard of the Darwin until recently. There is no way I could afford the prices these go for. I have to say there is NO WAY it can be worth almost "Two Grand"!! I can't imagine paying that for any razor. The last couple of bidders (you have to figure both of them in) thought this was worth a bundle. They must have gotten a good tax refund!! Ha, ha... View attachment 779672

I have a Darwin Standard. Back when I got it about nine years ago, Darwins could still be had in the $150-$300 range. I paid closer to the lower end of that range as I recall. It's a great, beautiful razor, and shaves very well (mid level aggression and efficient, comfortable geometry), but I certainly wouldn't (couldn't) pay today's asking prices for one. That said, I'm not tempted to sell mine either. . .

 

[bobmsp]

Darwins seemed to have spiked in the last 6 months. Last year they were going for under $1,000.

 

[Bookworm]

Fun - a 'Richwood' on Ebay sat for three hours at 95, then there was a flurry of sniper bids that ran it up to over $200.

Gillette Richwood Antique Shaving Razor Box Set | eBay

Why didn't one of those snipers just join the auction, and bid $210 three days ago?

 

[GlennConti]

Looks like an original tin for a Gillette Double Ring - $799.27

RARE 1905 GILLETTE LITHO EMPTY SAFETY RAZOR TIN | eBay

 

[cH3x]

I look at ebay as an _auction_ site. That means have an idea of what you want BEFORE the last 4 seconds, and place bids accordingly. If I were ebay, I'd put a stop to the snipe tools, most simply by extending the auction to 5 minutes every time there's an additional bid within the last 5 minutes. The -only- people to lose would be the snipers, because they'd have to stop hiding in the woodwork like cockroaches and be counted by the other bidders.

I'd REALLY like to know that I'm bidding against someone, for example, rather than seeing a rush of bids in the last 10 seconds by people that are terrified to be known.

Can you explain your issue with this to me, please?

The way I see it, if I want to spend up to $30 for an item, I enter a $30 bid but only pay one "step" above whatever the second highest bidder bid. This is true whether I bid immediately after an item is offered or at the last second, right? Or are you saying you prefer to manually enter progressively higher bids as time goes by?

 

[cH3x]

Thanks for taking the time to explain this to me. I think your argument has merit.

If you know that there are, say, nine people involved, you'll put some additional thought into how much you want the item, and possibly raise your maximum bid.

This may be exactly what snipers are hoping to avoid--having people react to their bids and drive the price up further. I wonder, though, why one wouldn't "put additional thought into how much they want the item" in the first place, knowing there might be snipers.

With sniping, it's as if after you and four other people finished your bidding, and someone comes rushing in from the back room waving a card, screaming "I'll pay 400 dollars!" and the auctioneer immediately says SOLD!. The people actually _bidding_ haven't a clue that there's this guy lurking in another room. In a REAL auction, the auctioneer would say "I have a bid for $400. Do I hear 450?" (That is, if that person was even allowed in.)

This is very compelling.

E-Bay has two ways to 'fix' it.

A third fix might be to do away with the live auction metaphor entirely and just provide a length of time during which people may submit their "sealed" bids (others can't see them)--much like a "best offer"--except award the item to whomever submitted the highest bid at one increment over the second highest bid. In a sense everyone snipes. But I can see where this would take away some of the fun in bidding and perhaps depress prices (as people won't get into trading wars).

As things stand, though, from a purely financial perspective it looks like sniping makes a lot of sense. It may be distasteful, but I don't see how it's unethical.

 

[KeenDogg]

Right, but if you look at all of those, check the knobs. The knob on this one has the same dimpled pattern as the handle, with the diamond pattern simply being smooth metal. All of the ones on Achim's site have knurling - raised spikes in a diamond pattern, with the diamond patterns being separated by raised lines.

I read somewhere on here that if it has the same pattern on both, it's an early model.

 

[Mark1966]

I look at ebay as an _auction_ site. That means have an idea of what you want BEFORE the last 4 seconds, and place bids accordingly. If I were ebay, I'd put a stop to the snipe tools, most simply by extending the auction to 5 minutes every time there's an additional bid within the last 5 minutes. The -only- people to lose would be the snipers, because they'd have to stop hiding in the woodwork like cockroaches and be counted by the other bidders.

I'd REALLY like to know that I'm bidding against someone, for example, rather than seeing a rush of bids in the last 10 seconds by people that are terrified to be known.

Thanks for taking the time to explain this to me. I think your argument has merit.


This may be exactly what snipers are hoping to avoid--having people react to their bids and drive the price up further. I wonder, though, why one wouldn't "put additional thought into how much they want the item" in the first place, knowing there might be snipers.

This is very compelling.

A third fix might be to do away with the live auction metaphor entirely and just provide a length of time during which people may submit their "sealed" bids (others can't see them)--much like a "best offer"--except award the item to whomever submitted the highest bid at one increment over the second highest bid. In a sense everyone snipes. But I can see where this would take away some of the fun in bidding and perhaps depress prices (as people won't get into trading wars).

As things stand, though, from a purely financial perspective it looks like sniping makes a lot of sense. It may be distasteful, but I don't see how it's unethical.

Hi gents

I'm one of those horrible cockroaches hiding in the woodwork

When I was building up my collection I started to use a sniping service because under the current eBay rules it gives you the best chance of winning. After missing out on a DR because somebody slowly, by the minimum bid increment, crept up and overtook my early bid I figured if you cannot beat them, then join them.

For those of us on the other side of the world in a different time zone setting a snipe before you go to bed is also a whole lot more convenient.

 

[YKMV]

All is Fair in Love and War.. and FleaBay.