Help evaluate these Antique store finds!

[Saxman11290]

Hey folks,

After seeing a few threads about thrift shop / antique store finds, I decided to stop by the local antique shop in a nearby town today just to see what razors they might have. A very nice shop keeper presented several razors, mostly straights, for my evaluation and let me take my time. I didn't want to be rude and ask to take pictures, so I just snuck one quick (and apparently a bit blurry) picture with my phone which appears here:



I tried to label most of them in the picture, but in case you can't see it too clearly, here's what I could assess from what was there:
#1 - "Thisle" $25
#2 - "Solingen Germany" $65
#3 - "Joseph Allen & Sons, Sheffield England" $30
#4 - (not pictured) Ever Ready $18
#5 - "The Razor that fits your face - Robeson" $29
#6 - The label didn't make it into the picture, some sort of "open comb" straight, strange.

After I spent a little time looking at them, I noticed a little rust on some of them and the scales were a bit dirty on some others. The one that was in the best shape was probably the Solingen. The nice shop keep told me he would gladly reduce prices by 20% if I were to buy one, even if I had to take some time to think about it and come back.

So, let me tell you a little about my goals here. I have been using a DE for about a year and a half now, and really enjoy it. I've been meaning to get into straights and I think I will like them once I get passed the learning curve. In fact, a sight-unseen deal from Whipped Dog is currently on it's way in the mail for Christmas, so I'll get some practice in on that.

Being that I am just entering the world of straights, do you folks recommend me picking up any of these? If I did, I'd probably send it off to someone here to do a restore job, as I wouldn't know what I was doing. Are there any steals in these prices? Anything super-rare that I should be gawking over?

I know you may not be able to answer my questions that well, as all I provided was a blurry picture of razors in cases, but hey, I figure someone has to know more about this stuff than I do! I may go back in a couple of weeks and ask to take some more detailed pics or gather some more info.

Anyway, any advice is appreciated, thanks in advance!

P.S. If it is bad form to post prices or info from a private store on a site like this, I will gladly remove this. Just trying to make an informed decision from the knowledge and kindness I so often find at the community here.

 

[TheVez2]

Don't know about 1-5, but 6 is a Durham shavette. A replaceable blade safety straight. Blades are hard to come by. Not worth it as a shaver really, nice collector piece though. I have 3 of them.

 

[KW Driver]

there's no way to tell, because all we can see is coffins. I'm not willing to call myself an expert here. I don't know a Thistle, or where it's from. who makes the Soligen blade? Sheffields are good too, but what shape is the blade in other than some rust? rust and patina are easy enough to clean yourself. minor chips, as in barely visible, can be honed out. cracks are bad, as in dead blade bad. so look them over well, or hang pics of the blades here for the real experts to tell you. $25-$50 for a good vintage blade? not bad at all. I have several $20-$30 blades that shave just fine, that I picked up here in the BST.

they may just need a hone vs. a full restore.

good luck with the coming adventure.

 

[Saxman11290]

Thanks KW,

I can say that all the blades were in sound condition from my inexperienced perspective. Not exactly sure what to look for, either. But I didn't notice any cracks or chips along the edge surface or anywhere else for that matter. So, for all intents and purposes, until I get some better pics up here (if at all), the blades are in generally good condition. The one I saw with rust had rust around the joint between the metal and the scales (not sure what that part is called exactly, the shoulder, perhaps? tang?), but nothing affecting the actual shaving surface.

 

[Mike H]

Maybe this will help...

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/What_to_look_for_when_buying_a_second_hand_straight_razor

Without seeing the blades it is not possible to say if those are good prices.

 

[smalltank]

Skin that duplex razor and look at the others if 5/8 and 6/8 blade widths and make sure no damage your fine...$65 is high imo.

 

[boogieman_]

Maybe this will help...

http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/What_to_look_for_when_buying_a_second_hand_straight_razor

Without seeing the blades it is not possible to say if those are good prices.

Thanks for that link!

 

[GreekGuy]

I'd pass on all of them. Buying straights requires some experience to know what to look for. Unlike a DE, there are just far more problems that can be hidden and its difficult to explain what to look for. None of those prices are exactly steals, and none of those razors are anything exceptional.

 

[Saxman11290]

Thanks again for everyone's input (more input is always appreciated though!)

I wasn't really planning on picking up a restoration project unless it was a real steal or something that was super rare etc. I think I'll stick with whatever Larry sends me from Whipped Dog for now and maybe revisit the shop (or another one) when I become a little more knowledgeable about what I'm looking at / for.

It was worth a shot, though!