I have never paid more than $15 for a brush in about 40 years of shaving. I bought 2 boars in the 1990s that once broken in were perfectly satisfying. One has been retired but my Semogue "pig bristle" as it was called when I bought it in Ireland in 1993 continues to perform, though it has been seriously challenged by the Plissoft & Omega synthetics for the past 6 months. Give any boar brush a solid 5-8 weeks of regular duty before passing judgement on it. Use it with a soap like Williams or Mitchell's so that it gets a solid workout. In your patience possess ye your souls.
Apologies for going off topic...I don't think I'm alone in saying I would love to see pics of your "vintage" Semogue Pig Bristle brush! Honestly, please post pics when you can!