Short story and a theory on old DE razors

[AACJ]

So.....today I went into a local antique store, one I frequent quite often, looking for razors. After going through the whole store, I didn't find a single one. As usual, I asked the lady sitting behind the desk and she said she knows of a vendor that has one. As she was taking me to that booth, she said the vendor originally had two but she bought the other one. I started asking a little more about her razor when we got to the booth and she said, "it looks just like this one." A superspeed.

So I asked her where she gets her DE blades and, get this, she said I haven't changed the blade yet. I asked her what she was talking about and she said she just uses the blade that came with the razor. After recovering from my shock, I told her she needs to stop using that blade immediately as it had the germs from who ever used it last, most likely 30 or more years ago.

This got me to thinking about all the razors I found in antique stores. Most usually have the blades still in them, and the blades are old, very old ones.

This leads me to a theory. I believe most DE razors in antique stores come from estate sales where a gentleman has died. The estate sales group doesn't (or may not know how) take the blade out, then some buyer takes it directly to an antique store to sell it, still leaving the blade inside.

Tomorrow, I am taking her 4 packs of DE blades for her to use....and may even give her one of my extra Lady Gillettes.

 

[MASSDRIVER]

Having been busy sending Grandparents to the happy hunting grounds the past couple of years, I know a little about the estate thing.
Suffice it to say, The buzzards, sometimes known as "family", they show up and pick the cherries.
After that, things that may have some value are sectioned out for sale. There is the initial yard sale, which maximizes the money, and draws the battle lines for petty cash, then the estate sales. There is SO MUCH CRAP, that the least worry is removing blades from razors. My wifes Grandad went last year, and he was a surgeon. He had all these DE's, old single edges, and some medical type razors. everything went into a box, and someone bought the whole thing for 10 bucks.
"Don't cut yourself".
Just the way it goes.
Brent.

 

[Iakona]

Sounds like a reasonable explanation to me. Another is, that a lot of antique dealers just think that "anything old" has some value and are hesitant to toss it for that reason. Evidence can be seen in the amount of rusted, half gone (as in chipped away) straight razors you see at antique shops for $15 to $25.

 

[firehydrant]

I don't know how many razors I have recieved with the"blade included" rusty blade in the razor or wrapped up and sent in the box.