Hello all. I am going to giant antique store near my house this weekend and this is my first such trip after getting into wet shaving. Is there anything in particular I should be looking for? I am pretty happy with my Red Tip but was just curious if anyone with more experience knows of some sought after razors, mugs, etc. that I should keep an eye out for. I would hate to pass up a 5 dollar razor that is highly sought after and valuable. Kind of an amorphous topic but I appreciate any insight. Thanks.
What to look for at an Antique Store
- Thread starter jgjoneslaw
- Start date
Bring a digital camera or take photos with your phone- you can do some research on what's there and then go back when you know what's what. Or if the price is right (I'll buy just about any sub-$10 razor) just snap it up!
Other than that, be sure to look beyond the soap scum and dirt on some of these old razors. I've been surprised again and again by how well some of the razors I've found have cleaned up.
Good luck! I think finding razors and shave stuff "in the wild" is a lot more thrilling than buying off the 'bay or BST forum on here (and usually way less expensive!).
Other than that, be sure to look beyond the soap scum and dirt on some of these old razors. I've been surprised again and again by how well some of the razors I've found have cleaned up.
Good luck! I think finding razors and shave stuff "in the wild" is a lot more thrilling than buying off the 'bay or BST forum on here (and usually way less expensive!).
I think just about any old razor is collectible to someone. I just look for razors that interest me. If it is something that I think I may like, and the price is right for me, then I will grab it. I found a Blue Tip and a Slim Adjustable 2 weeks ago that way, and I love them. This past weekend, I passed up on several razors because the price was too high (in my opinion), or I had no interest in that type (Schick Injectors and Gem micromatics).
The important thing is to go, look around and enjoy yourself. If you don't see anything, ask. You just might find an Old Spice mug for a great price. If you don't find anything, you at least have fun looking.
The important thing is to go, look around and enjoy yourself. If you don't see anything, ask. You just might find an Old Spice mug for a great price. If you don't find anything, you at least have fun looking.
Look the razors over for any mechanical flaws, or flaws in the finish. I picked up a nice looking Blue Tip this past week, and noticed the head sat at a tilt on the handle. I don't think that can be easily fixed, so passed. Sometimes you get excited because you finally found a razor, and don't realize until later that it's not perfect - maybe not even usable.
Look at the alignment of the butterfly wings on a TTO razor to see if the gap between the wings and the base is equal on both sides. Also check to see if the end caps are on the razor. You can still use it if not, but know what you're getting.
For adjustable razors, check the adjustment dial to see that it rotates freely in both directions with a "click" at each setting.
Sometimes you can tell if a razor will "clean up" and be nice and shiny, but sometimes you won't know until you clean it up and see what it looks like. At least if it's mechanically sound it can still make a good shaver. Some of the flaws can either be fixed, or just lived with, but again, try to determine what you are getting.
Old Spice mugs are cool, and if you find one for $5 to $10 you'll save the cost of shipping compared to buying one on eBay for $10 and paying $8 shipping. An Old Spice mug with the original soap in it would be a great find. One of those sold on eBay for $25 to $30 recently. You may find some Old Spice aftershave bottles, too, but you might want to get familiar with which ones are the real vintage bottles. I think some you run across are not that old, even though they are the glass bottles. I use one of the Old Spice glass bottles that I refill with the Ivy Spice that you can get at Family Dollar for $1.64 a bottle. There are some threads here you can read about the Ivy Spice.
Unless you collect old shaving brushes, you can probably pass on them as most of the ones I've seen are not usable.
The big antique mall may have some treasures for you, but you might have more luck driving to small towns outside of Austin for antique stores. Those that are more like junk stores and flea markets are more likely to have razors that look yucky but will clean up nicely and make great shavers. Probably no Presidents, but maybe some decent Superspeeds and Flare Tips. Some places have really high prices on razors, more than you see them sell for here on BST, and I assume they think they are worth the price as a "collectible".
Have fun!
Look at the alignment of the butterfly wings on a TTO razor to see if the gap between the wings and the base is equal on both sides. Also check to see if the end caps are on the razor. You can still use it if not, but know what you're getting.
For adjustable razors, check the adjustment dial to see that it rotates freely in both directions with a "click" at each setting.
Sometimes you can tell if a razor will "clean up" and be nice and shiny, but sometimes you won't know until you clean it up and see what it looks like. At least if it's mechanically sound it can still make a good shaver. Some of the flaws can either be fixed, or just lived with, but again, try to determine what you are getting.
Old Spice mugs are cool, and if you find one for $5 to $10 you'll save the cost of shipping compared to buying one on eBay for $10 and paying $8 shipping. An Old Spice mug with the original soap in it would be a great find. One of those sold on eBay for $25 to $30 recently. You may find some Old Spice aftershave bottles, too, but you might want to get familiar with which ones are the real vintage bottles. I think some you run across are not that old, even though they are the glass bottles. I use one of the Old Spice glass bottles that I refill with the Ivy Spice that you can get at Family Dollar for $1.64 a bottle. There are some threads here you can read about the Ivy Spice.
Unless you collect old shaving brushes, you can probably pass on them as most of the ones I've seen are not usable.
The big antique mall may have some treasures for you, but you might have more luck driving to small towns outside of Austin for antique stores. Those that are more like junk stores and flea markets are more likely to have razors that look yucky but will clean up nicely and make great shavers. Probably no Presidents, but maybe some decent Superspeeds and Flare Tips. Some places have really high prices on razors, more than you see them sell for here on BST, and I assume they think they are worth the price as a "collectible".
Have fun!
From Austin, huh? There is a fairly big flea market in Wimberly once a month. Unfortunately I don't remember enough to tell you when. It's over a weekend. But, if you are aware of it you may catch notice of it somewhere or perhaps you might even be able to ask around. Takes almost all day to wander through the whole thing. Last (and only) time I went there were at least five or six booths with shaving stuff, mostly razors.
There are a couple of big "antique malls". At least one in Austin and one in Round Rock. Google for them. Pickin's are pretty slim. (ha ha, just noticed -- "Slim Pickins") I think there must be someone in the area who scouts these places and buys stuff up. Maybe one of these places is where you are going.
There are a few places in Georgetown as well. More interesting stuff there, but they have a pretty high opinion of it.
Oh yeah, There is one place in Georgetown off of the main drag that is more of a "junk shop" where most of the junk happens to be pretty old. I think they have reasonable prices.Exactly what to look for? Anything that strikes your fancy. Just don't pay too much. Most are willing to "talk price". Especially at the flea markets. At the antique malls the people there don't always have the authority to move very far on prices unless it happens to be their own stuff in question. I think most can make small price adjustments.
At one place I showed an interest in something that was way to high for me. The guy in charge asked if I wanted to make an offer. I said it was a beautiful item and was probably worth the asking price but was simply more than I wanted to spend, so much so that I didn't want to insult him with a low-ball offer. He said go ahead and insult him. He took my offer! I was so surprised that I remember the incident but can't remember what the item was!
