Boker

Rich Campbell · 08-11-2008, 12:04 AM

I found a Boker razor at an antique faire today and although I am a antique dealer with my own store I am just starting to get into straight razors. The man in the booth had purchased a nice collection of straight razors and told me they had already sold enough to pay for them so everything else sold would be profit. I know enough from what I have read to know that Boker is a good razor and his was priced at $150. It was stamped 1926 on the butt of the blade and I could not see any pitting or nicks. Anyway I offered $80 and he did not accept because his wife was not around and he said she had done all research on pricing etc. I decided not to return when she was their because I would have likely decided to pay more than was prudent.

This blade would have been a keeper not to resale but I did not want to overpay either. Did I miss a good opportunity?

holli4pirating · 08-11-2008, 12:08 AM

I don't really think you missed out. There are so many great razors out there that passing up a buy that you're not comfortable with is always a good idea.

Doc · 08-11-2008, 12:18 AM

nobody likes a Boker better than me but IMHO that's a bit on the high side. I dont think you missed out at that price. lot of good boker info is located here
The Boker Brotherhood

hi_bud_gl · 08-11-2008, 12:20 AM

I recently bought almost brand new condition w&b and boker tree brand 38 ask me.i paid 25 total.they are shave ready condition now if you like i can put up pictures..150$ you could buy double duck wonderedge.

netsurfr · 08-11-2008, 12:43 AM

You made a wise decision passing on that Boker razor IMHO

Rich Campbell · 08-11-2008, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

I recently bought almost brand new condition w&b and boker tree brand 38 ask me.i paid 25 total.they are shave ready condition now if you like i can put up pictures..150$ you could buy double duck wonderedge.

Holy crap! Thanks

Utopian · 08-11-2008, 02:37 AM

A typical Boker that is fully restored and honed to shave ready might be worth $80, but certainly not an antique fair Boker. The only exception to that would be one of the more rare Bokers, such as the one with the fancy spine (I can't remember its number but I still really want one). Some others with more unusual scales also would bring a premium.

The thing is, people go to garage sales, flea markets, and antique fairs for at least relative bargains. $80 was no bargain.

Utopian · 08-11-2008, 02:41 AM

I just remembered the number of the Boker with the fancy worked spine. It's the Boker 1056 that I am lusting after. If you were to find one of those at an antique fair, $80 would be a great price as long as it was in restorable condition.

gugi · 08-12-2008, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hi_bud_gl

150$ you could buy double duck wonderedge.

Indeed and then you can resell it for double that

I've had hard time getting a boker - the ones I like seem to go rather high, but now I've got 2 good ones and one that needs some work. Still haven't honed them up. Check the classifieds - I seem to remember bokers there. And of course antique fairs can provide a lot of good stuff - sometimes there are mint razors as few members have been able to pick up and $150 for razor in such condition would be a great buy as well. But in average condition it's not quite the same.

Philadelph · 08-17-2008, 11:35 PM

I know this thread was brought to the front cause of spam but anyway... I wanted to add a couple things. For a new guy pricing can be all over the place in terms of what you see and get. A Boker in the same condition can have three vastly different prices in three different places such as a flea market, eBay, and the classifieds here. On eBay you take the biggest gamble if there are no good pictures or description, but when there are a razor can fetch the highest prices. At a flea market you generally get as-is condition which for an alright condition average Boker should not be $150. I usually pay no more than $20 for a razor at a flea market, however I am prepared to with certain knowledge. I recently picked up an amazing razor at a flea market for $20 when I was prepared to pay up to $150-200 for it. The seller just didn't know what he had. Anyway, all I am saying is that you really can't make a good decision on a razor going for $150 at a flea market unless you've been around razors a lot. Also, with help from guys here, you could get a more accurate picture of value.

Agamemnon · 08-18-2008, 04:04 AM

Speaking of Ebay, A while back I bid on two Bokers; one a square point and the other a round point but both the same model number and both were about 5/8" hollow ground . They both looked pretty good in the pictures and nobody had bid on them with only about a day or two left before the end of the auction. So I placed a low bid on them both and decided not to check on those auctions until they ended believing somebody else would bid and I didn't want to spend a whole lot of cash anyway. Surprise, surprise. Nobody bid and I got them for about nine dollars each and I believe the seller didn't charge for shipping either. It just goes to show that sometimes decent deals can fall into your lap.