Just picked up these nice Kampfe Star razors from an antique shop.One has the stropping attachment missing but they still have the wedge blades in them.These are the first ones I've encountered in the wild.
Kampfe razors and tins Very very nice. The little tins seem to be in exceptional condition. Generally speaking, the lithography is chipped and flaking off of most of the tins you find. The razors themselves are not too hard to come by, but those two seem to be in very good shape as far as can be seen in the photos. Great score! Regards, Tom
Really? I have yet to come across any lather catcher style SE razor in all the antiquing I've done lately. The 1912s and Micromatics are a dime a dozen, but to me the lather catchers and wedges like these are elusive....
No kidding. Every single antique store around me has bad straights, very expensive rolls razors, and 1924 ever-ready SE. Its rare that I see anything else.
I was speaking about availability of decent razors compared to decent lithographed tins. I've been able to find several of these Kampfe Star razors in quite nice shape, but finding the litho tins in good conditions usually is much harder and often requires big bucks. Also, many of the razors were not originally packaged in the tins, but rather in leather covered wooden boxes similar to many of the early Gems and Gillettes, so the tins are inherently more rare. I might note that, in my experience, finding wedge blades that are worth honing is not always easy either. Regards, Tom
There is another Kampfe-Star in the same shop.It is in a larger rectangular tin that is in great condition but it only has the screw in part of the handle.The stropping handle and lower handle piece are missing.I was tempted to buy it as well, but sanity prevailed for once. Cheers Phil.
Phil, if you are really into Kampfes and that other razor isn't too much, you might want to reconsider if the tin is in good shape. As I said, the tins are much harder to come by in good condition than the razors are. Regards, Tom
The shop owner wants the Aussie equivalent of $US55 for it.Is that reasonable?I paid around $US80 each for the other two. Regards Phil.
That's a little on the high end from my point of view. If it was me, it would hurt a little to pass it up, but I probably would. That's quite a bit of money. I keep telling myself, "Another day will bring another razor". Regards, Tom