It seems to me, there are two types: those who collect de razors, primarily to shave with, and those who collect razors in their original packaging and have a display. Which type are you and which razor is the prize of your collection. You realise I will be looking them all up!
To me regardless of how rare and how much they cost I collect to use I have no use for a draw queen, it would be like owning a beautiful classic car and putting it in the garage and polishing it every weekend?
I shave with every razor I procure. I have 10 vintage (most cased) and 4 modern. I have 9 in rotation at any given time. My favorite razor is the OldType. I have four; a 1908, 1908-Brit, 1918 nickel plated and a 1919 Bulldog.
I use what I buy. Case, no case, pristine, plate loss doesn't matter, as long as it is mechanically sound and can shave.
Ditto to the "I use what I buy" comments. I have 40 razors and enjoy them all. If I decide one is not for me, off it goes to the auction block or a PIF. My razors are not on display, they're in a closed cabinet. I have only one I do not use, a WW2 Simplex military kit that's never been used, a gift from a friend. Otherwise they're all in the rotation.
Collect to use, and I am probably soon getting to a time when I should start getting rid of some that see little to no use. The vintage ones I have are consequently not among the prime, unblemished (or refurbished/recoated) examples. As long as they can shave, like @swarden43 writes. Edit: best-looking razor: Mongoose Satin.
No display razors for me. I use what I buy. My vintage Gillettes show their battle scars which is okay. No replatting. I like them the way they are.
I'm the one of each user. my collection includes many user grade members. but if I get inspired, I can normally comes up with something pretty close. May not be pristine example, but that's ok. my tuckaway is prolly my best example. I had a pristine grand shave king, but dropped it. it's now destroyed.
I collect to use and I want my razors to have intact plating at the least. My most beautiful razor is a Darwin Deluxe, but I don't have a preferred one for shaving - I do lean towards the "milder" razors though
I think I gave about a quarter of that for mine, but I bought it about 7 years ago before it became one of the "Holy Grail" razors.
User. Prize? Not really I love all my straights equally and look forward to the next. My Wacker shaved great but all have at one time or another.
Looks like there aren't a lot of "drawer queens" around here. Some of us do display but still use what we have. I backed into inheriting a great little collection, but I pick up things here and there and use everything I have. I try my best to keep them nice, because they're tools and works of craftsmanship, and deserve that respect. Also, I like to have nice things and that's how we get to have nice things. ;-)
I used to be a collector, but all of my razors get used, even if they are nicer than "user grade." I specialized in non-Gillette razors, with unique attributes, yet that took normal DE blades. My favorites ended up being the G.E. Jones Shake Sharp razors and the Cooper MonoBilt razor. Recently, I've become interested in Stainless razors, probably because the price of vintage razors has reached levels that actually make considering stainless razors cost effective and because I have most of the razors I've wanted. My favorite of those is the Blackland Blackbird. It has the most amazing appearance. I also collect brushes and other assorted shaving related items, all to use, of course.
