Aside From Coins, Do You Have Any Other Hobbies?

I love that album.

 

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Yeap! I like genealogy. Specially of own my family.

 

Thank you. I have a friend who is a luthier as well. He built one for singer/songwriter Jack Williams and one for actor singer/songwriter Ronney Cox. I got to play both. This friend is who got me started on my build. It's really rewarding to play a guitar that I built.

 

I looked through about half of this thread but did not see anyone else who collects vintage razors. As you can guess, collecting razors is a lot like collecting coins, with the year of manufacture and condition being two of the important elements in appraising the value of a particular razor. And, of course, hobbyists branch off into straight edge razors and double edge, with prices reaching into the thousands for some razors.

I have just a few razors, the strangest one being a 1960s Russian knockoff of the adjustable Gillette Super Speed model of the same era. I bought mine, a New Old Stock, from an eBay seller in Moscow five or six years ago. I have a modern Merkur razor from Germany, one considered to be the best of the many double edged razors made today, and three vintage Gillette models from the 1940s and 1950s. None of these gives quite as close or as comfortable shave as the Merkur, but they are forgiving of the cheap generic blades sold in drugstores and supermarkets. And as with anything else, quality is variable among the many blades made around the world (none of the good ones are made in the USA), and is very subjective.

The most popular method for cleaning old Gillette razors found in antique stores or yard sales is to soak them in Scrubbing Bubbles, and the douse them in boiling water, a practice far different from cleaning vintage coins, I'd have to say.

Shaving the old fashioned way with soap in a mug, a brush and a vintage razor is very rewarding. The shaves are amazingly comfortable, and, with many of the better modern blades being made of titanium, a single blade will last far longer than the Gillette Blue Blades of yore. I spend an average of 48¢ per month on my preferred blades.

 

I've never used anything except for a regular razor with razor blades. But I had no idea they were collectible. I am assuming you don't actually use items from your collection but, instead, have a non-collectible one for daily use. 48¢ per month seem expensive - I know I spend less - and the use of soap, a mug and a brush seems extravagant. I just shave without those as soon as I get out of the shower.

 

Next time you are at eBay, check out the auctions for vintage Gillette DE (Double Edge) razors. There are also specialists around the country with long waiting lists that will restore your vintage razor for a hefty price.

Actually I've used all of my vintage razors. Drawing another analogy, razors are like cars, many drive/ride differently. As I noted, the older razors aren't quite as precise as the new ones, so a cheap blade that is sure to give you a harsh shave in the new razor won't be so bad in a 1953 Gillette.

As for the cost of shaving, you might want to check out how much you are actually paying for those multi-blade monsters that big business wants to sell you. Checking Amazon, I can buy 100 of the popular Astra double edged blades for $10 less than an eight pack of Fusion Blades, and they'll last a lot longer. You won't need to replenish your Astras for several years. I am still using some Israeli Titanium blades that I bought in 2013 — 200 blades for $25 — about $6.25 per year, or about 52¢ per month; but I still have more than two dozen of them. How 'bout that, a hobby that saves you money!

https://www.amazon.com/Astra-Superior-Platinum-Personal-Healthcare/dp/B00EXPTR0W/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1504620637&sr=1-4&keywords=double edge razor blades

https://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Fusion5-ProGlide-Refills-Packaging/dp/B003983I1S/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1504620487&sr=1-4&keywords=gillette+fusion+proglide+blades&th=1

 

That's exactly what I use. I bought 5 packs of 100 blades once when there was a sale on them. Cost me around $40. I expect them to last me for at least 25 years so I may never have to buy any again.

 

I love to drink single malt whiskies. I do manage to save some bottles here at home, hide them from myself. Yes, I am not too proud or haughty to sip a blend, such as the Black or Green....as in Johnnie Walker. Or even much lesser names, 100 Vipers? It is not so easy to find many of the ones I want, as this country (Thailand) has its own laws and import duties. So perhaps being an alcoholic could be considered a hobby? Or a job, or pass time, avocation or occupation?

(Yes, I drink beer too)

 

Nothing like a great single malt. My college roommate helped me to acquire one made in eastern Iowa since neither the distiller nor his store will ship the product. You must have a dealer nearby your location to get any of his whiskies if you do not live close by. Anyway, this distiller (forget his name) makes his single malt in limited quantities, and you must sign up to reserve a bottle once it is taken from the casks and put into bottles. A subscriber gets notification of the availability so he knows when to go to the distiller's location. Once my friend sent the bottle to me, I found something that was similar to the ultimate scotch, and yet nothing like the finest single malt you ever had before; wonderful beyond words.

Sorry to see that the Thai government makes it difficult to enjoy good whiskey at a reasonable cost.

 

That's smart thinking; Astras are great blades.

 

I just sold my telescopes, 16 inch and a 10 inch because of too many hobbies like playing bluegrass music(guitar and banjo), gold prospecting, woodworking, repairing old tube radios, stamp collecting, camping. So now I just started back up coin collecting. Glad I am retired!

 

If I ever retire I probably won't have time for any hobbies. Now I have the excuse that when I get home from my part-time job I am tired and so can dedicate time to things I enjoy. There will be no excuse when I retire and I will have to spend time on what needs to be done to maintain my sustainable, independent lifestyle.

 

I retired about 10 years ago, and I was not even ready for the label of a "used to be" or a "has been", yet here it was. OK, I had to find something to keep myself occupied. Did a gang thing for a while (VFW), then got burned out on that one. I prefer to hang around with people I personally choose to be with, not be forced to be with a group of, how to say it? Lifers, losers and duds. Anyhow, I missed my coins so I discovered ebay and got hooked, they must love me. If nothing else I am learning a lot more history from all these coins, and I have been meeting some really great guys on this forum and also in other coin venues online.

So, may I offer some unsolicited advice? Prepare well for retirement, as it will be different than what you may have imagined.

 

I've been known to collect a few antique bottles and some other things.

 

Doctors forced me into semi-retirement in 1999, @coin_nut . I did finance/tax jobs for a couple years to keep my head above water until I was old enough to be eligible for my company pension. I could not afford to do any bidding for coins on eBay, and unlike you I never did have much interest in things like the VFW. Meanwhile I became a pretty savvy part time eBay seller, finding and re-selling desirable vinyl LPs in all sorts of places, but exhausting local sources too soon to make that an enduring avocation.

Before he passed away, my younger brother reminded me of my interest in coins, so I began it in earnest shortly after his his death as a result of his influence. Things are good, now that I am accessing IRA & 401K in addition to my pension and SS incomes. You are right, though, about retirement not being like you envisioned it.

 

Other hobbies.... Old decks of playing cards, marbles, firearms, metal whiskey hip flasks, knives (expensive ones), and books - usually related to the hobbies.

 

I collect stringed instruments, Guitars, Violins, mandolins, etc. Also Rock-n-Roll items. Records, sheet music, Books, prints, Maps, Tokens, Coins

 

My other hobbies are growing rare fruits, building laser, astronomy, genealogy, and "working" with computers (building, overclocking, emulating, etc.)... among other things...

 

I've a couple old Crandall ("I Must Kut") straight razors, along with a couple of knives from the same company which existed only for a short time in Bradford, PA before being absorbed by W. R. Case. Not really a "collection" type of thing for me though...