All About Pocket Knives

I purchased this at an auction the other night(without knowing anything about it)...Would someone please help with date and value? Pics are not very good it is unused in box...no cracks or chips...box is worn but not bad...it has the BBB (Binghams Best Brand) on stone and box..
Thank You in Advance!!!
Rick

unless the market has changed from 10 years back 20.00 is all you can expect. however you may encounter a collector with no shortage of money whom wishes to build a collection.--HiPower

Thanks for your reply!
Rick

Sometimes, branding affects the value of razor hones. For instance, a Case Cutlery Co hone would probably max out the value range on hones.

Bingham's Best Brand is a very collectible brand name.

You're not going to get rich buying and selling hones, but I wouldn't be putting twenty dollar bids on them if profit is the motive.

Charlie Noyes

Thanks Charlie...I bought this one at auction for $10.00 and sold it on eBay for $26.50.....So now if I can find and sell 2 million of them
Thanks for your reply
Rick

If you consider that for over one hundred years, practically every American man owned a razor hone and every barber owned several, then there probably are a few million to be had.

You just have to find them.

Charlie Noyes

Charlie's correct. There are literally millions of those old hones around.

That particular hone is a synthetic. The value is in the branding and the packaging. They're pretty much useless for sharpening anything other than a straight razor because the grit level is so fine. Those were used by shavers and barbers to touch up an edge on a straight. You can't set a bevel with them unless you have infinite patience.

IF you can find a nice NORTON Razor Hone that is round and green, those bring a LOT of $$ to the boys that play the lumberjack games. For some reason they think those stones are magic for an axe's edge and will pay ungodly amounts for them. GO figure.

The natural stones are prone to bring more $$. The Belgian coticules, and stones from Wales, Germany and England also bring BIG bucks IF they are in good condition. Marked ESCHER stones are high dollar seller.

Japanese natural stones are a market unto themselves and also command high prices.

Most of the synthetic "barber's hones" are in the ten to forty price range and name and condition is EVERYTHING.

It's easy to get burned so if you're planning to play in that market, knowledge is your friend. Ebay has a category for hones and strops. I'd spend a lot of time looking at stuff there and getting an idea what sells for BIG $$ and what doesn't.

Willie

Great info!!
Thanks!!!
Rick

when i collected these in the 70s we considered the swaty to be one of the best hones ever made. this was in a box of stuff i was preparing to chink.---HiPower

Put that one on the bay, rather than chunking it.

It is a NICE one and Swaty's still have a lot of followers.

As that is an Austrian one it will bring the most of the Swaty's. I don't mess with 'em but have seen enough posts about 'em to know they're still high on the "want" list of those that do mess with 'em.

Here's the old razor hone that my grand-dad used, John Primble. Got a couple of chips on edges but that's OK

Nice old Hone TJ

do american hones generally bring more than european? i would guess they do.--HiPower