The mother load

PICTURES ADDED!!!!

Here's a little story for you guys.

I was searching random cities on Craigslist looking for straights, a hobby that is usually not fruitful but that I do when I am bored. I came across a link for a lot of vintage straights, 8 to be exact, and two hones. The hones are of unknown origin according to the seller, but the razors are seven (yes...7) dubl duck goldedges in "great" condition, and a dubl duck special #1 in "excellent" condition. The price..."make me a reasonable offer".

Now, I won't say what I paid for these, but the offer was reasonable for buying them after just one low-res picture, and pretty much sight unseen. To my surprise the response I got back in e-mail was from a very nice woman. After a few exchanges, she told me that the razors actually came from her place of former employment. She worked at a forensic mental institution outside of Richmond Virginia that she said was quite famous, and was the actual place where they filmed the movie Hannibal. She took the job as barber and recreational therapist (I know, weird combo) about 15 years ago, and when she got there the razors were in a drawer and apparently untouched for years. Her supervisor asked her to throw them out, but she insisted that she take them home and keep them, to which the supervisor obliged. She's held onto them for this amount of time but is now moving and is trying to get rid of some stuff that she has around her house. When I think about who may have actually been shaved with these razors at a mental institution that she said housed some prolific and notorious criminals, I get both creeped out and excited!

They have been shipped via UPS as of Thursday and are scheduled to be delivered to my apartment on Monday. I will have some pictures up as to the quality of these ducks. Needless to say, this is pretty cool. I plan on turning this into a seven day set and putting them to good use.

Makes you wonder if the crazies is contagious

sweet! thats a cool story to go with them.

That is incredible on so many levels! Can't wait for the pics.

wow great find with an amazing story!

Good story! Any pictures of the Ducks?

OH very nice !! I love the history behind this as well. Please keep us posted once they arrive.

That is a great find and an even greater story to go with the razors.

Can't wait to see the pics!!

Those razors have gone from one mental institution to another!


Straigh razors and nut jobs. Good thing they stayed in that drawer!

The character Hannibal Lecter was supposed to have been held at Shepherd Pratt, which is in Towson, MD, where my wife and I went to college. It was literally next door to campus. In fact, my first apartment bordered the facility as well. My wife had to do a clinical rotation at Pratt. They had all sorts of strict rules about what types of clothes the students were not allowed to wear, and things they weren't allowed to bring into any of the buildings. I bring this up because it seems odd that at one such place they had these things lying around, and at one point may have used them on inmates.

Yeah, I doubt that sort of thing would fly these days, but we are talking decades ago. I am not sure exactly when goldedges were popular among barbers, but it was likely a different time when it came to rules and regulations.
No IRBs, no CCIs, no HIPAA, etc.
Keep in mind, though, that the location that Hannibal was 'supposed' to be in vs. where the movie was actually shot could be quite different in regard to their inmate populations.

gumbo said:

... but she insisted that she take him home ...to which the supervisor obliged.

Click to expand...

I see nothing wrong with two consenting adults enjoying each other's company.

Today, a goldrush hit Boston. A crazy-person goldrush.

OK, here are some pictures as I received the razors today. 5 of the goldies came with original coffins. Two were not in coffins at all, but everything was securely packed with care. Kudos to the seller for her generosity and timeliness. Let's just say, for the price I paid for these, I am incredibly happy.

Here is a shot of the goods on delivery:

As far as I can tell, there are 2 x 7/8 round points, 3 x 6/8 round points, 2 6/8 Square point, and a special which is a square point with a rounded tip.

First, the Special #1. I love these razors and haven't come across one in this shape pre-restore. The scales are all original and fantastic, and it came it the original plastic sleeve with documentation. Also, it has a blue shank and tang, the second special with blue tang I've come across in a year.


Here are some closeups of the razors, as you can see, a couple have some pitting/rust, but none on the edge or spine. The hone wear ranges from mild to moderate.Most of the scales show petina on the brass, but one looks brand new. Coincidentally, it is the only one with a somewhat frowning blade. But it also is one of the 7/8, and given that I prefer 6/8, there is some room to work with when it comes to restoration.




The Goldwash left on the shank and tang is at least somewhat present on all of the razors, and ranges from this


To this



The only flaw I could find on the scales is a crack in one of them at the third (middle) pin. The seller told me about this, and was quite honest in the description. It has been repaired, amateurishly, but is reinforced and not unstable. All of the razors close nicely, but could use some tightening. As nobody has touched them for at least 20 years, this is totally understandable.


The two hones that came in the lot have no identifying markers. One is brown, and the other has two sides, a brown side and a blue side. I will try them out, they have no serious defects. I consider them a nice added bonus.

Again, I plan on having these all honed up and cleaned and turned into a 7 day set. I need to see if Thirdeye will laser engrave the spines

Ideas and comments are welcome. My SRAD is the calmest it has been in a long time, and I plan on doing this right. Eventually, these will be a gorgeous addition to my den and something to pass down for generations.

holy moly. a seven day set of ducks!

Very nice!

WOOAH share the wealth!!!

Very nice indeed!

I do, however, spot one large flaw in your plan: you're a day short for the set!

Well the special will not be part of the set, just the goldies.
The special will get love, however.

A truly wonderful set!
What an awesome score!!!!!