“Bares for Rares”: Saxons invented a wet razor in the USA 150 years ago

2023-05-30 18:06:00

“Bares for Rares”
Saxony invented the wet razor in the USA – after 150 years it is appearing again in Saxony

Horst Lichter is presented with a wet razor from the 19th century at “Bares for Rares”.

© ZDF

The viewers of “Bares for Rares” got a crazy story on Tuesday: Three Saxons emigrated to the USA in the 19th century and invented a wet razor there. 150 years later, two Saxons sell it on the ZDF junk show.

Helge à Tellinghusen and his stepson Michael Sommer brought an unusual piece from Elstertrebnitz in Saxony to “Bares for Rares”. “The handle looks as if it was from a razor,” Horst Lichter puzzles, “but something else is coming in at the top.”

In fact, it is a wet razor, as Sven Deutschmanek explains. Until the middle of the 19th century, people in Europe shaved with knives. But then people started thinking about making shaving safer. There were three brothers from Saxony who thought about it. Frederick, Richard and Otto Kampfe emigrated to New York in 1870. There Frederick Kampfe invented the “Star Safety Raser” and founded a company for razors in 1875. The example here was created around 1900, the expert suspects. Kampfe’s company was the biggest competition for the Gilette company, the latter finally prevailed.

A great story at “Bares for Rares”

But overall it’s a great story: The Kampfe brothers emigrated from Saxony to the USA, from there the razor came back to Leipzig and is now on the table of the ZDF flea show. The sellers would be satisfied with 50 euros, “for the grandchildren”. Sven Deutschmanek thinks 30 to 50 euros is possible.

In the dealer’s room, Jan Čížek immediately has an idea of ​​how the object could be used: “A beautiful decoration for a barber’s shop.” Julian Schmitz-Avila, on the other hand, could imagine a hygiene museum and is offering 40 euros to start with. While the women are silent in the group, all three men actively participate in the auction. And so the price quickly climbs above the estimated value and even reaches three digits.

ZDF-Show

These are the dealers at “Bares for Rares” – bet you don’t know them all?

Schmitz-Avila finally gets the deal for 140 euros – a great deal for the sellers. “The children will be happy,” summarizes Helge à Tellinghusen with satisfaction.

Those: “Bares for Rares” in the ZDF media library

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