Hi there,

I found out ebay could be very useful! I bought this comb you can see under "Ask Longlocks" for 8 $ what seems very affording to me. Hope there will not be any virus as Rapunzel remarked  :-[
After that I found a lot of combs and pins with rhinestones which are from Bohemia where the best rhinestones come from. Just take a look...

E.

Yes, I have found all sorts of interesting things on e-bay.  Just watch out - it can be addicting!  ;)

True,I also love these vintage combs(esp.Art Deco),but I have never seen any on E-Bay Germany??(Only U.K.)
E.,the comb you bought is very pretty indeed!

I think I was very lucky because I never saw something similar on ebay. de before. But at the moment there are some rhinestone pins and tortoise shell combs.

I've bought a few combs from eBay but generally I've been unimpressed.  The problem is that if you want the *really* nice stuff you're going to pay a lot for it, because that's all the collectors bid on.  There are a couple "well-known" comb sellers (whose names I will withhold to protect the guilty) on eBay who sell a lot of combs and do not honestly represent what they are selling.  I returned a gorgeous pearl catelin comb once to a woman who sold it to me with two holes drilled into it, completely destroying its value.  She filled them with some kind of resin and resold it at auction without divulging that she had repaired it.  I hate to think what that will look like in a year or two... and it wasn't an inexpensive piece either!  I also bought a comb from a very well-known comb seller who also has a comb website.  She stated that the stones in the very expensive comb she sold me were all original.  The numerous stones that had been replaced weren't even a close match and couldn't have been mistaken for original by any stretch of the imagination.  If you can't trust the people who consider themselves true collectors, who can you trust?  I don't usually buy combs anymore unless I can hold them in my hand, and I never buy combs that need any kind of repair no matter what the price.  Try antique stores and estate sales, they are good places to find really nice pieces.  Remember, you usually get what you pay for, especially among things as collectible as Victorian combs.

What you say is dead on-it´s a matter of trust if you buy them online!I,for example,love vintage combs,but I´m no expert at all,I´d never notice all these things you mentioned! The only auctions I have ever seen here  in Germany were accompanied by very blurry pics :(so I didn´t even start bidding).That is why I would have loved to order some vintage items from LongLocks,but I´m not sure about German customs regulations:( :( :(

Hi there,

Rapunzel is totally right...I am not a serious collector but wanted the comb to wear by myself and I did not spend much money for it. How my grandma used to say- no risk no fun ;)
Anne Marie, what do you mean with "german custom regulations"? Could there be any problems caused by the age of the pieces? I am looking greedy for the Mourning Comb at Longlocks for weeks...could there be some difficulties if I decide to grab it?

E.

I don't see how there could be... we don't put the age of items on custom forms!

I didn´t know that,then there won´t be any problems.Thanks for the info! :)  So I can order the comb I have been watching for some time ;D ;D

Hi there,

I got my comb :D Only one stone is missing, no "virus" and no damage. Only a little bit dirt  :o and one small scratch at one prong.

Oh good!  Don't forget to leave it out in the open and don't use any harsh chemicals on it to clean it!

wrote on Sep 18^th, 2003 at 3:12pm:

Oh good!  Don't forget to leave it out in the open and don't use any harsh chemicals on it to clean it!

Good advice for the comb AND hair!