Collecting Antique Hair Combs

As most people do to some extent, I have always collected things. As a kid, I collected coins, stamps, and a whole squadron of various model airplanes that I built. As an adult, I have collected things related to the automobilia of the British cars I own and other cars I like. I have collected books and tools related to the avocations I have pursued. I still have a collection of hair care and styling related books and articles. But, I must say that, LHL.com has provided much inspiration for some of the things that interest me and now collect, things mostly all related to long hair, which includes; vintage post cards, antique cabinet card images of long haired women, post cards of women with interesting updos from the Victorian era, antique advertisements promoting products for long hair, and a whole slew of new books and videos related to long hair care and styling. But, the one area of LHL that has lead to a whole new pursuit is the Hair Comb Page. It was during one of my early visits to the, at the time, new website, I saw that webmaster Jennifer proudly displayed her varied collection of lovely antique hair combs and hair ornaments. I became very interested in these decorative hair combs for a couple reasons. First of all, I could not believe how lovely those objects were. I have a background in art-jewelry and metal smithing and therefore, appreciated the combs for their inherent aesthetic qualities, for the varied materials and techniques used to produce them, and for the fine craftsmanship that was apparent in the finished combs. Many combs I have seen in books and some in person are quite literally, “works of art”, museum quality pieces that have been produced in the last 3000 years, dating back to the Etruscan, Greek and Scythian civilizations. But, even though most combs we now find are not of this museum quality level, all have aspects of beautiful artistic form and function. Most of the antique combs that have survived were made during the last 200 years.

The other reason these combs interested me was of their supposed function. They were made as fashion accessories, made to adorn hairstyles that was usually dressed from long hair. These hairstyles were sometimes quite simple for everyday wear, but many times were very elaborate creations worn for very sophisticated special social functions that just might have included heads of state, including royalty. From simple two-pronged hairpins to huge mantilla backcombs, these combs were highly prized for their functionality of helping to hold a hairstyle together and to accent and emphasize special hair creations that were fit for a debutante or queen. After seeing Jennifer’s lovely combs, it was not long before I started to look for decorative hair combs at flea markets and antique stores. I also searched internet auction sites for possibilities. Of course, at that time, I didn’t have any idea of what these items were worth, what to expect to pay for something, how to determine the age of a comb, what they were made of, or even how they were produced. I purchased some research books which helped educate me to some extent, but I made some early comb purchases that I would not now make. Fortunately, I don’t think I have ever really “been taken” on a purchase even though I still consider myself a neophyte at comb collecting. It always seems that I get interested in collecting something after half the world has already been doing it for many years (“Oh, they used to be sooooo inexpensive.” “Yeah, right! Thanks, a lot!”) Early in this new hobby, I did have the good fortune to stumble upon a wonderful comb collection (of approximately 22 pieces) that was on consignment sale at an antiques store in my area. I initially purchased three combs that I liked best and came home to email Jennifer to relate the good news of the combs I found and of the neat ones I had to leave behind at the store. She said, if all possible, I should try to buy the carved ivory comb and the tortoise shell comb (which was later determined to be made of horn).

It was back to the antiques store the next day to buy these much more expensive combs. I was afraid that someone else might beat me to them and I would lose the chance to acquire these special artifacts. I think I now have fourteen combs from that collection, some that I consider very special. Whenever possible, I do try to buy hair combs that are different from what I already have, but beautiful combs are hard to resist even if I have one that may be somewhat similar. I have purchased quite a few combs on ebay, but only approximately half of those would have been purchased if I had the chance to hold them in my hand and inspect them. Some of them are very nice though, including a few that I really like. One of my favorites is a Renaissance style design made of French Ivory, which is an ivory colored celluloid that simulates real ivory and looks very nice in all colors of hair.

I have found some combs for reasonable prices on ebay, but the problem with online auctions is that you are basically bidding against the people of the world who share a similar interest. It is really rare to get a very unusual or special comb for a good price. It does happen, but the very best are recognized as such and go to the person who absolutely just cannot resist that certain comb or to someone who doesn’t care what they have to pay to be able to get something unique. I guess that is the way it should be. Many of those special combs are usually bid higher than the budgetary limits I have set on myself and therefore go to other collections. We are all trying to build interesting and varied collections from what is probably a somewhat limited worldwide supply of combs, especially very unique ones. Fortunately, as collectors, we all have different tastes and some of the ones I have thought were quite neat, someone else may have thought they held only average appeal. But, even I have passed on combs that I thought would do little to enhance my collection. I am not into buying every one I see just to build a collection of large numbers of combs. I am glad when I do find something that appeals to me and is affordable to purchase.

The one good thing about online auctions is that we do have a chance to see and possibly own items we would never find in our normal travels. One of the unexpected joys of this new pursuit was finding and joining the Antique Comb Collectors Club International (ACCCI). Jennifer had a link to the club and I joined a few months after she did. I think it always helpful to find other people who share something in common, especially when one has just started a new area of interest. It was the same when I first joined my car club twenty-one years ago. For the most part, these people are so willing to share information and knowledge that it makes it much more enjoyable to have this interest. I went to the ACCCI biennial convention, held last April in Michigan. I made quite a few new friends who are very enthusiastic comb collectors, many who have had this passion for most of their adult lives. They are a super group of people. It was a very fun weekend filled with valuable information about combs, materials, related subject matter, plus the great camaraderie enjoyed by all. I even took a second place award with my small display of hair combs and four mannequin heads with long hairstyles incorporating combs as decoration. Especially after that convention, I know that comb collecting will be something I will enjoy pursuing the rest of my life.

While at the convention, I was not prepared to see so many combs for sale, thinking that once someone acquires a comb, they would not want to part with it. Many neat combs were for sale and some, at unbelievably inexpensive prices. I succumbed to internal pressure and increased the size of my small collection by one-third. Thank you to those members willing to part with pieces from their collections. Three other combs of note were purchased. A woman who was attending from Texas had spent quite a few years in Indonesia with her family on her husband’s business. She gave a very informative presentation about the areas and islands where they had lived, about the people there, their customs, and way of life. Many of these people had become her personal friends. She brought some very beautiful large tortoise shell, horn, and wood combs along with lovely hand woven fiber garments to sell at the convention. She was acting as a selling agent for the native people on the islands of Sumba and Bali, Indonesia. Many of these people are now having to sell family heirlooms to be able to subsist economically, times are that difficult there. For them, this is a saddening experience. All the money from sales go directly back to the families who owned the combs or made the ikat woven fiber pieces. The combs I purchased from her were quite expensive, but I was told that, in the future, many of these articles may not be able to be brought out of Indonesia to be sold . I bought a large, very beautiful, very ornately pierced animal motif ceremonial tortoise shell comb, a small buffalo horn comb, and also a tall antique carved wood comb with different designs on each side. I feel very fortunate to be able to have these highly prized objects in my growing comb collection.

People who collect artifacts, objects, and other things all dream of collecting “banner days” where they may find something always desired or find special objects in numbers not to be believed. It can be very exciting to find a rare coin or stamp, an antique tin toy, a limited edition car model, a beautiful beaded purse like one seen in a book, or even a rare “Beanie Baby” that was only released in a foreign country. During my brief time collecting antique hair combs I have had two or three such “banner days” . The first was when I found the comb collection for sale at the antiques store. I only now realize how unique it was to find such a varied number of special combs at reasonable prices. It turned out to be a fantastic start for this new interest. I also found many neat combs at the convention last spring, especially the ones from Indonesia. That will always be a favorite memory, but I think the most exciting “comb day” I have had was this past summer at an antiques market in my area. I had never been to this high quality monthly show, so I didn’t know what to expect. I found and purchased a nice simply styled comb at the third booth I visited, not realizing that I would keep finding many more combs all day long, more than twenty-five in total. I had to make tough decisions on which ones to buy that day and those to leave for another time. I knew I could not buy them all and still afford to eat for the next month. At one booth, I complimented the exhibitor on his celluloid jewelry items saying too bad he didn’t have any hair combs, as that is what I was interested in. He turned around to a case behind him and removed a cover that was partially blocking the view. Revealed were four lovely brownish color combs of intricate design, one quite large, all very interesting. I asked if I could see them. He indicated that they were made of rare tortoise shell and related the story of how he acquired them, coming from an estate of a southern family. I know that I looked at them carefully, but am sure my eyes were bulging out of my head. I did not own any combs made of tortoise shell and had only seen ones in other collections comparable to the uniqueness of these. Two of the four had some damage, broken tines, but the largest showed major damage which had been quite nicely repaired. It is not totally uncommon for combs of this material and age, possibly being 100-200 years old, to have some damage. Even in the time when these combs were produced, they were probably expensive and therefore quite highly treasured. If one became broken, it was repaired if possible, to be worn again at some future special event.

I added the total of the attached price tags and knew I could not afford to buy them all when the dealer offered a price for all four, a total price which was not much more than the amount written on the tag of the largest one. Even if they were not tortoise shell, and instead possibly celluloid, it was still a good price. I consulted with my friend (a non-comb collector) who was with me and soon after, a check was written to close the deal with me walking away grinning from ear to ear. Later in the afternoon, I also found a nice tortoise shell hair pin, totaling five combs of this special material in one day! Unbelievable! A friend from the comb club varified the fact via scanned images that she was sure these combs were indeed tortoise shell. One other comb of note was found and purchased that Sunday. During the comb convention last April, we were privileged to hear a very informative presentation on early rubber processes from the 1800’s that evolved into many kinds of objects being made of hard rubber. From this new material and process, relatively inexpensive hair combs were also produced. One of the members had an antique hair comb that was identified as made from this material. Even today, a person may still find modern utilitarian combs made of “Hard India Rubber”. At one booth, several very nice combs were displayed. One rather simplistically designed comb of a mousey-brown color stood out in stark contrast to the lovely celluloid with rhinestone combs that surrounded it. I asked to see it. The tag on the back said it was made of “horn”, but horn is usually translucent to transparent amber to light brown in color. This comb was not made from horn and the “maker’s mark” on the back confirmed my suspicion that this was a hard rubber comb. Beside the stamped company name that produced it, were the words “GOODYEAR” Patent 1849-51, (as in, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.) I informed the seller that this comb was not made from “horn”, and asked her how much she would take for it, all the while trying to withhold any enthusiasm. She reduced the price by $30, putting it in my price range. SOLD! The total number of combs purchased that day was twelve. Quite a haul! About half of that number were in the $5-10 price area, but I still spent way beyond my budget limits. I tend to have periods of buying combs and then longer periods of not buying anything, of which the latter, is the mode I now somewhat find myself in.

Although, just last week I bid on four nice combs that were offered on ebay, but I did not win the bid on any of them. Each of them would have been good additions to my collection, but I try to not get into the crazy bidding wars that can easily happen there. Online commerce is sure easy though, almost too easy. You sit at home, punch a few buttons, make a few clicks and something that is interesting, or needed, or useful usually arrives at your door less than a week later. I actually rather like the idea of going out to some location, searching for something of interest amoungst hundreds or thousands of other things and that tend to evoke memories of objects from my childhood. If something of interest or desire is found in that setting, to me it is a more enriching experience. It is as if that comb or special object was waiting just for me to find it. I don’t know if I will ever again have a time where I find a lot of interesting hair combs in one day, but I know that if I do find one or many, I will enjoy them for the beautiful objects that they are and for what they can do to enhance a lovely hair style that I will create to show them off. The quest goes on. To borrow a phrase from a friend, “Got Combs”?