I can't believe everyone missed this.

[johnmrson]

Probably the rarest of the Gillette razors, a Vest Pocket. This is the second one I've found in the last 4 weeks. I've never seen a gold one before.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....893&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&autorefresh=true

It's in the wrong case but it's clearly a Vest Pocket. The fact that the listing says it's made in Austrla is the other huge clue as that's where the Vest Pocket was made.

 

[amishmotorboat]

I don't think that's a gillette head, and I think those vest pocket handles some of the gillette's had were identical to some of the german clones (likely even made in the same factories).

 

[johnmrson]

Do you know where the Gillette Vest Pockets were made? I've blown up the photo and I think I can just make out the word Austria on it. I know that the Gillette Vest Pocket was distributed by an Austrlan company but I don't know where they were made.
Perhaps I'm adding 2 and 2 and coming up with 5.
At worst, I've got a nice Gillette case that I don't already have.

 

[Hoos]

Check out this thread on The Shave Den.

That very clearly is a vest pocket (several posts down, photos). The one you have looks more like a Brownie case, but not the Brownie razor. Hard to tell from just one photo - it could be an ABC case, too.

 

[amishmotorboat]

Check out this thread on The Shave Den.

That very clearly is a vest pocket (several posts down, photos). The one you have looks more like a Brownie case, but not the Brownie razor. Hard to tell from just one photo - it could be an ABC case, too.

Which one are you talking about Hoos?
The one with that style handle in that thread is a Merkur.

 

[Hoos]

I was talking only about the case that says "Gillette Vest Pocket". And it looks like the Gillette trademark. Granted, it could have been someone taking advantage. There was a lot of copying of Gillette's name/products going on. Outside of France and Britain, I'm not sure there were Gillette manufacturers in Europe. (There may have been. I just don't know.)

I don't know if Gillette made any of the actual razors. I've never seen a Gillette vest pocket razor (and no such animal is mentioned in Krumholz or Waits), although I've seen people refer to the ABC sets as "vest pockets".

 

[amishmotorboat]

There are two different "vest pocket" 4 piece gillette razors. The one in that thread is the ball end version. The one john picked up recently is like the one toward the end of this thread.
http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21119&highlight=vest+pocket&page=2

 

[Hoos]

There are two different "vest pocket" 4 piece gillette razors. The one in that thread is the ball end version. The one john picked up recently is like the one toward the end of this thread.
http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21119&highlight=vest+pocket&page=2

Good catch. Thanks for sharing that. Interesting to see Achim's 1920s model, too.

Still, it looks like John's razor may be a vest pocket razor, but the case may not be - all of the vest pocket cases seem to be square. At least so far. With Gillette, I guess no one can really "know".

 

[amishmotorboat]

The head just looks all wrong to me, but then again I've been wrong before.

The handles like that show up frequently on all kinds of different travel razors.

This one is missing it's top part.

and this one looks the most like John's latest.

 

[rodd]

I saw it but thought the knurling looked off, and I don't see a gillette stamp on the head. Still a nice razor, and who knows, maybe it will be one.

 

[nortac]

My vintage German travel razor:

 

[L. Martino]

Hiya,

Here's some pics of my gold colored Gillette vest pocket. The serial # is C702827, which I believe dates from 1915. As you can see, the case says 'Germany' on the side.

Hope that helps somehow,

Martin

 

[nortac]

My case in the above post has "Germany" on the backside as well. "Enn Werk" must have made the Gillette under contract, selling these razors under both brand names.