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1959 Fatboy E3

Funny NOW
Had to tell lovely wife I was high bidder on 1959 Fatboy E3 at $112.50
Her look was priceless. Glad I ducked LOL
Lucky for me price continue to rise and I avoided the bid button
 
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My wife shares my eBay account. Today, I heard her holler from the other room, "Vintage Gillette razor auction ending soon." Uh-oh!

She also shares my Paypal account which had surprise deposit for some boots she sold today. Gotta remember not to spend that on a razor.
 
Ugh...I am sick of trying to find a decent Fat Boy on ebay, or the BST. Either too slow or they bid them way too high.




Thanks for looking out for me djh.
 
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Yeah mine are both 1959, but ones a 1st quarter, and the other is a 3rd quarter. I shaved with one yesterday, and just enjoyed how it shaved. But I have a bunch of different razors to.
 
I have one Fat Boy and yes, it is also a '59 (E1). I found it at an antique store for $20. Absolutely mint, I don't think it was ever used. It was part of an estate sale and there was another one in a case for $25 and I passed on it! (Ducking rocks!) I love the look of the Fat Boy and use it occasionally. I could probably raise some razor funds by selling it but I just have to keep all the collectible classics.

I also have a Slim that I gave $21. I can't believe the prices that the adjustables are getting these days.
 
I too purchased a mint Fatboy for $16 at a local antique shop. I couldn't help but tell the owner of my excitement over finding it! They had a few others as well. After leaving I felt I should have purchased them all, so a week later I go back to find them priced at $55... Someone did their homework and jacked up the price!
 
I have a '59 as well. I paid $100.00 on the bay. I have not found one in any antique stores in my area since I started looking. I'm still looking to get another one and I have a dealer looking for me.

They are expensive for 2 main reasons. First, they were only made for 4 years ('58 - '61) and secondly, they were heavy and give great shaves. Better than the other Gillette Adjustables. I like my Slim but it just doesn't compare to the FatBoy. I also have both models of Super Adjustables. I still love the FatBoy the best.
 
I am new to all this.
What makes these razors fetch such a high premium ?
Do they shave really well or something ?

Supply/Demand and the recent interest (that we all perpetuate) of traditional shaving. Related to supply/demand, the "Fat Boy" was only made for about 4-5 years and they didn't make many. The Slim followed and I think they produced more for longer, hence the Slims can usually be found for less money (but not mush less). Yes, they shave well but not notably better than most other great razors. The "something" is that they are very cool! To me they conjure memories of late 50's cars! See, I just added to the mystique!
 
I have a Fatboy, and it shaves well. I also have a pre-war Tech and a Canadian 1932 Tech, and they also shave well.

The benefits of a Fatboy are weight, a cool looking handle, and adjustability.

The real reason I think that prices are so high is that they are rarer and have, as mentioned above, a "mystique". That leads to higher prices compared to other choices on eBay, and I suspect that other people think that they are more valuable for other reasons ("They must be more expensive for a reason!"). Hence, they bid unusually large amounts on them.

The shave itself is not notably superior to my Techs. It is a little tricker to get under the nose, but it still shaves well there. The handle is nicely grippy, and the weight does help it shave easily.

I will say that I am glad to own one - it does look cool, and it's my only adjustable razor so having something to fiddle with is fun. But I don't think that it warrants the money that it frequently sells for during some auctions, and I suspect that a Slim or Super Adjustable would shave equally well (with subtle differences in the head shape and weight, and a different look).
 
Nick at Sportshaving had a restored Fatboy at a great price, also an E3. Nice shaver.
And the brush was from him as well.

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Yeah, I stop at everything over $ 50 bucks - some of the prices escalate over $ 100 in the last few hours....ridiculous.
 
I've only been DE shaving for 4-5 months. A month or two into it I wandered into a local antique store and asked about vintage razors. I was directed to a booth containing a somewhat foggy closed Gillette case with a razor inside - a near-mint Fatboy as it turned out. I'd done enough research at the time to know that $34 was a very good deal. Not the legendary sub-$20 killer deal, but something to jump on, for sure.

I was even more pleased when I researched the dating code information a few days after getting it home: E1, my birth year/quarter. It was fate - we were meant to find each other. :001_smile

I have razors that shave as well/better, but I can't see ever letting it go. It has a permanent spot in my rotation.
 
I've only been DE shaving for 4-5 months. A month or two into it I wandered into a local antique store and asked about vintage razors. I was directed to a booth containing a somewhat foggy closed Gillette case with a razor inside - a near-mint Fatboy as it turned out. I'd done enough research at the time to know that $34 was a very good deal. Not the legendary sub-$20 killer deal, but something to jump on, for sure.

I was even more pleased when I researched the dating code information a few days after getting it home: E1, my birth year/quarter. It was fate - we were meant to find each other. :001_smile

I have razors that shave as well/better, but I can't see ever letting it go. It has a permanent spot in my rotation.

A near-mint Fatboy in your birth year and quarter for $34?!?!?! I'd sure as heck call that a killer deal! Congratulations! Sadly, I can't think of a birth year razor that I would actually want (I don't care for the looks of the Super Adjustable, and post war Techs don't suit me nearly as much as earlier Techs).
 
I just picked up a E-4 Fatboy adjustable and a Tech with a Fatboy handle for 45 from ebay. They were not in the best condition but after a little bit of polishing it works fine.
 
Picked up an E-4 fatboy, H-2 slim adjustable and Z-1 SS in Tucson for < $10 each, got lucky at a second hand store, last week. They cleaned up really nice.
 
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