$32 Empire set in silver

[c0ry]

Wow!!! How did I let this one slip by? Congrats to whomever got it!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330444337092&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

 

[D.Irving79]

not a common baseplate/teeth pattern either.

 

[wimbouman]

Beauty!

 

[Defend Tacoma]

Very nice! Hopefully someone from B&B made off with it. That's a steal!

 

[ambrose]

man I wasnt looking and ive been wanting one

 

[calcustom]

Nice set!

 

[cernel_joson]

How much would this go for usually? I've only seen the ABC type razor.

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

Grr ... It figures that when I move and don't have regular internet access a great deal like this one would slip under the radar. I've already got a really nice Empire set and one with almost all of the plating gone, but I would have loved to have jumped in that auction. I hope it was someone here. If it was, congrats in advance.

How much would this go for usually? I've only seen the ABC type razor.

eBay is fickle and unpredictable. I'm shocked to see that this one went for under $100, even with the bent tooth and what appears to be a tiny bit of plate loss.

 

[Oldguy]

How much would this go for usually? I've only seen the ABC type razor.

That is an ABC razor. It's one of the earlier sets with the curved tooth base and the latched case. It's a nice set and a really low price. I saw the auction but promised myself I wouldn't buy any more ABC sets.

A decent Empire set will go over $100. You have to be lucky to get one cheaper.

Len

 

[GentsInstinct]

eBay is fickle and unpredictable. I'm shocked to see that this one went for under $100, even with the bent tooth and what appears to be a tiny bit of plate loss.

And with the missing Gillette patch in the case top.

As usual, another mis-spelled "Gilette" auction that allows for less elbows in the way.

 

[tomviolence]

It's a mis-matched ABC set, but for under $20, a pretty good deal .....

Empire Case and Shell Razor

There are hundreds of listings - but sometimes diligence pays off. I had a bid on a double ring for $9.99 until someone emailed the seller to let them know it was a rare razor and my bid was canceled and the razor relisted.

 

[kjparker]

that would be me!

 

[johnmrson]

that would be me!

Very nice pick up Keith. Excellent price.

 

[Space]

nice I picked up a similar one a little while back for around 30ish. I'll see if I can get some picks up. it cleaned up real nice with tarnex.

 

[Oldguy]

It's a mis-matched ABC set, but for under $20, a pretty good deal .....

Empire Case and Shell Razor

That's a pretty nice set at a great price. The set may or may not be mismatched. Gillette mixed and matched sets and sold them that way. Most mixed sets have the Shell razor and some have the Scroll razor which does not have a matching case.

Len

 

[amishmotorboat]

admittedly not as great a deal, and mismatched (gold razor, silver case), but I'm happy with this.

 

[Oldguy]

admittedly not as great a deal, and mismatched (gold razor, silver case), but I'm happy with this.

That's a very good score. I always read the questions to the seller and am always surprised when they ask if the handle, of an ABC razor, has a crack.

For you guys that aren't familiar with the ABC razor, the handles are solid brass.

Len

 

[kjparker]

I'm in the process of getting it shipped to me now! It'll be interesting to see when it gets here how much plte loss there actually is!

With the razor, and blade case, I'll use the baking soda and aluminium foil trick, but for the case, how would I go about that?

Another question, how do I go about finding out if the year they listed is accurate from the serial number?

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

Congrats on your score, kjparker. I actually wouldn't use the baking soda/aluminum foil trick for this razor. I think that the ornate ABC sets, like the Empire set, look best when only the intricate design is polished, but the patina is left in the recessed areas. When done in this fashion, it really allows the intricate designs to shine nicely in silver, which is then set against the nice dark patina. If you use the baking soda/aluminum foil trick, it will remove tarnish from the recessed areas, which will eliminate the possibility of setting up some sort of contrast between polish and patina. But perhaps you are okay with that. Either way, I thought I'd at least mention it. If you are going to try polishing only the intricate design, try some sort of very light silver polishing cloth (works well on the case as well). I've done that and just used very minimal pressure to get some excellent results. I took off a bit more of the tarnish than I'd like around one of the bigger areas, but it should still give a general idea.

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

And in response to your question about the date ... according to the wiki, the serial number on your razor dates it to 1909.