De-Lurking and Asking for Help.

[Bereheath]

Hello everyone! As you can see, I'm female, yet I still collect razors

I'm apparently not among the majority, I don't go for the most immaculate items. I buy razors which look old to me, seem to come from certain eras and areas, were used much and emanate this special... something. It's not a fetish, I have reasons for buying them (those of you who want to know I will readily tell in a PM, I just don't want it plastered across the searchable WWW), but what I currently need is to date them all as exactly as possible. I already think I put dates on a few of them, but one can never be sure, I'm not that much of an expert.


So I wonder whether this would be the place to post photos of the razors and hope for someone to know when from they are?

 

[AACJ]

Welcome to B&B.

For starters, you could go to our shavewiki and see the Safety Razor Database...it is here: http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Safety_razors

You could also go to the DE razors topic, and check out the Interactive DE guide. It is located at: http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/80547-Safety-Razor-Stickys-VIEW-ALL-HERE!

 

[Bereheath]

Heh - thank you! Yes, I have been perusing the wiki already for months! It's quite marvelous and a great help!

 

[Cannata]

Welcome to B&B.

Steve

 

[AACJ]

Moved to the Double Edge Razors topic, where you can also post pics asking about them. Provided they are DE razors, for other types of razors, you can post pics in that respective topic.

 

[Bereheath]

Thank you! I will try to take good photos to post later today Yes, most of them are DE, but there also are two EverReadys.

Hi Steve!

 

[dcobranchi]

Thank you! I will try to take good photos to post later today Yes, most of them are DE, but there also are two EverReadys.

Hi Steve!

For the ERs, you'll probably get a more accurate date estimate on the Single Edge razors sub-forum. There are a couple of guys who hang out there who are just ridiculously​ knowledgeable.

And we always welcome SE razor porn.

 

[chilliman64]

hi B and welcome! I wish my wife was more interested in this hobby of mine.

 

[Bereheath]

This is a Pocket Edition I believe to be dating to around 1910? Bought in England. (Please excuse the awful photos, new camera!)

 

[Bereheath]

Everything inside the box:




On the back it reads Pocket Edition King Gillette. The serial number is hard to read, but I believe it is something like B 821781 or B 821731.

Everything is used, but looks much cared for, none of the teeth are bent, though both box and blade-box are dented and scratched. It's rather heavy when you hold it and still smells of shaving soap!

 

[Graybeard57]

Welcome! Have you looked here?

http://mr-razor.com/index.html

Extraordinary collection of photos.

 

[BBrad]

That would be a flower-pattern ABC Pocket Edition razor. American Button Company, of Newark, NJ, was contracted by Gillette to manufacture a series of "fancy" razors in six different design patterns. They are considered by many to be the most beautiful razors ever produced. The serial number dates it to 1911 production. They were produced in both gold and silver plate as well as gunmetal finish. In its day, it probably was not a common-man's razor, as it retailed for $6.50 in gold or gunmetal finish, and $5.50 in silver.

 

[Bereheath]

Heh, it certainly is beautiful! I fell in love with that one, and yes that is around the age I figured it would be (1910-1911). Now let's try to get the next photographed.

 

[Bereheath]

So here is the next one. It does have a differently punched serial number in a way, I'm hoping someone has come across such smallish numbers before! The numbers are M 995544, which would date it to 1920?

It also is a Pocket Edition, goldplated brass by the looks of it, this time I believe a Gillette edition, made in the USA. It is way more worn than the older one, with a slightly bent tooth (which doesn't harm its shaving capacity - I tried), it's quite a bit dented and scratched and I think at one time some young child or boy owned it and played with it. Again the razor seems to be well-used and it also still smells of a very delicious soap and was bought in the UK.

 

[mistercitizen]

Welcome to B&B!! You have some nice old ones there. I have an ABC Pocket Edition from 1913 similar to the two you just posted photos of. We love photos!! Post away.

Ben

 

[Bereheath]

So here is the third one I am fairly sure of the date. It's a US Army Khaki Set that was left in France during the Great War and I bought it from France. It's quite battered and soiled, two of the teeth are bent (yet you can shave alright with it), the blade holder and mirror are gone. The serial number reads F 102623, which I believe makes it an early 1918 one. It may still have been used during the war. There's a stencilling around the lower base of the handle above the ball: Pat Nov 1504 (maybe, it's hard to read) and the comb has the diamond and "made in the USA" on its inner side.

 

[Toothpick]

sure are some purrty razors! Those old open comb razors look mean. but a good mean.

 

[BBrad]

For #2, yes, it is a 1920 Pocket Edition, with the basket weave case. These Pocket Edition razors were actually manufactured by Gillette, and not by ABC. This same razor, beginning in late 1921, was produced without serial numbers and was known as the Old Type. They were sometimes sold in a brown case and known as the "Brownie" razor. It was not uncommon for teeth to get bent if a gentleman accidentally dropped his razor into the sink during shaving.

For razor #3, Gillette ramped up production greatly to meet government contract demand during the war. According to Gillette, contract production in 1918 exceeded 3.5 million razors. The need for soldiers in combat to shave daily was brought about by the chemical warfare that was employed in that war and the need for a tight seal around the edge of a soldier's gas mask. Prior to that time, most men (in America, anyway) did not shave every day, and most were still using straight razors or were shaved by barbers. Veterans of The Great War came home with their Gillette razors in hand, and a daily shaving habit that continued for generations.

The patent date reads Nov 4, 1904. (Big day in Gillette history!)

 

[Bereheath]

@BBrad

Oh yes! The gas warfare of the Great War is indeed responsible for today's clean-shaven men. Right into the middle of it British soldiers were officially ruled to have to have a mustache (not shave their upper lips), though of course no one obeyed once it got clear it might mean death or invalidity. I am very intrigued with this razor, as quite clearly it was left for some reason in France.Who knows? Maybe the former owner was killed, and the razor was found, or he was wounded and it had to be left behind. Maybe he gave it to a French soldier or landsman. I wished they recorded who got which, I'd really love to trace that one. As it is I think it's a good thing it wasn't thrown away and ended up where it serves a purpose.

@ Toothpick

Oh yes, all of them are so pretty when compared to modern throwaway stuff. Most of my family thinks I am a complete nutcase for buying and collecting these razors, but I gave my younger brother a very old EverReady for his B-day and a Flying Eagle from the 1960s in an absolutely phantastic box for xmas. He has since shaved with both of them (and massacred his face I am told but he says he is learning) and I think I sort of infected him with that virus.

 

[Bereheath]

Okay, after looking at the various advertisements on the site I was pointed at, particularly this:

http://www.mr-razor.com/Werbung/C 1909 Pocket Edition No501.jpg

versus this

http://www.mr-razor.com/Werbung/C 1911 ABC.jpg

I wonder whether they changed closing mechanisms between 1910 and 1911. Because the ABC PE above, which I thought read B 821781 might then most likely read B 321781 instead and be an earlier version which still had the older mechanism of a latch falling over a knob.

It is also quite interesting that the "unknown" DE razor in my other thread ( http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showth...am-unsure-about-and-need-help-with-the-dating ) has the exact same mechanism and general proportions.

Any ideas? Did Gillette change mechanisms? Or were ABC using up older cases?