Gillette Milady

[Robust2]

Hi all,

Apparently there was some sort of garage sale in my village this morning I knew nothing about (otherwise I would've gone razor hunting myself), but luckily my dad went there! He knows I'm always interested in DE razors and usually keeps an eye out for me.
When he came home, he showed me a gold plated Gillette travel razor he bought for me for 4$, which appears to be a Gillette Milady after a quick google search! Serial nr. dates it 1916, so it's in very nice condition to be almost 100 years old! Plating is perfectly intact, but it does have 2 small hailine cracks in the handle. This is probably worth a bit more than the 4$ I paid, any ideas what this might be worth?
Here are some pictures of the razor + box:

Now, after cleaning it up, I loaded it up with a Crystal Platinum blade, and took it for a shave. Even though I got a almost BBS, it felt quite...weird. This razor definitely feels way different than my Slim or Tech, feels more aggressive. In the next picture you can see the blade sticks out of the head quite a lot, is this normal, or could this be why this feels so different? Or is this just the way comb razors feel compared to safety bars?

 

[johnmrson]

Wow, very nice pick up. If I'm not mistaken, that's the first Milady Decollete that Gillette made in 1915(ish).

 

[thirdeye]

Wow, very nice pick up. If I'm not mistaken, that's the first Milady Decollete that Gillette made in 1915(ish).

You are correct and sir that is a mighty fine score indeed. Worth much more than the 4.00 you spent to get it in hand. They came with a very mice Pink Satin lined French Ivory case.

 

[SeaBee]

Lucky man for $4 I cant even get myself a happy meal for that

 

[Robust2]

Yeah, it came without the case sadly. So I should thank my dad again for picking this up for me

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

Definitely thank him! Nice find! And the cracks shouldn't be anything to worry about. As long as everything is still secure, then it shouldn't cause any issues. The cracks are actually a very common 'feature' of razors manufactured in this style.

 

[Pike]

Very nice! I'll be the first to say it...I will gladly double your money!!!

 

[Oldguy]

That's a great find. It's the razor that King Gillette introduced in 1915 in the hope of getting the ladies to remove unwanted hair. It was accompanied by a very large ad campaign and is acknowledged to be the prime reason the ladies have smooth under arms today.

Oh I forgot. My set with case cost me $30 many months ago. But your razor looks to be in a bit better shape then mine.

Len

 

[Greyfox]

A very nice score!

 

[Oldguy]

Hi all,

Apparently there was some sort of garage sale in my village this morning I knew nothing about (otherwise I would've gone razor hunting myself), but luckily my dad went there! He knows I'm always interested in DE razors and usually keeps an eye out for me. .............. cut.

Evidently your village is quite progressive and was so as well in 1916. While it took awhile for the ladies to start using razors in the US, it was many years later that the practice caught on in Europe. That makes the find even more extraordinary.

Len

 

[ctakim]

Nice Bruno! Hey, I was in Bruges today and had to take the train through Ghent! I didn't know that there were razors at this price in Belgium!!!

 

[Robust2]

@ctakim: Hope you enjoyed your stay! Are you here for your work, or just on a holiday?

@Other milady owners: Any comments on how this shaves? Is it normal that it feels different than my tech & slim?

@All the rest: thanks for the comments

 

[ctakim]

I'm here on work but it has turned into a much longer stay as everyone well knows. Still it is a beautiful country!