Gillette Old Type - Aleppo Temple Edition: Rare or Bogus?

[thekinge]

Hi All,

Just won an auction on the bay for an Old type Gillette set with the case printed with "Aleppo Temple Boston August 1924" and the Aleppo shrine logo. The razor is the old type with ball end handle but the reason I bid and won the auction is due to the co-branding on the razor. I have seen the "Ararat Temple" version in mr-razor's site but not the Aleppo temple version. I have searched for Aleppo temple here in B&B but could not find any mention of this razor. However, I checked the Aleppo temple website and the logo in the is correctly matched with the Aleppo shrine logo.

So the question to you folks: is this a rare edition of the Gillette old type, has it been already covered in B&B before, or is it completely bogus?

Pictures off the ebay auction below:

 

[bakerbarber]

Gillette made custom sets.

They were probably given out to members.

Other organizations had custom work done for advertising.

I don't think it's bogus.

 

[larzone]

I think your set is bogus so give it up to me!!
Dont think its bogus, looks great and congratulations!

 

[thekinge]

Gillette made custom sets.

They were probably given out to members.

Other organizations had custom work done for advertising.

I don't think it's bogus.

I think your set is bogus so give it up to me!!
Dont think its bogus, looks great and congratulations!

Thank you bakerbarber & larzone. So it's not bogus then. But the other question remains - does any other B&B member have the same set? How rare is this Aleppo temple edition?

 

[alex2363]

Gillette made custom sets.

They were probably given out to members.

Other organizations had custom work done for advertising.

I don't think it's bogus.

This^^^^^^^

 

[thekinge]

This^^^^^^^

Thanks Alex. Has this set been covered in B&B before? Or is mine the first known set?

 

[alex2363]

Thanks Alex. Has this set been covered in B&B before? Or is mine the first known set?

I never read about it King.

 

[thekinge]

I never read about it King.

Yay! That (almost) makes mine the first Aleppo Temple set in B&B

 

[mr-razor]

that´s a great find! I´ve never seen this set before. It´s interesting: your set is from 1924, the same year like the Ararat Temple set:

 

[Krona Kruiser]

That is pretty cool!

 

[thekinge]

that´s a great find! I´ve never seen this set before. It´s interesting: your set is from 1924, the same year like the Ararat Temple set:

Achim, great to get a confirmation that mine is the first known Aleppo temple set! Indeed my set is from 1924 and the abbreviation "A.A.O.N.M.S" is also common to both the Ararat & Aleppo temple sets. I just looked up Shriner's website and it means "Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". It's an interesting coincidence that both the sets should be issued in 1924 to two different temples that are under the same order "A.A.O.N.M.S". Could it be that the order of the shrine themselves worked with Gillette directly and issued the Gillette sets to various temples in the order? If we find another set for a different temple, then we will know!

 

[thekinge]

That is pretty cool!

Thank you Krona Kruiser! It's great to get confirmation that it is a one of a kind set! Now I feel like saying "My precious, my precious"

 

[alex2363]

Achim, great to get a confirmation that mine is the first known Aleppo temple set! Indeed my set is from 1924 and the abbreviation "A.A.O.N.M.S" is also common to both the Ararat & Aleppo temple sets. I just looked up Shriner's website and it means "Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". It's an interesting coincidence that both the sets should be issued in 1924 to two different temples that are under the same order "A.A.O.N.M.S". Could it be that the order of the shrine themselves worked with Gillette directly and issued the Gillette sets to various temples in the order? If we find another set for a different temple, then we will know!

What do you mean worked with Gillette directly? Do u mean in case design? Distribution?

 

[thekinge]

What do you mean worked with Gillette directly? Do u mean in case design? Distribution?

Alex, it is just my theory but yes, the idea is that the order (AAONMS) may have worked with Gillette in designing & distributing the razor sets to various temples in the order. Again it is only a theory and may or may not be correct!

 

[MacDaddy]

Alex, it is just my theory but yes, the idea is that the order (AAONMS) may have worked with Gillette in designing & distributing the razor sets to various temples in the order. Again it is only a theory and may or may not be correct!

I doubt it was much more than a usual business relationship. Gillette offered customization services to companies looking for giveaways or groups like this willing to purchase in bulk to give to their membership. You'll find sets like these made for banks, newspapers, hotels, car and automotive parts companies, etc. There would almost certainly have been Gillette salesmen who were members of various organizations like the Shriners, so it's no surprise that these kinds of sets would turn up.

 

[Ton Eighty]

...and it means "Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine". It's an interesting coincidence that both the sets should be issued in 1924 to two different temples that are under the same order "A.A.O.N.M.S".

All Shrine Temples, like mine here in Kentucky the Kosair Shrine Temple, are all A.A.O.N.M.S. They are all linked together as a part of the same organization, with each temple being named for a place in the Middle East. In Louisville, KY we are on the banks of the Ohio River so the city of Kosair, also a riverport, was chosen as its namesake.

My guess is one temple had them done and another temple got wind of it and called Gillette and said, "Hey, you know those razor sets you made for Bobby? Howsabout we get us a few dozen?"

That's usually how this stuff works.

Plus, we get wicked cool fezzes.

 

[alex2363]

I doubt it was much more than a usual business relationship. Gillette offered customization services to companies looking for giveaways or groups like this willing to purchase in bulk to give to their membership. You'll find sets like these made for banks, newspapers, hotels, car and automotive parts companies, etc. There would almost certainly have been Gillette salesmen who were members of various organizations like the Shriners, so it's no surprise that these kinds of sets would turn up.

Thank u Porter, I am sure that Gillette would find a way to sell their razors even to religious organizations.....they probably can sell ice to Eskimos

 

[thekinge]

I doubt it was much more than a usual business relationship. Gillette offered customization services to companies looking for giveaways or groups like this willing to purchase in bulk to give to their membership. You'll find sets like these made for banks, newspapers, hotels, car and automotive parts companies, etc. There would almost certainly have been Gillette salesmen who were members of various organizations like the Shriners, so it's no surprise that these kinds of sets would turn up.

Thanks Porter. I certainly did not think that this was unusual, given that there is Achim's Ararat temple set and a hotel set that another member had posted a while ago. My only question / theory was if the temple editions were done by individual temples or by A.A.O.N.M.S and then distributed to each temple.

All Shrine Temples, like mine here in Kentucky the Kosair Shrine Temple, are all A.A.O.N.M.S. They are all linked together as a part of the same organization, with each temple being named for a place in the Middle East. In Louisville, KY we are on the banks of the Ohio River so the city of Kosair, also a riverport, was chosen as its namesake.

My guess is one temple had them done and another temple got wind of it and called Gillette and said, "Hey, you know those razor sets you made for Bobby? Howsabout we get us a few dozen?"

That's usually how this stuff works.

Plus, we get wicked cool fezzes.

Thanks for the insights on shriners! +1 to the fezzes! Before bidding on this razor set, I checked the Aleppo shrine website to compare the logo, history et al and the section with high members of the Aleppo temple had them wearing really cool burgundy colored fezzes!

Thank u Porter, I am sure that Gillette would find a way to sell their razors even to religious organizations.....they probably can sell ice to Eskimos

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

It's just a guess of mine, so don't put a lot of stock into it, but I suspect these two sets were done as different offerings/orders. The reason I say that is that mr-razors has the temple also inside the lid, and the other only has it on the outside of the lid.

 

[thekinge]

It's just a guess of mine, so don't put a lot of stock I to it, but I suspect these two sets were done as different offerings/orders. The reason I say that is that mr-razors has the temple also inside the lid, and the other only has it on the outside of the lid.

That's a very good observation William! I guess we will leave it at that, but I still feel like saying "my precious, my precious" since this is the first of it's kind set that's been covered in B&B