Help ID'ing my grandfathers old Gillette
- Thread starter Backwoods
- Start date
That is a Bar Handle New. It would have originally been gold. They are a great mild shaver. Congrats on using and finding Grandads razor. This would be circa 1930s
Yup, this is a long-comb Gillette NEW. As best as I can make out there, it looks like one of the heads that we think were from early in the run, that only had the Gillette diamond and "Made in U.S.A." stamped on the bottom. If we're right about that then this one would have most likely been from sometime in the very early '30s -- possibly late '29 to mid to late '32 as a rough ballpark.
As noted that's a NEW from the 30's though to be totally accurate it would have had a gold wash over a nickle plating protected with a lacquer finish.
I've got several in both long and short comb and from minty fresh to nickle to base metal and they are all great shavers.
I've seen those re-plated with all sorts of finishes and they look great but that base metal with a good cleaning and polish looks awfully darned spiffy as well.
I've got several in both long and short comb and from minty fresh to nickle to base metal and they are all great shavers.
I've seen those re-plated with all sorts of finishes and they look great but that base metal with a good cleaning and polish looks awfully darned spiffy as well.
Congratulations on having your grandfather's razor.
I am looking forward to the pics after you clean it up...
...And, start shaving with it. 
I Love mine, Wonderful razor.
I am looking forward to the pics after you clean it up...
...And, start shaving with it. I Love mine, Wonderful razor.
Never seen traces of nickel under the gold wash on the old NEW razors, I thought that started much later on the one-piece razors, but I could be wrong.
Congrats on finding a piece of your family's history!
Agreed.
I have several that were gold plated directly over brass handles, and a copper blade cap.
I'm going by my wife's grandfather's thin bar handle,short comb NEW that is all nickle with some of the gold in the knurling and a little speck on the cap,drove me nuts trying to ID it.
The nickle under plate might be unique to the thin bar NEWs as now that you mention it I've only encountered the nickle on SWMBO's grandpap's razor and another thin bar NEW I got off the 'Bay for my travel kit.
