More ID Help, Please

[Mr. Scruffy]

I encountered a small bonanza (55) of DE's yesterday at a couple of antique malls here in Houston. Most of them I can identify but not these three.

First two were made in England. The handle on the safety bar head is made of aluminum.

 

[Carlin]

Sorry I can't help you id but...

Which antique malls did you go to? I'm new to houston and I gotta get to collecting!

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

Sorry I can't help you id but...

Which antique malls did you go to? I'm new to houston and I gotta get to collecting!

That's MY secret, buddy!

Go here http://www.antiquingtexas.com

Big fall antiques fair coming up Sep 30 to Oct 3 in Round Top (near Brenham).

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

I just realized I forgot pics of the third razor.

 

[Luc]

Old type open comb and two Tech.

 

[Oldguy]

You actually bought 55 razors the same day? Then I guess the rest of you Houston guys can forget about it.

Len

 

[tom myers]

The first razor certainly looks like a ball end Gillette Old Type, but what does it have stamped on the head. It appears to say "GT & Co." Did Gillette in England ever use that as a signature? Perhaps it is an early English clone of the Old Type. We need help from one of the Gillette gurus here. I've not seen that marking before.

The second razor is an English Gillette Tech which commonly had the aluminum handle.

The third razor is a U. S. made ball end Gillette Tech.

Regards,
Tom

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

You actually bought 55 razors the same day? Then I guess the rest of you Houston guys can forget about it.

Len

It's true. I visited two antique malls on Sunday with SWMBO, bought 4 razors at the first one and at the second mall one of the vendors had an old box full of DE's. We spent a few minutes counting the razors (51) and checking to make sure they still worked. He quickly realized that I was a few cards short of a full deck when I offered to buy the whole box and agreed to my offer without haggling. BTW, his name was Len, too.

We each went home to our SWMBO's telling tall tales of our victorious day at the antique mall.

I will say one thing though, trying to clean 55 razors in a single day will certainly temper if not cure someone's RAD.

My fingers are still pruny from borax/salt baths and scrubbing bubbles. I still need to polish them.

In talking to the antiques vendors one thing became painfully clear. They all mentioned that the supply of DE's and straights appeared to have been drying up over the last year. Uh-oh.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

The first razor certainly looks like a ball end Gillette Old Type, but what does it have stamped on the head. It appears to say "GT & Co." Did Gillette in England ever use that as a signature? Perhaps it is an early English clone of the Old Type. We need help from one of the Gillette gurus here. I've not seen that marking before.

The second razor is an English Gillette Tech which commonly had the aluminum handle.

The third razor is a U. S. made ball end Gillette Tech.

Regards,
Tom

It says "G.I. & Co.". Thanks for the ID on the other two.

 

[Oldguy]

Wow. What a haul. You know you don't have to clean them all in one day. Leave some for tomorrow.

The other razor you have could very well be made as an advertising give away by the company whose name is stamped in. Gillette did quite a bit of that type of thing. Most of those still available are from the really big brands like Ivory Soap but they did small companies we never hear of as well.

Len

 

[T Rick]

In talking to the antiques vendors one thing became painfully clear. They all mentioned that the supply of DE's and straights appeared to have been drying up over the last year. Uh-oh.

The shavepocalypse is near! Heheh....

Great haul, I wonder what jewels you've yet to discover in the lot.

 

[AsylumGuido]

In talking to the antiques vendors one thing became painfully clear. They all mentioned that the supply of DE's and straights appeared to have been drying up over the last year. Uh-oh.

I have been trying to point this fact out for months. You can probably go back to those same malls every day for the next two years and not see another razor. Most razors in antique stores or malls have been in the hands of the dealer for many years. I has only been in the last two years that the demand has been there for them. I used to find a dozen razors a week. Now, I find one razor every dozen weeks. Finds like Scuffy's are extremely, extremely rare anymore.

 

[tom myers]

Guido, if you are still looking in on this one . . . What say you about that first picture with the "G.I. & Co." stamped on the base plate?

Regards,
Tom

 

[AsylumGuido]

Guido, if you are still looking in on this one . . . What say you about that first picture with the "G.I. & Co." stamped on the base plate?

Regards,
Tom

I haven't found any reference to "G.I. & Co.", Tom. But, the initialing is consistent with metal working firms of the early to mid 20th century. That's the direction I was thinking of going next.

 

[tom myers]

If you look closely at the teeth on the comb, you will see some inconsistancies in the width and depth of the teeth. This doesn't look like anything that Gillette would produce.

I just found, in the Wates Compendium, a reference to "G.I. & Co". It simply says, "England, Copy of Gillette Brownie".

Regards,
Tom