My first vintage razer buy

[msjones]

So I was walking around an antique shop this past weekend just to see what they have. The lady that owns it told me if I'm looking for anything special to let her know because sometimes she hides the good stuff. So just for the heck of it I asked her if she had any vintage razors. She went under the counter and pulled out a box. I guess she hides them so the kids don't play with them. There was six razors in there. After looking through them I couldn't make up my mind, so I bought them all for $30. I just cleaned them up and sanitised them. I'll post the pictures and maybe you can help give me some info on them and let me know if I did OK. I did a little searching on them but I'm not sure if I have identified them correctly. Sorry if the photos aren't the best, I have an old camera.

First razor is a Gillette ball end Tech. A couple of spots on the head but nothing major. Could this be from 1948/1950?

 

[msjones]

Second razor is an interesting open tooth. All it says on the head is "made in Germany" At first I thought someone put a different handle on it untill I found out that the handle actually telescopes. The handle has D.R.G.M. stamped on it. So maybe it is a travel razor? It seems to be in pretty good shape. I shaved with it and it is a very mild shaver for an open comb. It doesn't show in the poor photo but the cap has what looks like buff marks where someone might have tried to buff it out at one time.

 

[msjones]

Third razor is a Gillette travel Tech. It has K2 stamped on it. The case has obvious marks on it. Not sure of the best way to clean it without damaging it further. The Razor is in good condition with a couple of spots on the cap.

 

[msjones]

Fourth razor I believe is a Gillette Flare Tip TTO Super Speed. It has Z3 stamped on it. It is in really nice condition. Doors and everything works smooth. The case has an obvious crack.

 

[msjones]

Fifth razor is another Flare Tip stamped A4. It has some brass showing on both sides of the head in some spots. But overall seems pretty nice. Everything works smooth. Case is a scratched and scuffed.

 

[msjones]

Sixth razor is another TTO with a straight handle. Could this be from 1948/1950? It is in pretty nice condition and everything works smoothly.

 

[msjones]

Any help on identifying them correctly and any more info on them would be appreciated. Also let me know if I did OK on my first purchase. Thanks.

 

[Krona Kruiser]

Wow! You made a killin'! The average Tech is $5-10, Super Speeds are $5-20 (a little more with cases). You did great! The A4 Super Speed is housed in a Gillette Slim case. For dating info on the razor's check here.

 

[mmbcastle]

They all good like a good start of a collection to me.

I would consider the telescoping handle German model the cream of the crop. Pretty neat and worth more than you paid for the whole lot.

Waits says the marking is the equivalent of a US Design patent. That marking was used from 1891-1945. I would guess the razor is around the late 1920s.

 

[IronHammer]

Congrats! Nice finds. The Z3 (3rd quarter 1954) was the first year that Gillette produced the flare-tipped Super Speed. I also have a Z3. Now you got me thinking about it. I think I will use it in the morning! LOL!

 

[majorharden]

Well you certainly got your moneys worth!

1. Ball end tech - is worth about $5 - $10 good comparison razor
2. No idea about that one
3. Gillete travel tech - You will probably never use that. But sometimes in the case they are worth $30 alone.
4. 50's superspeed Flair tip Another good get, with case probably about $30
5. 50' superspeed Flair tip - I may be wrong, but that looks like a Gillette Slim case
6. Late 40''s super speed in case

Check the date codes on them and compare them to the code list on this site. Will tell you what they all are.

 

[Nate1976]

You did exceptionally well. A great start to your collection at a killer price.

 

[Sir Lurkalot]

The German one could be a Merkur. Is the head of Mercury on the bottom of the handle?

 

[ironfist]

Nice score, the superspeeds are great shavers.

 

[msjones]

The German one could be a Merkur. Is the head of Mercury on the bottom of the handle?

I'm sorry Sir Lurkalot. I'm not sure what you mean by "mercury".

 

[ironfist]

?

 

[msjones]

Ok, got it. There is an emblem stamped on the bottom of the handle that does resemble the head above. And H.W. is in the middle of the emblem. So you can't see the face because H.W. is stamped there.

 

[msjones]

They all good like a good start of a collection to me.

I would consider the telescoping handle German model the cream of the crop. Pretty neat and worth more than you paid for the whole lot.

Waits says the marking is the equivalent of a US Design patent. That marking was used from 1891-1945. I would guess the razor is around the late 1920s.

That's funny because I almost didn't buy that one. I thought it wasn't worth anything but she threw it in.

I shaved with it though, and it is a very mild razor. Is this how the old Merkurs were?

 

[msjones]

Here are some more pictures (with a better camera) for the German razor. If anyone has any info to share on this type of razor that would be great.

 

[Maxime D.]

My first vintage razor was a Super Speed 1963.