Odd blade device

[DonOhio]

Was looking at a very early Gillette and noticed something strange sticking out the sides. Unscrewed it and attached to the blade tray was a copper device, made from very thin flat strip about 1/8" wide. Apparently it was a shield to separate the blade from the blade bed, for some reason. Had writing stamped on it but can't recall now what it said. Anyone know if this was a Gillette item, or after market at the time?

 

[michiganlover]

I suspect it is a shim, added to the mix fairly recently. Older style Gillette blades were fairly thick compared to the current production DE blades, and a shim is sometimes added so that the resulting blade gap is the same as it would have been with an original blade.

 

[DonOhio]

That would explain it but this was definitely a manufactured item, not a homemade one (just to be clear).