Spotted in an antique store --

[Benzadmiral]

Saturday I was up in Ponchatoula, LA, the home of the Strawberry Festival. (I never go to it; they hold it in hot weather, when all sensible creatures are huddling around their air conditioners.) In one antique store I spotted what was labeled as a Gem Micromatic vintage razor for $7, and a "vintage that looked a lot like a basic Van Der Hagen Walmart razor, also for $7.

In another store I spotted 2 black-handled Gillette Adjustables, one in a dusty-looking plastic case and one without. The "without" was tagged at $6.50, and I was tempted, but I already have a Slim, and I wanted to see what else might be out there.

In a third store, I ran across an interesting find: A leather, velvet-lined case proclaiming it a Gillette "New Improved." The razor looked like the Old Types I've seen here, with the twin chrome bullets projected down through the baseplate. This one came complete with a chrome blade bank. It was labeled "1930s," and the price was $65. Now I have no idea if that is a reasonable price for a complete kit of such a razor. Any ideas?

Weird . . . I never considered looking for razors in the cases at antique stores before I came to B & B.

 

[romsitsa]

Hello,

did the razor look like these (fat handle, thick head):
mr-razor New Improved
If not, it’s an old type in a New improved case.

Are you sure the script was New Improved and not New Standard, this sounds strange (to me at least)? And it was chrome? The razor should be silver or gold, as far as I know.

Adam

 

[BBS-1]

At $6.50 I wouldn't have been able to get out of there fast enough after buying that black handle adjustable assuming the adjustment worked. Same with the one with the case. If they had the gold heads then even more so. Those 2 on the resale would most likely netted you enough to buy the other one you asked about from the ebay markup prices.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Hello,

did the razor look like these (fat handle, thick head):
mr-razor New Improved
If not, it’s an old type in a New improved case.

Are you sure the script was New Improved and not New Standard, this sounds strange (to me at least)? And it was chrome? The razor should be silver or gold, as far as I know.

Adam

Yes, it could very well have been New Standard; the light was not too good. The razor looked silvery, but the blade case looked much shinier than that. The setup was like your pic of the New Standard in silver.

 

[Benzadmiral]

At $6.50 I wouldn't have been able to get out of there fast enough after buying that black handle adjustable assuming the adjustment worked. Same with the one with the case. If they had the gold heads then even more so. Those 2 on the resale would most likely netted you enough to buy the other one you asked about from the ebay markup prices.

No, not gold heads, or I'd have considered them even more strongly. So the black handle ones, "Black Beauties" (?), are fairly rare when in good trim?

 

[romsitsa]

Hello,

the blade case is nickel, the razor silver, it sounds like a matching New Standard.
If it's in good condition and you feel the "need", go for it

Adam

 

[BigJ]

Saturday I was up in Ponchatoula, LA, the home of the Strawberry Festival. (I never go to it; they hold it in hot weather, when all sensible creatures are huddling around their air conditioners.) In one antique store I spotted what was labeled as a Gem Micromatic vintage razor for $7, and a "vintage that looked a lot like a basic Van Der Hagen Walmart razor, also for $7.

In another store I spotted 2 black-handled Gillette Adjustables, one in a dusty-looking plastic case and one without. The "without" was tagged at $6.50, and I was tempted, but I already have a Slim, and I wanted to see what else might be out there.

In a third store, I ran across an interesting find: A leather, velvet-lined case proclaiming it a Gillette "New Improved." The razor looked like the Old Types I've seen here, with the twin chrome bullets projected down through the baseplate. This one came complete with a chrome blade bank. It was labeled "1930s," and the price was $65. Now I have no idea if that is a reasonable price for a complete kit of such a razor. Any ideas?

Weird . . . I never considered looking for razors in the cases at antique stores before I came to B & B.

WOW!! Two of those razors would have found a new home if I had seen them!

 

[pdieten]

No, not gold heads, or I'd have considered them even more strongly. So the black handle ones, "Black Beauties" (?), are fairly rare when in good trim?

No, they're common, but a working one in good shape ought to pull at least $20. More if still in the case.

 

[Benzadmiral]

WOW!! Two of those razors would have found a new home if I had seen them!

This is not the first time I've located something in Ponchatoula. A few years ago I spotted not 1 but 2 darn-near-mint vintage Stetson Stratoliner hats, the dress-up/dress-down model with the thin ribbon, in a shop there. I'd have grabbed them, but both were size 6 3/4, far far too small for my skull. I mentioned them on another forum, and one of the regulars grabbed them for his kids. In return he knocked the price way down for me on a size 7 Stetson Strat, too small for him, that he'd been planning to sell. It's since become my best hat.

Well, perhaps I'll make another run up there before Christmas, and see what's still for sale. . . .

 

[BBS-1]

No, they're common, but a working one in good shape ought to pull at least $20. More if still in the case.

For whatever reasons people tend to price them higher than Slims when it should be the other way around.

 

[BBS-1]

This is not the first time I've located something in Ponchatoula. A few years ago I spotted not 1 but 2 darn-near-mint vintage Stetson Stratoliner hats, the dress-up/dress-down model with the thin ribbon, in a shop there. I'd have grabbed them, but both were size 6 3/4, far far too small for my skull. I mentioned them on another forum, and one of the regulars grabbed them for his kids. In return he knocked the price way down for me on a size 7 Stetson Strat, too small for him, that he'd been planning to sell. It's since become my best hat.

Well, perhaps I'll make another run up there before Christmas, and see what's still for sale. . . .

If the one in the case was all dusty it will probably still be there when you go back unless it was way overpriced.

 

[troy]

I would have brought a few of them home too!

No, not gold heads, or I'd have considered them even more strongly. So the black handle ones, "Black Beauties" (?), are fairly rare when in good trim?

No, they're common, but a working one in good shape ought to pull at least $20. More if still in the case.

For whatever reasons people tend to price them higher than Slims when it should be the other way around.

In my experience bunting in the wild Black Beauties are much more scarce than Slims and even Fatboys. I've found at least 20 Slims, probably 10 Fatties and only 1 Black Beauty. The newer they get the harder they are to find. More people were switching to disposables and I also think that generation was less likely to save old thing and though them away.

 

[BigJ]

This is not the first time I've located something in Ponchatoula. A few years ago I spotted not 1 but 2 darn-near-mint vintage Stetson Stratoliner hats, the dress-up/dress-down model with the thin ribbon, in a shop there. I'd have grabbed them, but both were size 6 3/4, far far too small for my skull. I mentioned them on another forum, and one of the regulars grabbed them for his kids. In return he knocked the price way down for me on a size 7 Stetson Strat, too small for him, that he'd been planning to sell. It's since become my best hat.

Well, perhaps I'll make another run up there before Christmas, and see what's still for sale. . . .

Good man! And that’s a GREAT HAT!!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Good man! And that’s a GREAT HAT!!

Here's a pic:



It goes with everything, jeans and boots or a sport coat, tie, and topcoat. No wonder Stetson sold so many (also as the "Open Road") and their competitors all made clones of it. Mine does not say "Stratoliner" or "Open Road" on the sweatband, and the previous owner didn't sell it to me as such -- but it clearly has the same features.

Good point Troy made, about the later Gillette DEs being rarer. In any case a Black Beauty is a very good-looking razor.

 

[Parallax]

Here's a pic:

View attachment 930782

It goes with everything, jeans and boots or a sport coat, tie, and topcoat. No wonder Stetson sold so many (also as the "Open Road") and their competitors all made clones of it. Mine does not say "Stratoliner" or "Open Road" on the sweatband, and the previous owner didn't sell it to me as such -- but it clearly has the same features.

Good point Troy made, about the later Gillette DEs being rarer. In any case a Black Beauty is a very good-looking razor.

Nice hat!

 

[Blue-EyedSon]

The adjustables seem like they'd be a very good deal. If it was a new standard, that might be close to a "fair-ish" price, depending on condition, for an auction site. But I never liked paying auction prices at antique shops and would pass on those sorts of ones.