Weird Gillette presentation piece from 1924

[Toothpick]

Neat! Now I want one. IDK if you can get much more ”travel razor” than that.

 

[Billy T.]

I've seen GeoFatboy shave with something similar (it wasn't as fancy as yours though )

 

[cryhavoc]

I decided to go with a vintage puck of Colgate Aseptic, a Star brush and a nice old shaving mug. The first few strokes were quite awkward, but once I got the feel for it, the shave went just fine. No cuts or irritation and the razor really was very easy to maneuver.
View attachment 1375020

Very cool razor, I had never seen one until you posted the pics. Glad to hear it shaves well too.

 

[DerekL]

I'm not too sure what to make of this Gillette presentation piece. It was given to an individual on January 19th, 1924 at a Sergeants Benevolent Association banquet in New York City. The organization was formed in 1899 and had its first banquet in 1907 at the Waldorf in New York.

I contacted the SBA and was told that their records do not go that far back and they have no idea who it was presented to or why. The person I spoke with said that another collector called about a month ago with the same exact request for information, so there are more than one of these pieces that exist.

My question is, why? Why would the head of a Gillette razor be modified into a presentation piece? It's sort of like if I went to the hardware store and bought a hammer and then decided to remove the handle and attach a small badge to the head, and then present it to someone. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me. Help me out here. What am I missing?

It could have been an in-joke. Or something that meant something significant to the participants.

We had a couple of those on my boat when I was in the Navy. Things that originated with the crew that had been there during the yard period, but which gradually fell out of use/lost significance as time passed and the yard crew rotated off. Same in a club I'm in, thirty odd years have passed since the relevant events - and there's only a handful of us 'old heads' left. The references are meaningless to anyone who wasn't there at the time.

 

[Tanuki]

I’m thinking ‘close shave’ award. Would that idiom have been relevant at that time? I imagine so.

 

[ERS4]

Mine B-P was lost by USPS.
Very sad, waiting for USPS to find it.
But two weeks have passed and there is no news yet. (T^T)

 

[AnimalCatcher]

I assume the seller initiated a missing parcel search with USPS. If they have not, it is something they need to do. The last time I did so, my package was recovered within a week and a half.

The razor you purchased (if it's the one I think it is) looks to be in near mint condition. I was the underbidder.

Good luck!

 

[ERS4]

I assume the seller initiated a missing parcel search with USPS. If they have not, it is something they need to do. The last time I did so, my package was recovered within a week and a half.

The razor you purchased (if it's the one I think it is) looks to be in near mint condition. I was the underbidder.

Good luck!

Showed as "Arrived" but no package received; guess may have been put at the wrong address by the postman, the resident apparently also likes bigelow parkin.
The seller submitted a missing report to USPS, but still no response after a month, it should be gone forever.


I live abroad and purchase ebay through an agent. Fortunately, I met a kind-hearted agent and have completed the refund.

Thank you very much for your concern.

 

[AnimalCatcher]

You are very welcome. They seem fairly common so you shouldn't have a problem finding another one. Best of luck!