Acquisitions - September 2024

Got this on GEM Junior on eBay, £12, been on the lookout for one of these vintage ebony handled hoes for a while. Obviously a lot of silver plating is gone but the razor functions as well today as it did over 100 years ago. I’ll give it a spin tomorrow. All hail ubiquitous GEM!

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Lucky man! I've been on the lookout for one of these for some time now. It looks incredible. I'm not jealous at all.
 
1. Leather pouch for taking my Timor razor on holiday. Cheap Amazon thing but real leather and a fraction of the cost of the official Timor version. My Rockwell is an easy fit as well.

2. Stirling soap. The barbershop scent is quite mild and I love it. A nice change from Oud-y stuff. First go with Stirling soaps… can’t wait to spread some of that beef tallow all over me fizzog.

3. Razorock 400 Noir. Not sure about this one… the grip is perfect for my bony, arthriticky claws, but I think the brush is a bit long and floppy for my tastes, even though the Noir is supposed to have a bit more backbone than standard Plissoft. Only one way to find out if it suits!

Overall… a decent haul.

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Got this on GEM Junior on eBay, £12, been on the lookout for one of these vintage ebony handled hoes for a while. Obviously a lot of silver plating is gone but the razor functions as well today as it did over 100 years ago. I’ll give it a spin tomorrow. All hail ubiquitous GEM!

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Bloody lovely!

Once you use that handle, you'll be putting it on all sorts of smaller thread heads like early 1912s and 1914s.

Have a lot of fun!
 
Thanks @brit,I did see that foto on the web but my Tech is “made in England” is the ball end version. Why would anyone swap the Canadian version? I can just make out what looks like part of the GILLETTE print on the lid of mine. There is nothing I can make out printed on on the inner lid. Anyway, like all Techs it will be a very comfortable shave!
the original razor could have been lost during wartime or later,kept and case discarded,who knows what and why soldiers did during those times..these cases show up on ebay canada a lot,with or without their original contents.;)cheers.
 
I initially thought it was the silver-plated one. However, I noticed the number 430.030 on the handle, so I’m guessing it’s the #15 Rhodium Plated version. I hope I’m correct, as I plan to send it off for a revamp, including re-plating.
i see letters/numbers stamped on the handle on yours?.that should make it a 1938 rhodium plate model with that case liner also.i have a 1939,possible 1940 model,no numbers /letters on handle,430030 baseplate .
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the gent who is plating it should know what's on it either way.
 
i see letters/numbers stamped on the handle on yours?.that should make it a 1938 rhodium plate model with that case liner also.i have a 1939,possible 1940 model,no numbers /letters on handle,430030 baseplate .
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the gent who is plating it should know what's on it either way.
On the underside of the base plate, I have 'Brit Pat NO 400.621,' and on the handle, 'Brit Pat NO 430030.' I'm glad I now know for sure that it's the 1938 Rhodium. Do you know if the entire piece is Rhodium or just the handle?
 
On the underside of the base plate, I have 'Brit Pat NO 400.621,' and on the handle, 'Brit Pat NO 430030.' I'm glad I now know for sure that it's the 1938 Rhodium. Do you know if the entire piece is Rhodium or just the handle?
the plater should know.it's a long standing argument.many say the whole razor is plated,many say handle only with fully polished nickel plated barn doors,at least on the later 3rd and 4th gen safety bar ones.i believe they -yours and mine are fully rhodium plated.the silver plated ones all tarnish,doors included.our razors and 2nd gen safety bar versions where rhodium plate over brass,3rd and 4th gen were rhodium plate over nickel,hence the controversy,: gillette saved pennies on rhodium and just polished the doors..
 
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@ekeko

Bloody lovely!

Once you use that handle, you'll be putting it on all sorts of smaller thread heads like early 1912s and 1914s.

Have a lot of fun!

Actually, my ebony handle came on a Zinn Gem:

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... but here's a snap with a 1914 head on it for inspiration.

On that, my Zinn Gem is clearly marked as German Silver on the inside of the head. German silver is a mix of copper, zinc and nickel with tin and lead also used. That got me thinking that the early Gem Junior Bar models might well be German silver rather than straight-up silver plate or nickel.

My Gem Junior Bar came on one of the really short handles, but I also got this alternative backed version which is largely unadorned ... and came on an ivory handle (real? dunno):

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They're super shavers!

I've also got this one under the Star brand (Star Bar?):

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... but notice that it says "Corp", so post-1919. Guess they revived it for some reason almost 20 years later.
 
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