So I have a brush that I bought thinking it might be an old Simpson or Rooney but now not sure at all. When it arrived I tried to compare it to various shapes I already owned and unfortunately it seems to have characteristics of both makers. It's a BIG brush, 83mm body with a 75mm loft and about a 30mm knot diameter. There's no makers mark on it that I can find, the body is a matte somewhat rough almost hard rubber/ebonite feel. The only printing on it says Best Badger, Sterilized, Made in England and matches samples found on some of my Rooney brushes but the shape is closer to an old Simpson I own. It may have been a display brush but they usually carry the maker or store advertising name. Here you can see the brush with some somewhat similar samples. From the left; a Diamond E <E>, the unknown biggun, a Rooney made for Dunhill, an old Simpson made for Gimbels NY and a modern Simpson PJ2: The stem on this one is far more extreme than even the old Simpson. The hair is amazingly soft and luxurious. I'm hoping that some of you good folk might recognize the beast and be able to give it a family name.
Going by the lack of a "foot" on the bottom of the brush, I'd be inclined to call it a Rooney, but Rooney didn't/doesn't use "Best Badger" terminology. Super/Finest/Badger are the three grades I've seen marked on Rooney...and heritage. The knot looks more like a typical vintage Kent, but Kent always labeled their brushes "Pure Badger" regardless of grade. The complete lack of butterscotch pretty much writes off vintage Simpson, but it could have been made by Simpson for one of their retail customers. I would lean more towards a Coates or other small British company that didn't survive the 20th century.
Coates would likely make it a Simpson and that is certainly possible. I did find one listed at eBay as a "Mystery Brush" that is similar and looks to be classic Catalin showing the butterscotch discoloration and the weight of this one feels much like Catalin. The knot feels far more Kent than Simpson, perhaps even closer to Vulfix density but the very size and loft as well as shape pretty much assure it would end up very soft. The shape of the stem and foot are closer to the Gimbels NY Simpson than the Dunhill Rooney. The body feels and looks to be lathe turned and not molded but the surface has a definite texture to it. One other point that favors a Kent origin is that they did offer some really monster sized brushes in the past. Also, the shape is very much like the Badger & Blade 2009 Kent LE but on steroids. It's a nice brush and I will likely try to use it at some point. So the hunt continues: ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.
Here is your brushes twin or close cousin. One of my cabinet queens that measures in at 82mm and also 30 mm and extra floppy. Labeled Rooney and Best Badger. Pictured with some contemporary brushes for size comparison A link to a NOS DunHill buush that lives with the Rooney https://www.badgerandblade.com/forum/threads/new-in-box-butterscotch-dunhill-rooney-brush.519081/
Great. Now what is the possibility that mine is an original color Catalin brush? Here is a Simpson Keyhole Catalin with a chip that shows the original color and also the mystery no longer brush next to a Kent H12 monster.
Catalin brushes that are stored away from UV radiation sometimes retain their original coloring. If this was NOS and/or stored in a box for the last four decades, it could be the original coloring. (<<<Wrong info!!!) I've seen a NOS vintage wee scot from the Somerset era that was still pale white. (Edit: link about halfway down the page http://theshaveden.com/forums/threads/the-many-sizes-of-simpsons-the-wee-scot.46333/ ) after looking at it though, it appears that the handle is Ivory. Edit: and I'd have to agree that it's most likely a Rooney. Didn't know they labelled brushes best badger. Learn something new all the time. Also, Rooney did experiment with other brush handle materials on a regular basis, so if it isn't Catalin, that's another point towards making it a Rooney.
Well, I gave the monster a try. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It can be used to shave with. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It lost a herd of hairs initially. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is not gonna be a regular user. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It loves the Italian face slap. Cary Grant and Leslie Caron style. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Once you do build lather invite a dozen or so friends over to help use it all up. It's so fluffy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
