Not to beat a dead horse too much, but I thought I'd show these pictures of what are supposed to be 1946 Aristocrats. There are some questions here. First I want to say that the razor on the left in these pictures has lost its end caps. According to www.razorarchive.com, the 1946-47 has a no notch center bar and "Pat. NOS. On Package" where as the 1948-51 notch center bar and "Pat. NOS. On PKG". Looking at my photos, the one on the left has a no notch center bar and "Pat. NOS. On Package" and the one on the right has a notch center bar and "Pat. NOS. On Package" (PACKAGE spelled out). If you compare my razors to the ones at www.razorarchive.com it seems as though the one on the right matches the 1948-51 in all ways but it has the "Pat. NOS. On Package". It also has the more ornate top ring like the 1947-51. The one on the left seems to math the 1946-47. So I guess I am wondering if anyone has seen one like my one on the left, and is it the 46-47 or 48-51.
From what I know, the knurling on the top of the handle came about in '48, like yours do. But the base plate could've been a left over from the previous model as Gillette did like to use up their parts inventory.
Yep, I have one exactly like that, it has a 46-47 handle and base plate with a notched center bar. So it is an early 48 using leftover parts from the 46-47 run. Sent from my Galaxy S6 using Tapatalk
Wow. It's very hard to really pin down a specific year. I'm kind of surprised that there isn't some sort of official directory of pictures of all the Gillette line. So I guess mine is a 1946-----------------1948 Whatchamacallit.
That is a georgeous razor, @Primotenore . I have a 46-47 birth era Aristocrat. I wish it looked as good as yours.
Thanks Jim. It was my first high end vintage Gillette. (For better or worse, not my last) . Reason #18 why I am committed to a NB '17.
notched center bar comes 1948 "Pat. NOS. On PKG" comes 1950 your left razor is from 1946/47 the right razor is from 1948/49
Bund=Band So, band below the head, and band above the TTO knob. Knurled probably isn't the best word to use. Textured, maybe?
Reminds me of the Johnny Cash song "One Piece at a Time" where he builds a cadillac by stealing various pieces from the factory over many years.