Hi All... Decided to drop into my favourite thrift store today in the hopes of finding a suitable bowl for lathering. Instead, I found a little plastic bag labeled 'Old Barber tools'..... inside were the following. Price tag: $8 What did I find? John
Well the open comb twist to open is probably a Senator or a Sheraton. If the three piece razor on the right is a Gillette than it is what is called an Old Style. However, there were many copies of this razor made in other countries. So unless it says Gillette, it may not be. I can't tell from the images what kind of shape that Sheraton/Senator is in. However, even without that razor, $8 was a great price. If that Sheraton/Senator is in usable condition than that was a VERY good deal!
the tto open comb looks like the senator, and the other, if it's a gillette, looks like an old type head on a ball end handle (composite handle).
The old style just says 'Made in England'. The TTO is in great shape... the doors open and close smoothly and tightly. I haven't even cleaned it yet and would shave with it as is. It says 'made in USA'. Thanks for the reply. J
That was a steal! The old style might not be a Gillette, and I'm not sure what it really is if that's the case as many knock-off existing in Europe (of varying quality but some are very good). The Senator a somewhat hard to find razor known to be a little more aggressive than later TTO Gillettes - worth significantly more than you paid for the lot. I'd clean both razors before using even if they look clean - it's just not wortht the risk not to.
for your reference here is mr razor's photo of the senator. usually sells for +/- $35-65 without the case and depending upon conditon.
Yup, you did real good. There is a shop near me that has a gold razor looking a lot like the silver TTO. They want $18.00 for it. I passed it up because it is an OC... but if it is a Senator, I better go grab on it based on Jody's pricing.
The 3 piece is a knockoff. The old type came in two finishes: Gold and silver. That one looks to be nickel, and the knurling and contouring on it just isn't quite right The extrusions on either end of the ball are wrong. The extrusion on the very bottom is too thick to be an old type, and the extrusion on top of the ball is conical rather than oval. The seam between the handle and the neck would be more extruded if it was an old type. Even though the posts (on either side of the head) varied in shape and size slightly through the lifespan of the old type, I've never seen a ball end (they're the later old types) with posts that chubby and rounded. The geometry of the head plate and the guard are both a bit off, too. Lastly, the ball on the gillette is wider and more squat than the ball on your british razor.
Major score on the Senator! Congrats. The last ones I saw on Ebay went for around $80, I believe. For some reason, the gold Sheraton fetches less. Personally, I like the Sheraton a little better, but they are both great.
Quick follow-up... I cleaned up the Senator and gave it a test drive. Loaded it up with an IP, lathered up some Proraso and had a very nice shave. Felt slightly more aggressive than my other Gillettes. Tried to trade my son for his Fatboy but he wouldn't bite. Thanks for all the input. J
ha! The gold version - same razor, different plating - is called Sheraton and if it's in pretty good shape, you better get it for $18.00. Did it have the case? Sheraton: Senators by themselves fetch, on eBay, average $25 to $65 depending on condition. Sheratons by themselves, $25 to $65 too depending on condition. They are pretty much even when they are alone. BUT... Senator in its original box? $75 to $250 depending on condition of razor and box, saw one NOS go for $300. Sheraton in it's original case? $75 to $150 depending on condition of razor and case, maybe $200 if NOS. These are averaging and not definite. Prices bounce around so much for so many reasons. For example, people in the US will be getting tax refunds soon and you'll auction closing prices go up. Christmas always drives auction closing prices up. People tend to avoid the gold plated razors for some reason and I have no explanation for that. Personally, I just don't like yellow gold anything.. my wedding band is white gold, I wear sterling silver necklaces, stainless steel watches and shave with nickel or silver plated razors. Some people claim the gold plating on razors is so thin, the razor looks wore out faster, so they avoid them. There's really no specific de facto reason as to why the same razor in gold plating doesn't get as much love. For collecting though, it's a must have. Back to the OP... $8 for the Senator.. you should be arrested for theft. :happy102 I shave with a Senator mostly and love every bit of it.
Nothing to add on the razors and other items. You did get a great bargain. If there's a general principle here, it may be that some of the best bargains are found when somebody is selling items as a lot, a "bag o' stuff". That often means that they haven't really evaluated each individual item, and it's possible that there is one thing in there which is worth more than the asking price all by itself, as in this case with the Senator. I've seen this on eBay before, but here's an example from a real store. Other people report bargains in a box o' razors that they picked up at a flea market or jumble sale. I wonder if the old fashioned manual barber clippers might be worth something to people who are in to that kind of thing?
I've seen them many places and never more than $10. Readily available and only moderate interest in them from what I can tell.
Theres a great 1938 Advertisement of Jack Dempsey and his one-piece Senator Gillette Razor...That in itself makes it a must have...) I tried to show it but I couldn't find one I could grab, but if you goggle it, it's very hip...
