Here is a revised timeline of the US Aristocrat razors from 46 - 51. Unless someone can find an example I doubt they made any Aristocrats in the US in 52 due to the brass shortage from the Korean War and it looks like they discontinued the Aristocrat and replaced it with the Diplomat starting in 53. 1st picture Left - 46 - 47/48 (first handle style, curved safety bar, no notch center bar) Right - 47/48 - 48 (first handle style, creased safety bar, no notch center bar) 2nd picture Left - 47/48 - 48 (first handle style, creased safety bar, no notch center bar) Right - 48 (first handle style creased safety bar, notched center bar) 3rd picture Left - 48 (first handle style creased safety bar, notched center bar) Right - 48 - 51 (second handle style, creased safety bar, notched center bar). Here are the 4 side by side in order of when they were made.
The bellow answer is the correct one. In addition I would like to say that the 2nd gen razor came in #21 set as well. Gillette were introducing new type of cases i.e. new set # while maintaining the available razor inventory. Hence the 2nd gen razor was available in #15, #16, #21 and #22 set
Looks like it could be one that made it out not fully assembled if that is the case. Leaving out the end caps that crease along with the lacking of notches makes it an early 48. I doubt they all of a sudden decided to stop putting end caps on the razors for a production run unless they were short parts for example and someone said screw it and let a few pieces out anyways to fullfill orders or something to that effect.
or someone installed a clean early door/centerpost assembly onto a later handle/basaeplate assembly..
Yes, could be possible but what also dates the rest of it to 48 is the handle has smooth rings with no knurling on the the upper and lower parts. The order in which the 3 major manufacturing revisions on Artistocrats were done in 48 is the creased guard, notched center bar and lastly the handle knurling changed from upper and lower smooth rings to the knurled upper ring while the the lower ring remained smooth. That version is regardless of all that is a genuinely rare Aristocrat variant that was produced for about a 2 - 3 month period early 48. Rare doesn't always equal collectable though.
I tend to think it skipped QC as it has a nickel screw, a very small dab of solder on one side between the wings holding the door and while the T bar is gold over brass the rest is gold over nickel.
Reviving an old thread here... I've seen over and over people claiming the #15 was solid guard or OC and I'm here to say NO. The 15 is closed comb only, the solid guard is a 20 or 21 set. There was an ad showing a #15 with a solid guard...in the description of the razor however it says *No20 illustrated.
People are wrong - #15 is not related to the razor, but the case it comes in. It is solely the case that determines the # of the set and NOT the razor. There are three different versions of the Aristocrat #15 - they all come with the same case but 3 different aristocrat razors: one OC and two SB. There are a total of four generations British Aristocrat razors as shown (Courtesy of Mr-Razor): Here is the breakdown how they were sold originally (Courtesy of Porter): 1st gen razor - in #14, #15, #19, #20 2nd gen razor - in #15, #20, #21 3rd gen razor - in #15, #16, #20, #22 4th gen razor - in #22, #66, #70
i noticed the 3rd gen has the most possibles.The 3rd gen #15 i got from you way back when has a matching example on Mr. Raser's website.Below.
