I need help finding a date for this Canadian Tech razor. Seller said it was an "S" (1947) , but I can't find an "S" anywhere on it.
looks about right, 48-50 had a gillette with diamond surround and 51 up had frosted gillette diamond on cap and date stamp on baseplate until 53..none after 53ish made in canada..haven't seen an s on any , but i haven't seen them all..
Some just can't be pinned down to a certain year. Try scrolling through photos at TSD member Achim's @mr-razor website www.mr-razor.com? Welcome to our Think Tank / Brain Trust here at TSD @dutchman! The data base is deep, but getting responses from active members just might puzzle it out. If you have a couple minutes, stop in at the Welcome Center and make you introduction.
Could be similar to this one give or take. Hard to date without date codes. Even earlier Canadian Techs with triangular slots and later Gold Techs have 1932 on them. http://www.mr-razor.com/Rasierer/Tech/1949 (U1 on Blade) Tech Canada.JPG
1947 is about right for this razor. Without taking the logo variations on the cap into consideration this style base plate without a date code stamped on it was made from sometime in 46 - 50. What is called pre and post war the difference is in the slots on the safety bar. The 39 - 46 versions aka pre war will have triangular slots the 46 and up aka post war all have ovular slots like the one you have. This revision on the base plate holds true for American or Canadian made 3pc Tech razors. That 1932 has been speculated that is was put on the base plate to honor the death of King Gillette who died that year.
That's cukoo speculation with respect. There is packaging which confirms it's a patent date, 32 is Canadian patent date for the slots and corner tabs as implemented on the New and Tech. Thompson filed application in Canada on behalf of Gillette seven months after doing do in the US and the Canadian patent issued April 12, 1932 as patent no. 321508. It does not cover the stamped sheet metal and solid bar related details of the US patent which wasn't applied for until 1938 and issued in 1942. No Gillette razor patents were issued in Canada 1941-43. It would not have been unusual for Gillette to do this, the patent numbers on the New include patents for the New Improved.
Thanks, Brit ! I'm collecting (and using) birth razors (1947) hence my need to date this razor. Ebay seller said the razor was 1947 "S". I messaged him asking about the "S" because I couldn't find that marking anywhere on the razor...haven't heard back from him yet.
I have the same cased set that's in this image, with the "S" mark. As you can see, it's dated to 1944, showing Gillette at the least were making bottom plates with rectangular slots before the war's end. So dating a razor similar to this to 1947 with the "S" mark doesn't make sense to me, but still could've been made in 1947. You'll see the "S" stamped on the bottom of the plate. EDIT: maybe not rectangular, and not really oval, it's oblong.
That is not a date code marking, has something to do with military contract razors. That marking doesn't show up on retail razors. Gillette made quite a few unique designs during the war most likely to deprive competitors of revenue by hoovering up the contracts. That design was not done for retail period prior to 1946ish or 47 depending which literature you want to use as the basis for the retail switch over.
I didn't mention it was a date code. I said the "S" cannot be used for dating to a specific year. And yes, it's been mentioned before on another thread, which I started and asked what the "S" is for and it was mentioned it is probably used for a contract or inspector's mark. But I did mention above that it could've been used on razors for a few years, including 1947.
nice razor jim, yours as per the pic has the triangular slot shaped baseplate but with oval slots that they produced for a short time.the post war common oval slot baseplate is shaped differently than this pic. canada didn't have this particular baseplate as far as i have seen..
