Dad picked up what I assume is a Gillete 3 piece at an antique mall recently. The box is Army green and says Gillette, so I'm guessing it's a military edition. The OC base plate has a serial number (C362699, I think) on top, but does not have "PROPERTY US ARMY" on the bottom like my other Army editions. What really confuses me is the handle; I've never seen one like it. I don't have a scale, but it's definitely more hefty than most of my other handles. Any ideas? Do I have a Frankenstein here?
Looks like an Old Type head with a handle from somewhere else. I've seen that handle style before but I don't think it's Gillette.
That serial number (C362699) would make it a 1913 vintage, and the handle is from the American Button Company (ABC) Pocket Edition series, of which I believe there were 5 variants. That particular design is known as the Shell pattern, and is plated with sterling silver if I'm not mistaken. All of the cases that I've seen with these sets have been metal, but that doesn't mean much really. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will chime in re the originality of your case, but the razor itself seems to genuine and complete. They're fantastic shavers by the way. And that tarnish will clean up beautifully with the baking soda and aluminum foil treatment. Congratulations and Enjoy!
