When did Hallmark get into the razor business?

I recently received a Hallmark 2-piece DE razor as part of a batch on da bay, and was curious if anyone knew when this might have been made. It has a white bakelite handle, and appears to be a brass-plated zinc-type material.

The only marking is the stamping on the head reading:
"Hallmark"
"Made in U.S.A."

Any additional details or sources would be appreciated.

Ive not seen one of those before - though im sure someone with a wealth of info will chime in in a minute.

Would you consider replating?

This one would be tough to replate, as the handle and guard are one piece. There is a collar pressed into the top of the handle that is then pres-fit to the guaard to allow the handle to rotate. Similar to a New Improved where the main barrel of the handle is attached to the guard.

I'm wondering if this is a rebranded marketing razor from some sort of give away rather than a razor actually made by Hallmark. I've seen Gillettes with the names of quite a few different companies branded on them so this could be similar.

This one is definitely NOT a Gillette re-branded as a Hallmark... The cap extends over the edges of the guard at both ends.

r0ckrat said:

This one would be tough to replate, as the handle and guard are one piece. There is a collar pressed into the top of the handle that is then pres-fit to the guaard to allow the handle to rotate. Similar to a New Improved where the main barrel of the handle is attached to the guard.

Click to expand...

rats, I was thinking it was a 3 piece.

how does it shave?

I don't know yet, just started an Injector blade thiss morning, going to have to wear that one out before another blade, and I have 4 straights to play with too... not to mention a few new Gems and Ever-ready's... Decisions decisions!

It may not be a Gillette but I think it could still be rebranded.

According to Waits, There was a razor called Hall Mark which was made by Plybrands, Inc. located at 36th St. & 47th Ave., Long Island City, NY. The trademark was first used on 1-Mar-1934. The TM was filed on 9-Apr-1934.

There is no picture of this razor in the Waits Compendium and in the write up, you'll note the name seems to be "Hall Mark" (two words), so this may not be the same razor. There is no other name similar to "Hallmark" in any of my references but, for what it's worth, I thought I'd report on what I did find.

Regards,
Tom

Thanks Tom! Much appreciated.