Who's used your razor?.

[Threeme2189]

I know that my 2 grandpas used 2 of my razors.
The other two are a mystery :)

[mblakele]

As I find old razors and clean them up I always wonder who the original owner was. Was it a criminal? Was it an important politician? Was it an insane person?
It's neat when you know your razor's provenance or have an heirloom but I wonder what the story behind the man and his razor was.
I know that some straights can be a lot older than any DE out there so they're bound to have a rich history but do you every wonder who used your razor?

Very small distinctions between these groups...

I think that subconsciously I was thinking politics. I had just been reading some articles on Fox and CNN.......

I suppose this joke was already old when Sam Clemens wrote it down:

It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress.
– Mark Twain, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

As for the history of my favorite razors... any previous owners must have been famous, if only for their excellent grooming and fine taste.

[dieselfuel79]

Just me.

[highball]

I saw a estate sale while driving home from work one day last year . I went in and found a box with 4 straights, 4 barber hones, a strop and a Gillette New Deluxe. there was also a picture of the guy. (George W. Aldridge

[Krona Kruiser]

That's a nice collection and that it comes with the picture of the gentleman is amazing. There's a sailor that needed to be cleanly shaved. The straights are a thing of beauty and that NEW Deluxe is a wonderful razor. If all of those pics belonged to the gentleman, the man new his razors.

[ChiefBroom]

As I find old razors and clean them up I always wonder who the original owner was. Was it a criminal? Was it an important politician? Was it an insane person? It's neat when you know your razor's provenance or have an heirloom but I wonder what the story behind the man and his razor was. I know that some straights can be a lot older than any DE out there so they're bound to have a rich history but do you every wonder who used your razor?

Great question for a thread. I've intended to post the following story with photos and will get around to it sooner or later, but for now....

I picked up a '55 Diplomat on eBay that the Seller initially listed with a Buy It Now option of something like $185 and an opening bid threshold at $137.75. Diplomats don't get a lot of respect, and no one placed a bid. I sent a message to tell the Seller I was interested but thought she had her razor priced a little on the high side. Then I asked if it had a story. She replied "simple elegance?" I responded that I agreed, but that what I was trying to get at was whether there might be anything about its background that would make it more interesting. Her follow-up reply was:

"The background of the original owner is an interesting one. The owner was a second generation Sicilian American with strong ties to the Pittsburg-Cleveland-Chicago Mob. He ran an illegal gambling operation and during Bobby Kennedy's crackdown on organized crime, he went 'away on vacation' for several years. I would be happy to provide you with his name in a private email."

We exchanged a few emails. I finally agreed to buy the razor at a re-listed Buy-It-Now price of $137.75 if she'd include documentation of provenance, which she did. It included copies of the court case (high profile test of Kennedy's Interstate Racketeering Law), some local press coverage from 1961, and a photo that Jimmy Durante had autographed and given to the razor's original owner. I probably overpaid by a little bit; there was a glut of Diplomats listed at the time, none of which went for much over $100. But it's fun to have, and I get a kick out of shaving with it once in a while.

Every razor has a story.

[Mike'sWorld]

Great question for a thread. I've intended to post the following story with photos and will get around to it sooner or later, but for now....

I picked up a '55 Diplomat on eBay that the Seller initially listed with a Buy It New option of something like $185 and an opening bid threshold at $137.75. Diplomats don't get a lot of respect, and no one placed a bid. I sent a message to tell the Seller I was interested but thought she had her razor priced a little on the high side. Then I asked if it had a story. She replied "simple elegance?" I responded that I agreed, but that what I was trying to get at was whether there might be anything about its background that would make it more interesting. Her follow-up reply was:

"The background of the original owner is an interesting one. The owner was a second generation Sicilian American with strong ties to the Pittsburg-Cleveland-Chicago Mob. He ran an illegal gambling operation and during Bobby Kennedy's crackdown on organized crime, he went 'away on vacation' for several years. I would be happy to provide you with his name in a private email."

We exchanged a few emails. I finally agreed to buy the razor at a re-listed Buy-It-Now price of $137.75 if she'd include documentation of provenance, which she did. It included copies of the court case (high profile test of Kennedy's Interstate Racketeering Law), some local press coverage from 1961, and a photo that Jimmy Durante had autographed and given to the razor's original owner. I probably overpaid by a little bit; there was a glut of Diplomats listed at the time, none of which went much over $100. But it's fun to have, and I get a kick out of shaving with it once in a while.

Every razor has a story.

Thanks for sharing this story. This pretty much validates my theory that the Diplomats, Presidents and Aristocrats of that era were owned by gentlemen of means and impeccable grooming who valued their appearance, criminal background aside.

[chongo gordo]

recently scored a dinged up Open-Comb Long-Tooth on ebay. The seller was from the Bronx and this razor looked like it had been pulled out of the smoldering ruin of a tenement fire. It look a lot more than some Brasso to clean it up. It still has a well-used appearence.
I figure this razor was used y a guy in the Bronx from the late 1930's until whenever, he had a much different life than me.

[Krona Kruiser]

Thanks for sharing this story. This pretty much validates my theory that the Diplomats, Presidents and Aristocrats of that era were owned by gentlemen of means and impeccable grooming who valued their appearance, criminal background aside.

It's so true. That's why you can come across these models in pristine condition because the individuals who used them, treasured them and handled them like the luxury item that they are. These razors were (and are) expensive in their day.

[DougieB]

I got mine from a thrift store that specializes in estate clean outs. It is a Fat Handle TECH with the 'triangular slots'. The razor is in very good condition. I assume it came from an estate where the gentleman upgraded shaving gear regularly.... Leaving this TECH in very good user grade condition. I imagine that he didn't get rid of quality stuff just because there were 'technological advances'.

[Debrushman]

That's what I'm talking about. Nice story. I hope my kids don't pawn everything off....I'm leaving "special instructions" for my razors, watches, guitars, and my little items that aren't worth much but would be nice to pass down to another generation.

Special instructions for your razors? I can see the conversation now.......
Yeah Dad was a creepy hoarder. He had a ton of those old used razors around. Nasty stuff, God knows who shaved what with them. What do you want to do with them? You mean to tell me their giving 17 cents a pound for scrap? Throw them in the scrap bucket.
The last sound your razors hear, are those of a giant crushing machine, finally putting them to eternal rest.
The scrap is sold overseas, and your razor is made into a Honda.

[Krona Kruiser]

Special instructions for your razors? I can see the conversation now.......
Yeah Dad was a creepy hoarder. He had a ton of those old used razors around. Nasty stuff, God knows who shaved what with them. What do you want to do with them? You mean to tell me their giving 17 cents a pound for scrap? Throw them in the scrap bucket.
The last sound your razors hear, are those of a giant crushing machine, finally putting them to eternal rest.
The scrap is sold overseas, and your razor is made into a Honda.

LOL. It's true, it's just stuff. I guess what it comes down to is that I want to be remembered and if it takes a knick-knack or two, why not. Don't have much and my hoarding tendencies are kept in check by the small home I have and my lovely,understanding, and nudging wife.

[Psychofish]

The razor that got me involved in DE and wet shaving was my great grandfathers Gillette "Knack." I love it, and still keep it very high in the rotation between my small collection. A lot of his straights were very rusted and chipping, but they are hanging on my guest bathroom wall for all to see along with his Gillette Tech.

[El-a-Menthol]

Was it a criminal? Was it an important politician? Was it an insane person?

Are not all politicians criminally insane?