No. 88 2-piece Gillette

The #77 & #88 are the same razors except for the shipper and the inner razor case. One of the only 2-piece razor made by Gillette, this is one of the most nimble, effective, and classy razors. Silver plated so it tarnishes and yet cleans up & shines like new. The case is metal with the #88 and I found this one with an incredibly pristine outer shipper. This razor is from around 1934 or 1935. Amazing that it has withstood the years with practically no aging. And the shave -- one of the best available from a Gillette DE razor.




The metal case has seen a little more rough play than the rest of this set. Must have had the most exposure, but the inside is practically perfect.


If you haven't tried the #88 (or #77) razor, you really owe it to yourself to experience the close comfortable shave it provides.

Very pretty! Is that the English version of a long-combed New?

Very nice as always, Jake. The shipper looks great.

noelekal said:

Very pretty! Is that the English version of a long-combed New?

Click to expand...

It is one of them, and special because it is two-piece. Notice how the last photo has the cap removed, but the plate is firmly attached to the handle? The UK factory seems to have made a wider variety of NEW styles than Boston did. USA NEW razors were almost all short-threaded three-piece models like the bar-handle or ball-handle, plus a few long-thread three-piece models like the Belmont and Criterion. Most of the UK NEW razors were probably three-piece too. Here is one of mine: a short-thread long-comb that looks almost like the 88 - as long as you do not take it apart.

Great razor, Leonard. You always have some beautiful razors, sir. Thanks again for the one you sent.

Nice info and pics as always, i love these threads Jake

Awesome looking razor!

I assume this is an 88 made for the French market.

One thing I have always been confused about is why the headliner of the box is printed in French, but all the text on the outer shipper is in English. I've seen a few like this, but are the English language boxes original to those French sets?

Very nice Jake. You have some great razors in your collection.

Very nice. Whenever I see your name on a post, my heart skips a beat or two.... I know something awesome is about to be presented .

Remarkable Jake.

Belmont is another 2 piece razor from Gillette. Jake, it has not Gillette logo on the upper portion of the handle so it is maybe late production.

That is really nice Jake...what is there not to love...? a NEW in Silver!! Gorgeous razor!

Beautiful. The 77/88 is at the top of my RAD list at the moment.

__sigh__
Anytime I think I've got some nice tools, Jake reminds me of how paltry my little lot really is.
Nice piece, Jake. Thanks for sharing it.
-- Chet

Very nice, Sir!

A few more photos of these razors. And an interesting further insight in Gillette design, manufacture, & etc. There are a few other 2-pice Gillette razors, as others have posted here, but how about the 3-piece that so closely resembles the 2-piece #77/#88 set?


The #77 box hasn't survived the ravages of time as well as the #88, but still -- it's likely 75+ years old. But note the interloper, moving into the middle of these 2 2-piece razors.


How similar, how much they resemble each other. But will the 3-piece razor please identify yourself!


Now you see it. Service set? What is it?



Subtle differences, but the 3-piece razor has a thinner handle and the patent number is not stamped into the smooth area on the lower portion of the handle. And it weights a few grams less than the #77/#88. Still a very effective shaver. And that's yet another chapter on British New models. News on the News...

Condition and photography aside, that three-piece NEW looks very like the one I pictured above - possibly with different plating? Mine seems to be nickel-plated, and I also like the way it shaves. I have my doubts about the provenance of the brown bakelite case with which I pictured it: that could be a mismatch.

I bought it from Renzo, a UK collector who I have not seen online but who probably has the largest razor collection extant: 5000 pieces, he said. Probably you know him, or of him? Anyway, we talked a bit about UK NEW variations. As I recall, his considered opinion was that the Gillette UK folks just liked to tinker with the design, no other reason.

I suppose it kept them busy - and keeps us busy too.

Thanks for your followup posting. I have never before heard of Renzo -- sounds like the collector extraordinaire... Wow! Would be great to hear from him & see some of his collection. Is he still buying items? He must have one of every razor style ever made.

I wonder about the model of this New style razor that you & I have. Perhaps Achim will participate and offer his insights. You can see my case is different from yours -- and who knows -- it also may not be the correct version for this razor. But I do think my razor is plated in silver.


You can see the leather-like lining of this metal case.

Exterior of the case looks a lot like the #66 or #15. But a little weathered.

Definitely in 3 pieces -- and so similar otherwise to the #77/#88 2-piece model.

Pretty amazing condition for a 1930s razor.

Thanks for keeping the conversation and research project alive.

Renzo had 30,000 pieces back in 1996, according to http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/a-cutthroat-business-1345847.html - but I gather he culled a few. These days I think he mostly concentrates on lather-catchers. There is a little more about Renzo at http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/242799-SE-Star-Kampfe-Bros?p=3328008#post3328008 and http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/271263-Portobello-road-London?p=3933005#post3933005. I wish he were active here: who knows, he might sell a few copies of his book too.

Attached is another photo of my razor. I compared the finish to a few other pieces with known plating. It certainly is not the right color for chrome, although the guard-plate is shiny enough and has something of the look of thin chrome plating. I see no signs of tarnish, and the color seems close enough to the nickel-plated razors I have. It is not quite right when compared to New Improved silver plating, although it is a plausible match for a Single Ring with somewhat battered silver-plate.

This picture does not show it, but the guard-plate seems thinner than the USA or Canada NEW examples I have handled. Possibly it was die-forged or even stamped from thick stock, and then machine-finished: more like a Tech than a NEW. There is a brassy ring around the center, where the handle has worn away the plating. As you can see, two of the corner-teeth are slightly bent and the overall condition tends toward user-grade. But I bought it to use, just to try another of the UK variants, so the condition was not very important.

Somewhere I've got one of these same style of British NEWs that came to me in the smaller flat brown Bakelite box, too. I've also seen them in various shaped jewelry sets like this one that Achim's got up on his site:



Just on gut reaction there, Jake, your case seems more likely a mismatch. Like you said, it looks like a British Aristocrat case -- the cradle for the handle in particular seems to be made for a thicker razor -- and these NEWs strike me as more of a lower-end model.