Can anyone identify this thrift store find?

I picked up this old brush for $15 the other day. It didn't look quite as nice as it does now, but still not like some of the worn out nubs I've seen. I'm amazed at how much nicer this brush works over my other that I have been using. This guy sucks up all the shaving cream out of the mixing bowl with almost nothing left behind. It's very soft, yet the lower parts stand up to working the lather. There is a slight crack on the handle not shown, but it does not affect the usage. The are no identifying marks on the handle to help out. Just the style of the handle and color is all to go on.

Thanks.

That looks like silver tip badger hair, and newer than the brush handle. My guess it is a reknot. But either way, looks fantastic. I do not recognize the handle.

That is a beautiful butterscotch handle. Many guys here would be drooling over that brush.

So I really wanted to know what this was, and thought just maybe there was some kind of information left on the handle. Lo and behold, there was the slightest bit of shiny information I was able to collect when tilting the handle under high intensity light and magnification.
This is what it said.
One side: A J HENCKELS SC IN GERMANY Above that was the two guys dancing logo.
The other side said: PURE BADGER 100% STERILIZED

No idea as to how old it might be, but I don't think they make brushes any more. Below shows how hard it was to see.

Very nice brush. Congrats on the score. Let us know how it lathers.

Great find and a great brush.

Great find.

Thanks, just lucky I guess. I almost didn't buy it, as it didn't look like the photos originally. The hair was not bloomed out, and I thought maybe it was synthetic. Didn't smell all that great either. Not bad, just no lingering soap scent. Maybe it was never used, because once I washed and dried it, it really came to full bloom.

I have used it a few times, and it's hard to tell how it lathers. With my usual brush and Proraso blue cream, I get a pretty good lather that mostly stays in the mixing bowl. When I use the same amount of cream and water with this one, it just all soaks up into the brush. It becomes more of a face lathering. The cream ends up fine and dense on my face. I will be adding more water to the mix and see how things go.

Anyone hazard to guess any kind of vintage this might be?

sweet butterscotch.

rgraham said:

So I really wanted to know what this was, and thought just maybe there was some kind of information left on the handle. Lo and behold, there was the slightest bit of shiny information I was able to collect when tilting the handle under high intensity light and magnification.
This is what it said.
One side: A J HENCKELS SC IN GERMANY Above that was the two guys dancing logo.
The other side said: PURE BADGER 100% STERILIZED

No idea as to how old it might be, but I don't think they make brushes any more. Below shows how hard it was to see.

Click to expand...

no expert by any means but it probably is a re knot as mike said bc it doesn't appear to be a pure badger. But great score.

Not bad for $15. The handle is worth that alone.

Oh. The Sweet Sweet Butterscotch.

Nice butterscotch handle! Looks like a reknot..,,.

Could be a reknot, but I'd guess it's original given the loft and the yellowing at the bases of the hairs.

Just to add to the reknot or not thoughts, this was found in a store in a small town in Northern California near the Oregon border, with a population of just over 3,000 people. I'm not sure where they get the items to sell in their store, but I would think its from the local population. The items in the store and somewhere between a junk store and an antique store. I can't say its impossible that someone from that area wouldn't have a brush redone, but it would seem unlikely. Maybe in the past, pure badger meant something different than it does today. There was also a pretty nice Slim razor there, but they wanted $35.00 for it, and I already have two of them.

rgraham said:

Just to add to the reknot or not thoughts, this was found in a store in a small town in Northern California near the Oregon border, with a population of just over 3,000 people. I'm not sure where they get the items to sell in their store, but I would think its from the local population. The items in the store and somewhere between a junk store and an antique store. I can't say its impossible that someone from that area wouldn't have a brush redone, but it would seem unlikely. Maybe in the past, pure badger meant something different than it does today. There was also a pretty nice Slim razor there, but they wanted $35.00 for it, and I already have two of them.

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We see a fair amount of vintage badger hair around here. You are right that "pure" has no fixed meaning. However look at how white those tips are. The same UV that turned the handle butterscotch-colored should have put a yellow-orange tint in the hair too. But the tips are nice and white, so I also tend to think it is a reknot.

Reknot or not, it looks like a very nice find. Congrats!

SliceOfLife said:

Could be a reknot, but I'd guess it's original given the loft and the yellowing at the bases of the hairs.

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I agree with Ian, I've seen a few original knots that have similar discoloration at the base, tips still light.

Congrats on the super find!

And you're right about "pure" having different meaning in the past. I've seen a few Simpson Best from 50 years ago, but most manufacturers for the majority of time labeled any brush that was 100% badger hair as "Pure" regardless of how carefully their hair was sorted and selected for the brush.

I think Kent still does this (I never buy modern Kents, but I've heard that they're all "Pure").

Thanks for the kind words, but mostly for the education on brushes in general. Never knew about "butterscotch" handles, or how they became that way.

I think I'm going to retire the brush to collection status, as it seems the silver tips are breaking off during use. I've included a shot I took of the brush after it's first or second use, and you can see how much more bushy the bloom was. I really hadn't noticed until now. The brush next to it is one I have been using. Now because of this brush, I will have to upgrade. It just felt so much more nice to use. I'm kind of bummed that I used it as much as I did.

SliceOfLife said:

Could be a reknot, but I'd guess it's original given the loft and the yellowing at the bases of the hairs.

Click to expand...

nemo said:

I agree with Ian, I've seen a few original knots that have similar discoloration at the base, tips still light.

Click to expand...

You and Ian may well be right. Thanks for highlighting his post.

rgraham said:

I think I'm going to retire the brush to collection status, as it seems the silver tips are breaking off during use. I've included a shot I took of the brush after it's first or second use, and you can see how much more bushy the bloom was. I really hadn't noticed until now. The brush next to it is one I have been using. Now because of this brush, I will have to upgrade. It just felt so much more nice to use. I'm kind of bummed that I used it as much as I did.

Click to expand...

Tips breaking off is also good evidence that the knot is fairly old. You might be able to revive it with a good hair conditioner, though. Get it wet and gently work in the conditioner. Leave it to sit for an hour, then rinse it out. If necessary repeat the process.