How can you tell if an Old is really an Old, not a copy?

NotTheStig

NotTheStig

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Re-post of what I posted in acquisitions as realised after it wasn't the best place to be asking questions...

Finally got this cheap Old. Hopefully the real deal and razor in excellent but not Mint condition. On the back of the baseplate it only says Made in England. No other markings. The answer's probably no but is there any sure way to tell if it is a genuine Gillette and not a copy? I know some cheap Gillettes with plastic handles didn't have the Gillette logo either (I have one) so not necessarily that...?
I can post close-up pics of the razor later on if that helps.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/250914396647?s...1439.l2649

I suppose it doesn't matter if it's really a Gillette Old or not as long as it shaves well, but I'd like the real thing if possible.
 
NotTheStig said:
Thanks, I'll do this. I hope it is a real one. Over the last few months I've ended up with two that weren't!
Click to expand...

Silly question alert.
How do you know these two are fakes? Surely what ever criteria you use to determine that will tell you if the new one is a fake too.

its like the fake £20 notes with the watermark and a sivler strip running down them. If you ever get any like that you want disposing of, just send them to me. :angel:
 
Not really as simple as that. The first one said British Made rather than Made In England; the second one was fairly obviously three parts from three different razors. This one appears authentic except it doesn't have a Gillette logo on it. It's only fair to ask the question I think, even if I can't get a conculsive answer.
 
Think that the 1st Gillettes in England were made in '07. That was before the diamond logo. No idea if the '07 had serial numbers?
There were others made in Canada and I think France before '07.
 
You often can't tell from the case. What most people did was when they bought a new razor put the old one in the new box. So the razor may be the earlier one.
How unthoughtful of them!
 
Ah right. I can imagine people might do that. Thanks for the info. They weren't really thinking what people in a hundred years would do with them!

I had a good shave with it this morning and am happy with it. I just need to calm down with the razors now... I have twenty (including two SE) and you talked me into getting a Futur which I will do for my 30th in March!
 
NotTheStig said:
Ah right. I can imagine people might do that. Thanks for the info. They weren't really thinking what people in a hundred years would do with them!

I had a good shave with it this morning and am happy with it. I just need to calm down with the razors now... I have twenty (including two SE) and you talked me into getting a Futur which I will do for my 30th in March!
Click to expand...

It is unlikely that the razor is older than the case as the ball end handles were produced after 1917. But they may have been together since new as Gillette had a habit of using whatever was lying around. For instance I have a late 1916 Aristocrat in a 1917 case, it may be that they have been together since new we will never know. But you have a nice old razor that you like in a nice case for a few quid, so I think it is a win win situation.......:icon_wink::icon_wink:
 
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