My interest in old double edge razor blades started 17 years ago when I was just 16 years old. When my grandfather died, I helped my mother clean his apartment. I found in my grandfather's bathroom his old Gillette safety razor and his unused Wilkinson blades. Not just one package, but about 30 packs, each containing five blades.

These items were "love at first sight" for me. I decided then and there that I would keep these blades in memory of my grandfather. From that day forward, I have collected vintage razor blade packages. I have used every opportunity to visit flea markets, second hand shops, antique shops and shows, perfume shops and pharmacies looking for old razor blades at a good price that I can add to my collection.

Until about a year ago, I thought that I was the only "crazy" person in the world who collected razor blades, but then there was a dramatic change regarding my collection. I was introduced to eBay! Searching eBay I was amazed to find out that there are dozens of collectors like me all over the world and at this very moment there are hundreds of blades on eBay for sale. This is how I also I found all the other collectors that I now know -- more than 50 now from around the globe -- the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Sweden, Holland, United Kingdom, Russia, Argentina, Chile, Czech Republic, Spain and Poland.

Long before my grandfather bought his shaving supplies, this type of blade was first manufactured at the beginning of the 20th century by a world-renowned salesman named "King Gillette." He wanted to make life easier for men who had to shave every morning. Prior to this time, people used straight razors, which had to be sharpened or strapped every few days.

Gillette aimed to invent a razor in which people would be able to change the blades easily in few seconds every time they felt that the razor wasn't sharp enough. Thus, he invented the "safety razor" with double edge razor blades. One surprising fact I discovered through eBay was the number of collectors who collect only the safety razors and not the blades - but this is perhaps a subject for another article.

From the time that Gillette's invention was introduced, many manufacturers around the world started to make this type of blade. The famous ones are Gillette, Persona and Pal from the United States and Wilkinson and Vallet from the United Kingdom along with many others.

Even today when most of the population in the world uses modern razors and blades there still are many people using old safety razors to shave. So, many manufacturers still produce the corresponding blades in huge quantities. In Israel, we have a plant in Nazareth named Persona, owned by an American company. This plant manufactures a million double edge blades every day. Amazing! Most of their production is for export around the world, but not all. I, for example, shave every morning with an old safety razor. I get a great and safe shave every time.

Many collectors store their blades in nice stamp albums, since the size and shape is similar. It's estimated that there are about 40,000 to 50,000 different kinds of razor blades made in the United States and another 50,0000 to 60,000 kinds from rest of the world -- so in total collectors can find up to almost 100,000 different blades.

My collection, in comparison, is a small one. I have only about 500 different packs of blades. My blades are from more than 30 countries and five continents. When I started connecting with people on eBay about a year ago, I was amazed to find that there are collectors with as many as 20,000 blades in their collections, mainly from the United States and Europe. Perhaps even more surprising to me is the fact that some of the collectors from the United States are women who started collecting blades many years ago, even before I was born.

When I just started to collect, I looked for the plastic packs like the Wilkinson examples I found in my grandfather's bathroom. But within a year, after getting to know other collectors, I realized that the plastic packages are too modern to be worth much right now. The really interesting blade packages manufactured before 1960 are what most collectors seek. These small packages are made of cardboard with individually wrapped blades inside.

Some collectors don't look for full packs like me, but the individual blades wrapped in small envelopes featuring interesting graphics. In every package of blades there are five or 10 individual envelopes. They also come in packs of three, four and six blades, but these are harder to find. Collectors often call these individual envelopes "RBW," which translates to razor blade wrappers. The wrappers usually have the same design as the graphic shown on the front of the packet of blades.

The really valuable blades are the beautiful examples from the beginning of the 20th century featuring special graphics. Many are very hard to find now. An example of a rare one is "Tommy" from the British times in the 1930s in Palestine, which is Israel today. I found these at a Flea Market in Tel-Aviv. The price was $1US because the seller didn't know that it was a rare item. Usually blade packs can cost between $1-4, the rare packages cost from $5 to $30. As you can see, this can be an affordable hobby.

A few years ago, a gentleman named Mr. Phil Krumholtz from the United States published a book titled Collector's guide to American Razor Blades. This book offers a lot of information on blades that were manufactured in the United States. This nicely illustrated reference book provides information on North American manufacturers including those that are still in business along with and identifying information and values for the items pictured.

If you are a collector of razor blades or have an interest in this article, don't hesitate to contact me with questions at abyms@hotmail.co.il. It would be a pleasure to meet other collectors and friends from around the world to exchange information and trade duplicates in our collections.

Razor blade photos photos courtesy of Amichay Bar-Yoseph.

Editor's note: This article was provided by a reader of this site and is presented from his international viewpoint. The information stated in this feature has not been verified by your antiques guide. Any discrepancies noted should be directed to the author at abyms@hotmail.co.il. Thank you.

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