Mom's Surprise

So, when I first started getting interested in this hobby, I talked to my mother about it. She goes to lots of flea markets and the like, so I asked her to be on the look out for "those old fashioned razors that take a double edged blade." She started laughing, and said "I think I know what you're talking about."

Fast forward to last night. My wife's birthday package came in from back home, and lo and behold, look what was in it!




A shaving kit with an Early 1920s Gem Micromatic TTO, and what I think is a Ball End Tech. (I'm no good at identification). They were with some nail grooming goods, as well.

They're not in perfect condition:



There's some pitting and corrosion on the head of the Gillette, but the chrome is still shiny (see the Gillette logo? Pretty) and the handle is pristine. The Gem has some serious chewing on the teeth of the comb; it's clearly been used more. But their value isn't what's important.

My grandmother passed last year, and my mother inherited the house. I guess this shaving kit has been there for years--and my mom never knew just what to do with it. It might have been my grandfather's, but probably not. They divorced long before I was born, and I think it was pretty nasty. I never met him. But My mom knew that she remembered seeing something like this set when she was a kid.
I got a little bit of family history here.

It makes me feel really, really good to have this. I feel part of something bigger than myself.