Found a Palmer(?) straight and a Four Sided Paddle Strop in a vintage shop...

I found this straight razor and this four-sided paddle strop several weeks back at a local vintage store. The shank reads "31 The Palmer." The blade was in decent shape, only some superficial scratching and surface level tarnish that came out with a light rub of finishing compound. I gave it my best efforts at honing and gave it several shaves. As my skill level grows, I'm finding it delivers a very close shave with each subsequent effort. I am very new at this though, so take that for what it might be worth.The strop appears to have a honing stone built in, and what appears to be three different leather types surrounding it. The initials "S.L.B." are designed into the handle. That's the only information I have regarding it.Does anyone know anything about this particular razor brand? My limited search results didn't yield very much. I found absolutely no information on the four sided strop.

From what I've read on other threads, the Palmer was a high end Chicago hotel who had branded razors. However I'm not sure who manufactured them.
I have one that I won through the giveaway here and I love it. In fact I think I'll shave with her tomorrow :)

Thanks :)

A high end hotel, huh? I'd have never guessed! I suppose that makes more sense now, why it has no other makers marks on it. It gives me a nice shave (though again, I don't have much to compare it to). I ought to consider having it professionally honed.

Nice haul there. I've wanted a Palmer for a while now....for no other reason than the fact that I'm from Chicago and want a bit of my city's history in my collection. They pop up but they aren't always as nice as yours. I keep my eyes peeled and eventually one will surface again.

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Originally Posted by SkyBlazer

Thanks :)

A high end hotel, huh? I'd have never guessed! I suppose that makes more sense now, why it has no other makers marks on it. It gives me a nice shave (though again, I don't have much to compare it to). I ought to consider having it professionally honed.

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I don't know this but it's possible that they were made in Chicago. I don't recall the manufacturer but there was one formerly located about a block from my old office many, many years ago.

BTW, the hotel houses Smallflower/mere Apothecary.

Downtown Chicago Hotel - Palmer House, a Hilton Hotel in Chicago, IL

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

I don't know this but it's possible that they were made in Chicago. I don't recall the manufacturer but there was one formerly located about a block from my old office many, many years ago.

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It's quite possible that they were made in Chicago. A high end hotel like the Palmer House provided amenities like straight razors for their guests to shave with.

Palmer, U.S.A. (UNUSED ~ SLICK SHAVER) 11/16 - Detailed item view - Our Online Shop

Probably German made. Looks 'Bokerish" to me! ;) There were Boker 'Waldorf's" for that hotel. How many Boker's were from the Chicago Worlds Fair Colombian Exposition? The SS St. Louis?

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Originally Posted by OCDshaver

Nice haul there. I've wanted a Palmer for a while now....for no other reason than the fact that I'm from Chicago and want a bit of my city's history in my collection. They pop up but they aren't always as nice as yours. I keep my eyes peeled and eventually one will surface again.

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Not to make you jealous - but here's my Palmer 41 I won in the giveaway. Love it :)

Attachment 163075

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Originally Posted by RoyalCake

Not to make you jealous - but here's my Palmer 41 I won in the giveaway. Love it :)

Attachment 163075

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Mission accomplished.

Thank you for the awesome info, everyone! I'll definitely have to pay this place a visit if I ever end up in the Windy City :)

What a gorgeous razor, RoyalCake!

The strop you have looks like a J.R. Torrey four sided paddle strop. The hone side is actually an old rock italian razor hone (coticule)... check out the thread here: Combo Strop

I am impressed with the Palmers weight and spine. It is considerably thicker and beefier than the only other razor I own-- a vintage Erik Anton Berg Garanti (?) from Sweden. The Garanti (my first razor, the one I learned to hone and shave with) is nimbler, seems more maneuverable than the Palmer. The Palmer seems more aggressive but is just as agile. I do need to mind the point more than the Garanti and its muted point.

I found them both in the same shop. Here is a photo of them side by side.

Ah, crud. Forgot the pic. Here we go, side by side...

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Originally Posted by SkyBlazer

Ah, crud. Forgot the pic. Here we go, side by side...

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There it is!

Wow! That's exactly what the strop looks like! So, I somehow scored a coticule stone? By the number of threads I've read, I understand that to be a good thing.

yup! The only issue is, you'll probably want to lap the stone in your combo strop before using it. This would require a decent amount of water, which will probably hurt the leather stropping materials sitting beside the stone.