Topic: Lillicrap in Europe — Something of a mystery!

[Bernard C]

Until I discovered Tom Willard's amazing stropper website, I thought I had Lillicrap's Hone more or less sorted out in Europe.

I had managed to acquire a Scheerwonder hone in clear flint, and it matched Lillicrap perfectly, with a plain rim and the inscription across the underside "SCHEERWONDER" punched using the same set of punches as those used on Lillicrap.   So, it was obviously made by Wood Bros and exported.   French and German versions of Lillicrap might emerge some time, and would have a similar history to the Dutch version.

I then found Tom's website and his page on Scheerwonder.   Great — also made in green, the box matched in style, wording in Dutch, and the illustration on the box came from one of the Lillicrap instruction leaflets.   Better than I expected.

Browsing around Tom's website I then found LA PETITE MERVEILLE.   Colours, shape, size and lettering match again.   Great, as expected.

But then I took a close look at the subsidiary text.   The second line seems to say "PATS. PEND.", which is fine, but is it French?   However the first line appears to read "FABRIQUE EN HOLLAND".   Is this French? — I thought The Netherlands translated to Les Pays-Bas.

But look at the implications.   I have no doubt that both Scheerwonder and La Petite Merveille were pressed from Wood Bros' moulds, but it looks as if they were made by an associate glassworks in The Netherlands.

Does anyone know of such a Dutch glassworks?   Who could be candidates (1930 onwards), possibly making other Wood Bros' products like baby feeders and eyebaths under some sort of licence agreement?

... and a cautionary note.   See how easily I got it wrong.

Bernard C. 

ps — Browsing around Tom's website, I found no German Lillicrap, at least none that was so obvious as Scheerwonder and La Petite Merveille.   Ãœbikus (the lower example) looks a strong possibility, and the "DRGM" — Deutsches Reich Gebrauchsmuster (German Reich Registered Design) — matches the information from the Lillicrap hone "D.R.G.M. 1148563", but the style of lettering and the box on this version of Ãœbikus is different.   Any views on this?

[Sklounion]

Hi Bernard,
I would have expected the word Brevet to appear if French manufactured with a French patent.
This may be short-cut changes, reducing the amount of alteration to a mould.
Leave Pats Pend, as no full patent granted so no need to change that.
The Dutch are known as Hollandais here, so Fabrique en Holland seems reasonable, and would be understood in France.
As to which factory, Leerdam perhaps, but Ivo would have a better idea of likely candidates.
Regards,
Marcus

[Bernard C]

Marcus — Grateful thanks.

An early edition of Lillicrap, the best known one with all the text, probably launched 1931–2, carries "FRANCE BREVET NO 708000", which looks suspiciously like a class number rather than a full design registration or patent number.   So that PATS. PEND. could be genuine rather than just an empty frightener.

Browsing around the equally superb eyebaths website, the description of No. B024 carries the text "I nearly put it on the Woods page - it is identical style design to a Woods, but this one is marked "ARDEN"."   Does Arden ring any bells?

Bernard C. 

[Ivo]

Does Arden ring any bells?

Q: what made Elisabeth Arden? A: When Max Factor.

As to who made pressed glass in the Pays-Bas, I give Leerdam 50% chance, Maastricht 45% and 5% for unforseen.

[alexander]

Just a quick note - while Holland is commonly used as the name for the country, it is really only a region of Netherland
and not used as an official name of the country. It consists of the provinces North and South Holland.

My wife's mother is Dutch and quite adamant in distinguishing between the two 
 
So a piece marked as Fabrique En Holland may be marked thusly to identify the region of the Netherlands while simultaneously
identifying it as made in Netherland.

Leerdam is situated in the province South Holland.

[pamela]

to me Elizabeth Arden is one of the greatest in cosmetics - I still use her Eight Hour Cream - a real rescue in ANY case ;o))) as far as I know from the last 50 years approximately, E.Arden never came in a glass packaging

[pamela]

but I give in, Bernard, an Eye bath would match E.Arden's range !

[pamela]

Please anyone help me:
Bernard introduces
scheerwonder

In German Language
Bart scheren 

Schere is scissors

wonder -everybody knows Wunder

[Frank]

Pamela it is a pressed glass sharpener for old-fashioned razors.

[alexander]

The box says "het kleine scheerwonder", which means something like "small shave wonderous" in Dutch
if you split the word into scheer and wonder (according to the babelfish, which couldn't decipher scheerwonder).