Potter & Moore Shaving Soap and Bowl, 1940.

A drive to the NSW Southern Highlands today to the town of Bowral yielded a nice result. I see these Potter & Moore bowls often enough, but they are almost invariable empty. Not today. Original soap, intact and unused. Still has the fragrance! 

Below are the pictures. I think the bowl is plastic rather than bakelite, as is so often assumed. Below these images is a link to an online Australian resource called “Trove” in which you can see a 1940 advertisement for the product in question. 




https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/47244841

I also have an unused, bottled version of the soap which I created a thread about a few years back. I’ll post a link to that thread a little further down. 

Enjoy the images. If you have ever used this product, let me know?

Link to earlier thread re bottled shaving sticks, which shows the Potter & Moore:

http://shavenook.com/showthread.php?tid=40372&highlight=Potter+%26+Moore

The bowl shown above is made from urea resin, a form of early plastic, not bakelite. It was very good for producing good colours. Earlier Potter & Moore bowls were made from bakelite, yes. 

Potter & Moore were themselves interesting chaps. Also, Mitcham Lavender (their proprietary perfume) indicates their interest in “physic” herbal medicines. Those who live in or who have visited London may know of the Chelsea Physic Garden, one of my favourite gardens in the whole world. I thoroughly recommend a visit!

Read about Potter & Moore here: 
https://thevintagecompactshop.com/blogs/...ge-history

Another great find, Mister   

With every post and thread, you contribute to the knowledge base.

Thanks Shaun, and enjoy your shaves!

Congrats and very interesting!  So have you bought a lottery ticket yet.....  

Ebay find last year.

(01-25-2022, 09:12 AM)ebonysw45 Wrote:



Ebay find last year.

Nice score!! Going to use it?

Already have. It lathers as well MWF.

(01-25-2022, 06:33 PM)ebonysw45 Wrote: Already have. It lathers as well MWF.

That’s good to know! The empty bowls seem to go for sometimes silly prices, but if they appeal to collectors, why not!

I can’t figure it out myself. I picked up mine for $20 AUD shipped and it had the soap. Then again I’ve been blessed with some great buys. It’s just a matter of patience.

(01-25-2022, 09:27 PM)ebonysw45 Wrote: I can’t figure it out myself. I picked up mine for $20 AUD shipped and it had the soap. Then again I’ve been blessed with some great buys. It’s just a matter of patience.

You did very well! I paid a total of $55AUD, but later the same day I found my former employer had paid me some leave loading. $55! Pretty amazing coincidence. I guess the P&M was meant to be mine!

Very interesting. Nice find!

(01-25-2022, 09:37 PM)Shaun Wrote:

(01-25-2022, 09:27 PM)ebonysw45 Wrote: I can’t figure it out myself. I picked up mine for $20 AUD shipped and it had the soap. Then again I’ve been blessed with some great buys. It’s just a matter of patience.

You did very well! I paid a total of $55AUD, but later the same day I found my former employer had paid me some leave loading. $55! Pretty amazing coincidence. I guess the P&M was meant to be mine!

There is always some luck involved in these things. I would have been tempted but never see anything in the antique shops (shaving related) that is worth getting at the price being asked. I just grabbed  a vintage Rooney set from the US that went for a pretty reasonable price. I thought I would be priced out since I have to factor in GST and shipping.




I did pay a big sum for a Neil Miller Modular paddle strop in December and don’t regret it at all.