Early 1900's Vanity/Toiletry Set by Florence Mfg Co.        in it's Original Presentation Case!!  Never Used!

A very rare and stunning set in unbelievable condition!

Museum Quality!

It's always hard to know where to start when you put something like this online to sell...something that is just such a rare find, and you know that it's truly a special item.  That's what I put before you right now--an amazing Florence Mfg Co. Toiletry Set, from the early 1900's still in it's original presentation case!!

We discovered this set tucked away in an antique store in Iowa Falls, while I was up in North Central Iowa attempting to shop my way through every little berg and dale in the state one weekend.  I had the opportunity to chat with the woman who owned this wonderful set, and she was actually able to tell me how she wound up with it! 

It was discovered at an Estate Sale in Iowa Falls, IA where it was originally owned by the father of a man who had just passed away.  The company hired to hold the sale discovered it up in the attic of the house, and the grandchildren revealed that their grandfather had been a peddler back at the turn of the century, and that this item must have been one of his leftover treasures from his peddling days.

I can just picture it...this peddler making his way into a town--horses clomping down cobblestone streets and music blaring from the local saloon not too far down the street.  The rush there would have been from the local ladies in all their Victorian splendor as they hurried to see what sort of goodies the peddler was pulling down from his wagon...and this set would have most likely been one of those "goodies!"

This set was made by the Florence Manufacturing Company of Northampton, MA, which later went on to become the Pro Brush company in 1924.  The Florence Mfg Co was better known to be "The Pro-phy-lac-tic Toothbrush Company" and they made the successful campaign out of creating the first hard plastic toothbrushes sold individually in boxes.  Their toothbrushes were made from a much touted plastic (a shellac based product) known as "Florence Compound," which was originally patented in 1856 for the manufacture of daguerreotype cases.  When the use of the daguerreotype's slowed in the mid to late 1850's, new outlets were created for the use of this plastic material.  I believe that the Cameo's and even perhaps the comb in this set to be made from Florence Compound, but I cannot be 100% sure, as I have not encountered any sort of test to determine that kind of plastic.

As you can see from the above photo, this set is comprised of three items:  A brush, a comb, and a hand mirror--with the brush and the mirror created in high gloss black.  I believe that the brush and the hand-mirror are made from some sort of wood, while the comb is made of plastic.  The wood is a dark wood, perhaps even ebony...but it's heavily shellacked and I do not know how to find out for sure and do not want the shellac removed as an open area on the set could potentially invite future damage to these beautiful pieces.  I am amazed at the decorations on this set.  I have not cleaned them, and the gold frames of the cameo's still shine like new, as does the decoration on the comb!

The hand mirror measures 15" tall by 9 1/4" wide.  The mirror itself is made with beveled glass, and has 7 1/4" viewable from all angles.  While there is some cloudiness to the silver backing of the mirror, it casts an exceptional reflection considering it's age.  Most of the mirrors I've seen of this age are in much worse condition, and you can see what I'm talking about in the photo below picturing the front of the set. 

The brush is 10" tall by 2 1/2" wide, with 5 1/2" of the length used for bristles.  I do not know what the bristles are made of, but the material is both soft and bristly at the same time--perhaps some sort of hogs hair?  A few of the bristles are solid black, but for the most part the bristles are an ivory color. 

The comb is 8 3/4" long by 1 3/4" wide, made of hard plastic, and has an ornate art nouveau decoration on the handle in a shiny gold metal.  As I have previously stated, I believe that it is made out of Florence Compound.  All pieces are high gloss black with the exception of the decorations.

As stated, these items come in their original presentation case, which is lined with some sort of white textured linen that almost looks like corduroy, but is not.  This cloth is the only thing that is showing it's age, as it has yellowed over the years (I've tried to capture it in a photo below), and there are some darker yellow "spots" on the cloth--most likely from the great humidity which comes during Iowa summers. 

The presentation box is made of a VERY heavy duty cardboard material, and while there are some areas on reinforcing splints of the cardboard box where the the material has been bent or twisted, the box is FULLY intact--no seam splits.  The box has preformed slots built in where all items in the set are carefully fitted, and they fit in there with ease.  Even the inside top of the box offers us something special (see photo below).  There is an image of Miss Florence--The Pro-phy-lac-tic Toothbrush Lady!  It's just a delightful touch to this great old box.

This is perhaps the most special thing in our inventory right now (perhaps even museum quality), and we are very proud to be able to offer such a wonderful piece of history to you today.  Please view all of the photos carefully, and when you come to the same conclusion, please either add it to your cart, or make a reasonable offer for this great set.  I guarantee you that this set will please even the most discriminating collector!

Price:  $550.00

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Full Set together, all decorations visible.

View of the usable parts of the set--note the clarity of this great old hand mirror!  This photo is a bit deceptive though, as there is some cloudiness in the front of the mirror, but it doesn't effect the overall image in the mirror at all.

Beautiful Framed Cameo's decorate both the hand-mirror and the brush.  Here is a detail shot of these great pieces.  Note the condition of the gold-tone frames...Amazing!

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