Simpson Brushes Appreciation Thread

Shaun2

Shaun2

Forum GOD!
Teiste said:
Vulfix/Simpson reintroduced the Rover model to their catalog in 2011. This was one of the first Rovers made on the Isle of Man, and it's been with me ever since. It has an amazing knot and the finest batch of Best Badger hair.
Actually, the best batches of that hair grade from Simpson that I've tried are from 2009 to 2013. I wonder if it was the last of the David Carter era. After 2014, I noticed serious discrepancies between batches: some were good, while others felt like Pure Badger. I'm afraid the problem still persists.

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Carter era, in Pure, c.1990. Please don't hate me.
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Shaun2

Shaun2

Forum GOD!
Here's a rare one: The AS2A in Best Badger. Mint. Date uncertain, but these Simpson boxes show up in vintage Simpson advertisements in the mid 1950s. Knot on this one is 21mm.

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Simpson AS2A, c.1947-57
  • 1941: Simpson's London factory destroyed in the Blitz, relocating production to Somerset and shifting decal labelling from "Made in London" to "Made in England". (Edit: see update a post or two below questioning this belief. Decals can be seen going back to late 1937 saying "Made in England")
  • 1939–1945: British Industries Fair (BIF) was suspended due to WWII.
  • 1947: BIF resumed, restoring the relevance of the "Simpsons Gold Medal and Grand Prix Shaving Brushes" accolades printed on the care leaflet seen in the presentation box above.
  • 1957: BIF permanently closed.
  • 1959: Simpson retired the two-piece presentation box.
  • Conclusion: Cross-referencing the active BIF accolades (post-1947), and the closure of the fair (pre-1957) places the boxed set precisely within this 1947–1957 window.
  • Let's split the difference and say 1952.
 
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Shaun2

Shaun2

Forum GOD!
As we know, Simpsons moved out of London when their Clapham factory was bombed during the blitz in 1941. Convention has it that prior to the blitz, all Simpson brushes were labelled "Made in London".

Here is a quote from Gary Young, great-nephew of Alexander Simpson, the original founder of Simpsons, asserting the conventionally-assumed truth:

"Afraid it is not a London made Simpson. If it was the decal would read 'Made in London' - this was changed to 'Made in England' after the move to Somerset."

So why do I mention this? Because I found an April 2, 1938 copy of The Hongkong Telegraph (and another from December 8, 1937) advertising Simpson brushes, depicting a brush with a decal saying "Made in England", i.e. before 1941.

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So, if the decal says "Made in England", it can't be said that the brush must be post-London (post-1941) production. The evidence above is clear.

If the decal says "Made in London", then yes, it must be pre-1941, because that was where the brush was made.

One conclusion that can be drawn is that Simpsons, prior to 1941, were already beginning to expand globally, and labelling a brush "Made in England" carried more of an international appeal.

Coincidentally, The Hongkong Telegraph continued to advertise Simpson brushes until early 1941, just prior to the Japanese takeover. Bit of a double whammy for Simpson, I'd have thought.

No offence to anyone, least of all Simpsons, but verified documents beat memories. And it's important, at least in my view, to continue to review and sift through the facts as they come to light. An argumentum ad verecundiam just doesn't cut it.
 
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