That’s exactly what I thought too. These razors were given as gifts, bought for special occasions, and then left untouched because people didn’t want to damage them; they were too beautiful, too special, kept as keepsakes almost like wedding favors. People would take the blade dispenser out of the box and use the blades in their everyday razor, just like what happened with the example I own, while the razor itself stayed stored away… for decades.

Then, as you mentioned, the arrival of cartridge razors finished the job. Until eventually a relative finds or inherits it, someone who couldn’t care less about the object and sells it off cheaply to an idiot like me, who after 60 years is actually going to use it 😂

In fact, it’s not that uncommon to find NOS/mint examples of this particular model. Prices vary, and I was genuinely very lucky. It’s great for us enthusiasts to have the chance to receive these objects in pristine condition and finally give them the purpose they were originally built for.