Early P74 blades?

[mblakele]

Elsewhere on the internet I happened to notice that these two P74 blade packages look mechanically identical, but have much different labels. The one on the bottom looks earlier to me: less legalize and the graphic design is different. The patents might have the best clues for placing it.

• US3071856: 1963 Fischbein patent for blade coatings, licensed from Gillette.
• US3502203: 1970 patent for the modern Personna blade pack.

• US2674036: 1954 patent for ASR injector blade pack.
• US2564712: 1951 patent for Gillette blade pack.
• US3126126: 1964 patent for Phillip Morris injector blade pack.

This could place the three-patent blade pack in a pretty narrow window: no "patents pending" so probably earlier than the 1968 application for US3502203; after publication of US3126126 in 1964; but not late enough to license US3071856 from Gillette. According to http://patentcalculator.com/Default.aspx that 1951 patent US2564712 would also have expired mid-1968, and should not have been on packages much after that.

As I understand it Wilkinson-Sword challenged US3071856 in court and lost, ca. 1963-64. At the time, Newsweek reported that agreement with Wilkinson-Sword was reached "early" in 1964. It seems reasonable to suppose that other blade makers followed suit.

Taken together this suggests 1964-68, or 1969 at the outside. Google books does not find any P74 ads earlier than 1971, but these may have been somewhere along the spectrum from prototype to test marketing.

Anyone else seen these, maybe with a retail card? Any other clues to when they were made?

 

[bakerbarber]

Interesting

 

[Early Morning]

You are correct,

The one on the bottom was the original version of the P74. Sorry the picture is fuzzy, but this is a screen-shot of a picture that I took in another format, and I had to mess with the resizing a bit. On the back of the display hanger it advertised the NFL giveaway that Personna offered at the time. I think these date from 1971.




Although the font is hard to see, it is the same.

 

[DaltonGang]

So, which are better?

 

[Early Morning]

They are the same blades (as far as I know) in different packaging.

 

[Iron Horse 1928]

I noticed the arrows are different on each blade in the dispenser.

Do you have a picture of each blade for comparison from each dispenser?

 

[mblakele]

I noticed the arrows are different on each blade in the dispenser.

Do you have a picture of each blade for comparison from each dispenser?

No, sorry: I happened to notice the photos online and wondered about the difference.

 

[Boge]

I noticed the arrows are different on each blade in the dispenser...

Mnay older 'two way' dispensers were like this as blades were staggered somewhat.

 

[Iron Horse 1928]

Mnay older 'two way' dispensers were like this as blades were staggered somewhat.

Yes you are right.

I was referring to the style of arrow. I was curious as to what the markings on each blade looked like.

 

[Boge]

Yes you are right.

I was referring to the style of arrow. I was curious as to what the markings on each blade looked like.

Duh! Dummy me!! I misinterpreted what you said.

 

[Iron Horse 1928]

Duh! Dummy me!! I misinterpreted what you said.

That's alright, I confuse myself often.

 

[Early Morning]

The last version that I have seen of the P74 is in a white dispenser and the outside says they are Super Platinum Chrome blades. The actual blade inside is the Personna 74. The patent on the back is 3,502,203. The Staunton, Virginia address is listed on the back of the dispenser.

This particular version seems to shave more like their ordinary store-brand blades from about the same time period. I can’t say that they are inferior quality. However, Personna might have made them “less sharp”, so-to-speak.

 

[coase]

Interesting. I have one opened pack with just two of these Super Platinum Chrome Personnas that looks like the P74 package but doesn't say 74 on the outside. I shall have to try them out to see if they are something special.

The last version that I have seen of the P74 is in a white dispenser and the outside says they are Super Platinum Chrome blades. The actual blade inside is the Personna 74. The patent on the back is 3,502,203. The Staunton, Virginia address is listed on the back of the dispenser.

This particular version seems to shave more like their ordinary store-brand blades from about the same time period. I can’t say that they are inferior quality. However, Personna might have made them “less sharp”, so-to-speak.

 

[Boge]

The last version that I have seen of the P74 is in a white dispenser and the outside says they are Super Platinum Chrome blades. The actual blade inside is the Personna 74. The patent on the back is 3,502,203. The Staunton, Virginia address is listed on the back of the dispenser.

This particular version seems to shave more like their ordinary store-brand blades from about the same time period. I can’t say that they are inferior quality. However, Personna might have made them “less sharp”, so-to-speak.

I have some of those, but have never shaved with one as I only very rarely and sparingly use the original version. They are finite you know.