Gillette History: origin of early 6-blade box

[IronHammer]

Hey everyone,

A year or so ago I posted about a box of early Gillette blades I came across that are still sealed with red wax seals. Since I cannot verify their date by looking at the blades without breaking the seals I am working on a way to determine their date of manufacture.

I got to looking and comparing the packaging against other early blade box designs and the first thing that struck me is that there are 6 blades in this box (as marked on the end). I don't have any idea how rare that is but I thought nearly all boxes released by Gillette had either 5, 10 or 20 blades. Anybody know when the 6-blade boxes were released and perhaps how rare they are?

Also, the wording of the patent declaration on the back of the package is quite threatening, wording that I have not seen on any other packages.

In addition, I notice that this box bears neither the price (usually 50 cents or $1.00) nor the familiar "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." nor "Made in U.S.A." markings. The box does bear the iconic diamond logo both on the end flap and directly on the red seals at box ends of the box so I am certain it dates after 1908 because that's when Gillette began using the diamond logo.

I am hoping some of you Gillette history experts might have some ideas on the origin/rarity of this box? Here are some pics. There are more pics in the gallery





Thanks in advance!
-Todd

 

[Copierguy]

Todd, got keep this on page 1.

 

[alex2363]

They did sell in 6 blade count, here is one

 

[alex2363]

Hey everyone,

A year or so ago I posted about a box of early Gillette blades I came across that are still sealed with red wax seals. Since I cannot verify their date by looking at the blades without breaking the seals I am working on a way to determine their date of manufacture.

I got to looking and comparing the packaging against other early blade box designs and the first thing that struck me is that there are 6 blades in this box (as marked on the end). I don't have any idea how rare that is but I thought nearly all boxes released by Gillette had either 5, 10 or 20 blades. Anybody know when the 6-blade boxes were released and perhaps how rare they are?

Also, the wording of the patent declaration on the back of the package is quite threatening, wording that I have not seen on any other packages.

In addition, I notice that this box bears neither the price (usually 50 cents or $1.00) nor the familiar "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." nor "Made in U.S.A." markings. The box does bear the iconic diamond logo both on the end flap and directly on the red seals at box ends of the box so I am certain it dates after 1908 because that's when Gillette began using the diamond logo.

I am hoping some of you Gillette history experts might have some ideas on the origin/rarity of this box? Here are some pics. There are more pics in the gallery





Thanks in advance!
-Todd

Gillette director Pelhan was very strict when it came to copyright infringement or distributors not adhering to the actual retail price. Gillette had attorneys on retainer 24/7 360 days a year.

 

[alex2363]

Hey everyone,

A year or so ago I posted about a box of early Gillette blades I came across that are still sealed with red wax seals. Since I cannot verify their date by looking at the blades without breaking the seals I am working on a way to determine their date of manufacture.

I got to looking and comparing the packaging against other early blade box designs and the first thing that struck me is that there are 6 blades in this box (as marked on the end). I don't have any idea how rare that is but I thought nearly all boxes released by Gillette had either 5, 10 or 20 blades. Anybody know when the 6-blade boxes were released and perhaps how rare they are?

Also, the wording of the patent declaration on the back of the package is quite threatening, wording that I have not seen on any other packages.

In addition, I notice that this box bears neither the price (usually 50 cents or $1.00) nor the familiar "Reg. U.S. Pat. Off." nor "Made in U.S.A." markings. The box does bear the iconic diamond logo both on the end flap and directly on the red seals at box ends of the box so I am certain it dates after 1908 because that's when Gillette began using the diamond logo.

I am hoping some of you Gillette history experts might have some ideas on the origin/rarity of this box? Here are some pics. There are more pics in the gallery



Thanks in advance!
-Todd

The 6 count blades were released early as 1905 according to Krumholtz

 

[alex2363]

The marks "reg. US. Pat. Off. " were added around 1920.

 

[alex2363]

Here's a 6 count with a 3 count over-stamp for a H & B set [ handle and blade] for promotional purposes. These sets had the name of the company or business and was to lure more customers so they could buy more blades. Gillette would most likely reduce the blade count for economic reasons.

 

[IronHammer]

Fascinating info Alex. Thank you! So it would seem that my blades date between 1908 and 1920. Do you happen to know anything about the red seals? I've not seen them before.

 

[alex2363]

Fascinating info Alex. Thank you! So it would seem that my blades date between 1908 and 1920. Do you happen to know anything about the red seals? I've not seen them before.

I am sure it is Gillette way of securing it, but i would not open these since collectors pay more for sealed and NOS blades.

 

[IronHammer]

Oh I don't plan on opening them. I just wish I could find somebody who has seen one of these before. My dad suggested that maybe they are copycat blades. While I can't find any proof of that I doubt that is the case here.

 

[alex2363]

Oh I don't plan on opening them. I just wish I could find somebody who has seen one of these before. My dad suggested that maybe they are copycat blades. While I can't find any proof of that I doubt that is the case here.

Gillette had a good legal team that would handle any copycat maker. The team was very aware of any such companies. Gillette would even buy up or merge with the competition in an effort to eliminate the threat. They had deep pockets to do so, but eventually Autostrop's Gaisman was able to completely takeover Gillette while disputing a infringement case in 1929.

Here is a snip from Krumholtz, it pertains to blades and the thin line between the copy cats and the name manipulation of Gillette issues:

 

[GDCarrington]

Source: King Gillette - The Man and His Wonderful Shaving Device by Russell Adams Page 110

"Wrigley was surely clamping genuine Gillette blades in his razor, and early in January, 1924, he would have found that a change had been made in the way his favorite blades were packaged. Faced with rising costs — and with public demand that wax-paper inner wrappers, dropped a few years before as an economy measure, be re-instituted — the company decided to raise its prices by the simple expedient of again reducing the number of blades in each package Accordingly, blades were put up in packs of ten and five instead the long-familiar twelve and six, and the price remained one dollar and fifty cents respectively, or a dime a blade. This was considerably more than the nickel-per-blade retail price that Sachs, with encouragement from Gillette himself, had urged upon Pelham no long before, and Sachs, for one, was worried that customers might balk at paying the same price for fewer blades. But he was mollified by the saleswise Pelham, who informed him confidently that “the new packets will go wonderfully well. The public demands blades wrapped in wax paper and within a short time the public will forge that they used to buy twelve blades in a packet and will be quit content with ten blades in a packet.” He was cheered even further by Pelham’s assurance that the new packaging policy would eventually bring in an additional $2.5 million a year. Small wonder, considering that the actual cost of making the blades was only about penny apiece."