Guide to American Button Company Pocket Edition Sets: Part One - Razors

[alex2363]

I received my razor this morning and took some digital photos which seem to confirm a partial stamp of an A.
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Length is 82mm and weight of entire razor is 52gms with the handle only weighing 33gms.

Comparing the handle with those shown on Page 1 it would seem that it is another variation.
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What do you think?

great pics, you can see the workmanship .

 

[Smb4]

Bump. I'm bumping this thread forward.
Really nice In-depth job guys! An excellent reference.

 

[Morman Bridge]

Hello all, I just scored another ABC set today, www.ebay.com/itm/161214958701
I have a question about it. From the photo series the seller made I noticed there seems to be two series of numbers printed on the comb guard plate. The razor appears to have a C 72547 serial number on one side, and an L series number on the other. Is it certain that repaired razors were imprinted with an L number after they were repaired? I can't explain what else this number could be if it is not a repair number. Also in looking at the top cap, it seems different than my other ABC sets. Could this be a Frankenrazor? Thanks for any input about this razor. I appreciate all response.

 

[alex2363]

Hello all, I just scored another ABC set today, www.ebay.com/itm/161214958701
I have a question about it. From the photo series the seller made I noticed there seems to be two series of numbers printed on the comb guard plate. The razor appears to have a C 72547 serial number on one side, and an L series number on the other. Is it certain that repaired razors were imprinted with an L number after they were repaired? I can't explain what else this number could be if it is not a repair number. Also in looking at the top cap, it seems different than my other ABC sets. Could this be a Frankenrazor? Thanks for any input about this razor. I appreciate all response.

I read that the New Improved razors indicated the L as a special engraved model razor.








shave wiki has the L as repaired units.

19	J7345‑J999999 K1‑K927216
1920	K927217‑K999999 M1‑M999999 N1‑N459887			Annual sales exceed 2.1M razors in 1920. "L" was not used as a serial number prefix as it had already been used to stamp razors returned for repair.

 

[Morman Bridge]

Thanks Alex! Can you see the L series number on the opposite side of the C series number?

 

[alex2363]

Thanks Alex! Can you see the L series number on the opposite side of the C series number?

yes

 

[Morman Bridge]

Thanks for your help Alex!

 

[mnap86]

Hello there!


A question, quick one. Did all of the ABC come in either silver or gold, or did they use other metals on them? (like chrome, nickel?)


Heres mine:

 

[Intrigued]

As far as I know, all of the ABC razors were either gold or silver plated.

 

[Jeremydelagarza]

I thought they where all silver and gold.

my collection is posted here

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/390737-Gillette-Empire-Gillette-Flower

 

[Azawhak]

I scored this today, but reading the posts, i wonder if the razor and the case are a mismatch... View attachment 421104View attachment 421105View attachment 421106View attachment 421107

Is this really a full ABC kit? Thx for the info!

 

[Morman Bridge]

I don't have enough knowledge to make a determination as to whether it's a mismatch, however I have seen several of the Canadian ABC sets with a smooth ball Old Type razor in them. Don't count it a mismatch yet! Those smooth ball Old Types are a bit rare. Is your set Canadian? If it is, then you might have a hard time dating it, since the dating information for the Canadian sets is not complete. By the way, I think I bid against you on that set a week or so ago! I was interested in the smooth ball end Old Type. I think they are cool. Nice set by the way also. The case looks to me to be pre 1912 due to the type of clasp. There is another thread about these cases related to this thread. Anyway I hope my input helped, but I am not expert with these sets even though I own a few.

 

[Azawhak]

It might be canadian since i bought it in an antique store just next to my place (south shore of montreal canada). So no bidding war on this one . From reading more, i do believe it is a canadian made one. No idea on dating though... View attachment 421152

This is the only thing that could help the dating!

Thanks for the input though!

 

[alex2363]

It might be canadian since i bought it in an antique store just next to my place (south shore of montreal canada). So no bidding war on this one . From reading more, i do believe it is a canadian made one. No idea on dating though... View attachment 421152

This is the only thing that could help the dating!

Thanks for the input though!

I will input the razor in the Canadian shave wiki date chart.

 

[alex2363]

In there now.............. http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Gillette_Canada_Dating_Information?redirect=no

C 10286	10286	Single Ring	standard	-	bullet	-	no	Number on barrel.
C 44236	44236	Single Ring	standard		bullet		no	Belongs to B&B/flashover604 ---- from BOTOC thread http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...n-Comb/page857
C 13209	13209	Pocket	Smooth ball					B&B Azawhak , http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...07#post5994607
PC 21708	21708	Pocket	standard	punched down	ABC	patch	no	From B&B/Jagger Gold Empire set http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthr...-numbers/page4

 

[Azawhak]

Thanks Alex! I guess there is no real way of dating it huh?

 

[MacDaddy]

It might be canadian since i bought it in an antique store just next to my place (south shore of montreal canada). So no bidding war on this one . From reading more, i do believe it is a canadian made one.

Yes, it's definitely a Canadian one. They did their own handles on these early Pocket Editions when the ABC handles were being used in the States, and this is the most common of the three (or four, depending on how you want to count) variations that I'm aware of. It's still fairly uncommon, though, just given the kind of volume that these would have been made in originally.

Thanks Alex! I guess there is no real way of dating it huh?

We're still trying to sort out the dating there, that's why I'm interested in gathering the other attributes of the razors and cases they were found with -- to try and line those up against similar changes in the American models.

Yours is a bit perplexing, actually. Most of the indicators would seem to point to that being a fairly early model in the Canadian timeline: latch closure on the case and punched-down guard plate collar, though I can't tell whether the cap studs are rounded or bullet-shaped from that one angle. However, I would expect the serial number to have a "PC" prefix rather than the "C" that it's got. In fact I don't think I've ever seen a "C" prefix on a Canadian Pocket Edition -- just on their early Single Rings. I can think of three possible explanations:

1. The serial number should have been "PC" but the stamp was done incorrectly (or incompletely, though there doesn't seem to be even a hint of a partial strike).
2. The guard plate got swapped for an American C-series one at some point.
3. Our understanding of Canadian serial numbers is even foggier than we thought.

 

[Azawhak]

Thanks for the info MacDaddy, i'll try to get better pictures of the case when i get home. See if that helps!

 

[Azawhak]

The studs seem rounded from what i see. Any help on identifying?

 

[Azawhak]

Also found a small crack on top of the ball end, read about those somewhere too but can't find it anymore, that might help too...