Vintage Veg Score?

[Shave Ready]

I've had my eye on a bottle of the Veg at my local barbershop for a little while. I already own the Veg in the plastic bottle and truly enjoy its many nuances, but the bottle at the barbershop was calling my name due to the fact that it was in a glass bottle. I had to stop in this morning for a haircut, and decided that I would ask the proprietor of the shop if there were a price at which he would be willing to part with said bottle of Veg. When I asked, he responded by giving it to me, gratis! I need to figure out how I can repay him for the favor, but in the meantime, enjoy the picture of my Pinaud family.



I haven't opened it up yet, for fear of releasing the magic from the elixir prematurely. In the meantime, what can you tell me about this bottle? For example, I notice that the color of the vintage bottle is paler than that in the plastic bottle. I notice also that both bottles have a plastic cap. Is there any way to approximate the date of the vintage bottle? Is it possible that the contents of the vintage bottle have "spoiled" in any way? Questions abound!

 

[mblakele]

Congrats, that looks like a great score. I have not seen that particular label before. Can you post some larger shots of the front and back, so we can see the details?

I have a glass bottle with a label that looks closer to the modern one. Mine has a UPC on the back, so it must be later than the mid-1970s. It is also close to the modern shade of green, but I find the scent a little sweeter and less earthy.

 

[rebos]

Very nice. Are ingredients listed?

How's the smell? Similar to your current bottle 'o' Veg?

 

[Shave Ready]

Front and back pictures:


There are ingredients listed on the label, but kind of hard to make out - alcohol, sda 40, water, fragrance, FDC yellow #5, FDC green #3. Scent seems to be milder, and a bit less...pungent...than my new Veg. It kind of smells like what my new Veg dries down to, if that makes sense.

 

[bvance554]

Wow, how long has that been sitting on his counter? He may have been glad to get rid of it. To pay him back, bring him a Christmas gift the next time you go back.

 

[mblakele]

Ah, the label and the juice have both faded. Years and years of UV exposure....

I see a zip code on the front, so it is 1963 at the earliest but most likely a bit later. No metric on the label. There seems to be no UPC code, which might give us late 1970s as an upper bound - or barber bottles may have been late to acquire UPC codes. Still, late 1960s to early 1970s seems like a reasonable guess.

 

[Shave Ready]

Indeed, it was sitting on a shelf by a window, for as long as I can remember. I tried it this morning. Reactions among the family members were varied, but all recognized the unmistakable scent of the Veg! My wife and I both picked up on a stronger alcohol scent, and it seems to me that the dry down scent is a bit more pronounced than the current stuff. I guess, as we all suspected, that the sands of time cannot diminish the potency of the Veg!

 

[Elder Scrolls]

Wow, that is a score indeed ! Well done !

 

[Mick]

Nicely done.

You should find out what your barber uses the most of then get him some more of that product.

It was a nice gesture he made by giving you that old bottle of "liquid gold"

 

[rebos]

Nicely done.

You should find out what your barber uses the most of then get him some more of that product.

It was a nice gesture he made by giving you that old bottle of "liquid gold"

+1

The bottle is far classier than the current bottle --so you can always decant into it when it's finished off.

 

[Shave Ready]

Nicely done.

You should find out what your barber uses the most of then get him some more of that product.

It was a nice gesture he made by giving you that old bottle of "liquid gold"

Thanks - interestingly enough, my barber is an old-timer of the town. He's not really into barbering in the sense that he takes great interest and pride in the tools, but more for the familiar faces that he gets to interact with every day. I do know he's very active in his church, so I've thought about making a contribution in his name to one of the ministries he is involved in, or giving him a gift certificate to one of the several locally-owned hometown restaurants for him and his wife. Tough decision - a special gift like this deserves careful consideration of the kindness to be returned!

 

[Shave Ready]

The bottle is far classier than the current bottle --so you can always decant into it when it's finished off.

That's interesting - I noticed that the top of the bottle doesn't have one of those plastic things to restrict the flow - it's simply has a very narrow opening at the top. Smaller than any funnel I've seen could fit into the opening. Do you have any suggestions for how to fill it (with more Veg, of course!!!)?

 

[mblakele]

I use a cheaper version of this: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=15956038

Another variation is an irrigation syringe. Ask at your local pharmacy.

 

[Kramerica]

I guess, as we all suspected, that the sands of time cannot diminish the potency of the Veg!

Yeah...and it takes awhile for radioactive sludge to decay, too!

Just sayin'...............

All joking aside, I don't care for the Veg, but that is a very nice vintage score!

 

[bvance554]

I use a cheaper version of this: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=15956038

Another variation is an irrigation syringe. Ask at your local pharmacy.

Say what? You inject Veg?

 

[TheVez2]

I have a piece of small plastic tubing that I use to siphon aftershave from bottle to bottle when I do it. Another cheap way to do it is to get one of those cheap clear squeeze ketchup/mustard bottles. Fill it up and squeeze aftershave into the new bottle.

 

[drathgeb]

I like that it says "Professional use only". Pinaud no longer has any respect for public safety. That should be a mandatory label for the Veg

 

[Col Wilburforce Buckshot]

My now famous Veg bottle which I have refilled perhaps 1,000 times over the past twenty+ years.

I find a dedicated ear syringe the perfect instrument for performing a Veg transfusion.



Insert the spout into the orifice, invert the bottle (the syringe tip will form a seal), squeeze the bulb and it fills to about 1.5oz. Place the nozzle of the now filled syringe into the orifice of the bottle to be refilled. Squeeze again to release the magic elixir. Repeat until filled (about 4 times for an empty 6oz bottle).

Resist the temptation to squirt Lilac Vegetal into your ears.

 

[jbradley]

My now famous Veg bottle which I have refilled perhaps 1,000 times over the past twenty+ years.

I find a dedicated ear syringe the perfect instrument for performing a Veg transfusion.

View attachment 315380

Insert the spout into the orifice, invert the bottle (the syringe tip will form a seal), squeeze the bulb and it fills to about 1.5oz. Place the nozzle of the now filled syringe into the orifice of the bottle to be refilled. Squeeze again to release the magic elixir. Repeat until filled (about 4 times for an empty 6oz bottle).

Resist the temptation to squirt Lilac Vegetal into your ears.

Wonderful idea! The bulb, not squirting it in your ear. I've struggled with refilling several vintage bottles, this appears to be the perfect solution. But should I get separate bulbs for each AS? Surely using a bulb that has had Bay Rum in it would defile the Veg and ruin the entire jar, causing one to have to do penance!

 

[luvmysuper]

You can also use one of these plastic condiment squeeze bottles. Unscrew the cap, squeeze the Veg in, screw on the cap, insert the tip, and fill-er-up.
I've seen them available for about a dollar at Bed, Bath and Beyond.