Vintage Williams score. Attn michiganlover!

[HoosierTrooper]

I hit a mini jackpot today at my friends antique store. He found a box of old Williams and a loose puck, plus a sealed puck of Surrey soap.

The box contains a sealed puck, and it's the old kind made by J.B. Williams and doesn't list the ingredients on the box. The box and paper has a greasy feel, apparently from the tallow wicking out.

The loose puck had a lot of grit and dirt on it from setting for who knows how long in box. On the back of the puck it says The J.B. Willims Co USA.
I scrubbed it a little with a damp cloth and it lathered up like crazy! Most of the grit came off, but I'm going to clean it a little before using it tomorrow morning. The last picture shows it after a brief scrubbing.

From what I've read the Surrey was made by the same company that now makes VDH.

Not bad for $7!

 

[Topgumby]

Sweeet!

 

[michiganlover]

From what I've read the Surrey was made by the same company that now makes VDH.

Not bad for $7

Sweet score for $7!!

I can't believe how dirty that puck was, it looks like it was a goner, but has cleaned up really well.

I have yet to try it, but some of the more vintage Surrey's were a tallow based soap. I have two pucks of the tallow Surrey waiting for testing at some point in the future (the shave cave has like 5+ years worth of product at the moment. )

Did your Surrey come in this box??

This is I believe the box for the tallow based soap. Later renditions of this soap were more or less very similar to the same formula of current VDH Deluxe (as I understand it)

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Sweet score for $7!!

I can't believe how dirty that puck was, it looks like it was a goner, but has cleaned up really well.

I have yet to try it, but some of the more vintage Surrey's were a tallow based soap. I have two pucks of the tallow Surrey waiting for testing at some point in the future (the shave cave has like 5+ years worth of product at the moment. )

Did your Surrey come in this box??

This is I believe the box for the tallow based soap. Later renditions of this soap were more or less very similar to the same formula of current VDH Deluxe (as I understand it)

It wasn't in a box. On the front of the puck it just says SURREY, not as elaborate as the one in your picture. Judging from the cellaphane wrapper I'm guessing it's fairly new.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Wow, this ancient neglected puck is amazing. I used an Omega badger brush and swirled it around the puck for thirty seconds and ended up with enough lather to shave for three days. I loaded a GEM 1912 Damaskeene with a new Ted Pella blade and got a perfect shave. No nicks or irritation at all.

As I've said before, I have no problem getting the current version of Williams to lather, probably because of the extremely soft water I have, but I think this old fella might have have done a little better. I might do a side by side sometime and compare them.

I'm hoping these two will last a couple years since I have several others I like to use as well, but I'll definitely be on the hunt for more.

 

[Pumpkin]

Nice score! I too have no problems with modern Williams...again really soft water here. So I'm curious as to how much better the old stuff is!

 

[soapbox]

I hit a mini jackpot today at my friends antique store. He found a box of old Williams and a loose puck, plus a sealed puck of Surrey soap.

Excellent score! Would you mind scanning the Williams puck wrapper, and posting it and a few pics to the Wiki? It would be great to get a chronology of the Williams brand, and packaging.

 

[Ruck]

It's a nice shaving soap, that's for sure. I've been using a williams puck of similar age for around a week or so now, and I just can't get enough of it. I keep telling myself to put it away and use it sparingly, but easier said than done when it's the best soap in the rotation. Enjoy it! Great stuff.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Excellent score! Would you mind scanning the Williams puck wrapper, and posting it and a few pics to the Wiki? It would be great to get a chronology of the Williams brand, and packaging.

Yeah, I'll be glad to.

It's a nice shaving soap, that's for sure. I've been using a williams puck of similar age for around a week or so now, and I just can't get enough of it. I keep telling myself to put it away and use it sparingly, but easier said than done when it's the best soap in the rotation. Enjoy it! Great stuff.

I'm going to use the one without the box first, and keep the boxed one for whenever it's gone.

 

[DFrancis]

Nice score.

 

[Doc4]

I hit a mini jackpot today at my friends antique store. He found a box of old Williams and a loose puck, plus a sealed puck of Surrey soap.

Life is like a box of Floris ... you never know what you are going to get.

 

[Deltaboy]

Cool find.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Life is like a box of Floris ... you never know what you are going to get.

I've broken out of the Gump shackles sir, I'm now a full fledge BSS

 

[KaiserKrebs]

Wow! nice find there Hoosier....it looks as if your Williams, has somehow survived a fire or the like.

 

[Swampfox]

I hit a mini jackpot today at my friends antique store. He found a box of old Williams and a loose puck, plus a sealed puck of Surrey soap.

The box contains a sealed puck, and it's the old kind made by J.B. Williams and doesn't list the ingredients on the box. The box and paper has a greasy feel, apparently from the tallow wicking out.

The loose puck had a lot of grit and dirt on it from setting for who knows how long in box. On the back of the puck it says The J.B. Willims Co USA.
I scrubbed it a little with a damp cloth and it lathered up like crazy! Most of the grit came off, but I'm going to clean it a little before using it tomorrow morning. The last picture shows it after a brief scrubbing.

From what I've read the Surrey was made by the same company that now makes VDH.

Not bad for $7!

Cool.

Sweet score for $7!!

I can't believe how dirty that puck was, it looks like it was a goner, but has cleaned up really well.

I have yet to try it, but some of the more vintage Surrey's were a tallow based soap. I have two pucks of the tallow Surrey waiting for testing at some point in the future (the shave cave has like 5+ years worth of product at the moment. )

Did your Surrey come in this box??

This is I believe the box for the tallow based soap. Later renditions of this soap were more or less very similar to the same formula of current VDH Deluxe (as I understand it)

Interesting......

 

[HoosierTrooper]

Here's a few more pictures. The wrapper was stuck to the puck so member soapbox gave me some instructions on how to set it above a container of water inside another closed container to soften the paper. It worked pretty well and I was unable to unwrap it with minimal damage. The inside wrapper is just an advertisement for Aqua Velva. I did find the number 45-8293 on it that may be a date code, I don't really know.

The puck is still very soft, and it has a lot of fragrance left. I did a side by side sniff test with a new puck. It's definitely different, but I do think I can smell some similarity.

I've used the puck that was unwrapped several times now and it is really, really nice.

 

[Greybeard]

That style Aqua Velva bottle was introduced in 1950. Williams moved from Glastonbury in 1960. Your boxed Williams is dated somewhere between 1950 -1959.
Good stuff.

 

[HoosierTrooper]

That style Aqua Velva bottle was introduced in 1950. Williams moved from Glastonbury in 1960. Your boxed Williams is dated somewhere between 1950 -1959.
Good stuff.

Thanks! I was born in 1956 so that makes it as old,err, I mean young, as me.

 

[Greybeard]

Youngster. I was born the year that bottle was introduced.