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Vintage Williams

Just passed on two packages of Williams soap at an antique shop. One originally marked $0.69 and one $0.75. No idea how old as I don't know much about Williams but the packaging seemed to be vintage. The price was $9.00 each. Seemd a bit high to me.
 
Dont mean to hijack the thread but this is along the lines of the OP. I came upon what looked like a "vintage" Williams puck w/Menthol. Didn't know they made it with menthol. Anyone know if it's any good? Performance wise. It was $12. Is it worth the price?
 
Just passed on two packages of Williams soap at an antique shop. One originally marked $0.69 and one $0.75. No idea how old as I don't know much about Williams but the packaging seemed to be vintage. The price was $9.00 each. Seemd a bit high to me.

It seems high to me also, but then I'm a cheap ol' SOB.:001_rolle
 
The price on the Williams keeps going up and when you reach the price of a puck of MWF or Dr.Harris its time to pass and get the good stuff.Vintage Williams is a good soap but its not as good as the others its in the price league of lately. I will say I would rather pay $10 for it than $4 for canned goo if both were in front of me.
 
When was the last of the "good Williams soap", and how can we easily determine between the good stuff and the newer, less desireable reformulation?
 
Dont mean to hijack the thread but this is along the lines of the OP. I came upon what looked like a "vintage" Williams puck w/Menthol. Didn't know they made it with menthol. Anyone know if it's any good? Performance wise. It was $12. Is it worth the price?

I have four pucks of menthol Williams, it's really good soap but the menthol has long faded away. I'd pay that much for it, but I'm a vintage Williams nut.
 
I just bought a Currier and Ives Bowl to try.

The pucks are worth what you're willing to pay. Condition is a big variable. Depending on how they were stored over the years makes an impact on how useful they can be. They tend to lose their fragrance and absorb others. I've seen some that look new and I've seen others that are dark yellow, dry, and musty.

I have grated them before and mixed them with cologne to bring them to life before. I've yet to find one that doesn't explode with lather. Not that I'd use every one I've ever seen though.
 
I recently started on a '69 puck of Williams. There is not much scent left but the shaving qualities place it easily in the same league with D.R.Harris, EU-Palmolive, Cella and Speick. Worth $9? Arko, EU-Palmolive and Cella deliver for less but I know some +$20 pucks that don't so YMMV.

I do know that this '69 puck of Williams is something special though and I certainly understand why some hunt them down.
 
Pretty personal as to what to pay. It's a darn good soap and I'll pay $5 for a puck if I see it, but for $10 I'd opt for a current production soap like Cade.
 
Pretty personal as to what to pay. It's a darn good soap and I'll pay $5 for a puck if I see it, but for $10 I'd opt for a current production soap like Cade.

This

It's good stuff, no doubt about that. But once you start getting at $10+, I'd rather have a good performing soap with some scent. Plus you always run the risk of receiving the soap and there being something wrong with it. When you're talking about something 30+ years old, it really isn't that hard for it to have been improperly stored at some point during its lifetime
 
is this stuff so great, without a scent its worth the hunt for them, or is it just something a lot of people want to try for themselves because its talked about so much, and they want in on the conversation.
I do see some people from time to time listing it as their number one soap, or they keep lots around becuase its all they shave with, is it really worth all that ?
 
is this stuff so great, without a scent its worth the hunt for them, or is it just something a lot of people want to try for themselves because its talked about so much, and they want in on the conversation.
I do see some people from time to time listing it as their number one soap, or they keep lots around becuase its all they shave with, is it really worth all that ?

No

It's good. Better than most of the current stuff. But there is no reason to use most of the current stuff when you can use the best of the current stuff. It's not like many sought after soaps because of their great scents. Tallow Pen's English Fern comes to mine. It has no scent. So while its leaps and bounds about the modern williams, the total lack of scent causes it to lose a lot of points in my book
 
so its great for 5 buck to see what williams used to be, but at 10 bucks your just nuts lol, something like that ?
 
so its great for 5 buck to see what williams used to be, but at 10 bucks your just nuts lol, something like that ?

I wouldn't say someone is nuts. Some people don't like fragrance, they like that soapy smell. To me, the scent is a huge part of the experience. So I can't fault someone for spending that much, its just for me personally there are other soaps I'd rather have more. For $5 though I'd grab it in a heartbeat
 
I dont think an unscented soap would hold my attention past a single shave the whole "so thats what vintage williams is" then probably pass it along to someone else, but i would rather do a cheap williams vintage then one of the more expensive ones with no scent, ill keep an eye out at the flea markets next time im out though
 
Just passed on two packages of Williams soap at an antique shop. One originally marked $0.69 and one $0.75. No idea how old as I don't know much about Williams but the packaging seemed to be vintage. The price was $9.00 each. Seemd a bit high to me.

I think you were wise to pass. I went to an antique shop today and they wanted $4.75 for a vintage Williams BOX (no soap inside).

I'd take that same $9.00 and choose from many wonderful soaps currently stocked.
 
I'd pay $10 for a puck, easily. I've been lucky to find some for less, but the vintage stuff gives me as good a shave as any modern soap, and since they're not making it anymore the prices are only going to keep rising..... that $10 will be $20 before long and you'll be kicking yourself for not getting it cheap when you could.
 
I wouldn't say someone is nuts. Some people don't like fragrance, they like that soapy smell. To me, the scent is a huge part of the experience. So I can't fault someone for spending that much, its just for me personally there are other soaps I'd rather have more. For $5 though I'd grab it in a heartbeat

I had a quite large lot of Vintage Wiliams at one time. The lack of scent eventually drove me to sell/ trade/ pif all of it. For me scent is a huge part of the overall experience, and while Vintage Williams is a top performer, it's simply really boring to use.

All Vintage Soaps are basically scentless, as any scent they once had is long long gone.

Vintage Williams are fairly small pucks. if I really wanted to try it, I might pay $10 a puck for it, but considering it's small size I don't think it's worth any more than that.
 
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