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

Hello!
It is my first post here at B&B!
I'm a brazilian vintage wet shave addicted and recently got my second ABC pocket at a on-line auction for a very cheap price!
Here is my baby


And the other one is a Imperial ABC Pocket that a got either at a on-line acution. Unfurtunatly the photos were not good and I realized that it has the four outer teeth bent Two of them are completely bent and touching the teeth next to they... The handle and the top cap are fine.. Does anyone have ever tried to straigth some ABC Gillette Pocket teeth?

Welcome! And congrats!

I have, after annealing the bottom plate, but if they are bent that bad they will break off because there is probably a crack already started.

Leave them alone, bent teeth are better than missing teeth!

Thank you TobyC!
I forgot to upload the photos

[MENTION=108028]Edgard[/MENTION]

Bem-vindo!

I agree, better leave it as is. Enjoy that very nice set!

Edgard said:

Thank you TobyC!
I forgot to upload the photos
View attachment 661799View attachment 661800

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Beautiful razor, and it will still shave fine, you'll never notice the bent teeth!

[MENTION=79408]nuclearblast[/MENTION] [MENTION=89729]TobyC[/MENTION]

Thank you all guys!
So tonight will be the first shave with Imperial!

Edgard said:

@nuclearblast @TobyC

Thank you all guys!
So tonight will be the first shave with Imperial!

Click to expand...

Let us know how it goes!

Hello gentlemen,

I try to collect data, please share your knowledge if possible.
Could you give me date codes of milled ABC pocket combs and the style of case the razor came with (latch type opening or push to open case)
I think ABC pocket razors were switched from stamped combs to milled combs (and from latch to push to open cases) around 1911, but I could only find a handful of datecodes, to few to make a sample.

Or if the date is already known, please share it, I couldn't find anything.

Stamped comb:



Milled comb (this one is British, but the milling is the same as on US ones):


Both pictures from badger&blade

Thanks

Adam

Hello, maybe I wasn't clear enough. Under stamped/milled I mean how the handle attaches to the baseplate, not the finish of the combs.
Base plate upper side recessed lower side has a flat protruding circle: stamped
Base plate upper side smooth lower side has a recessed circle: milled

Adam

Here is my find, though it is missing what is needed to shave with:
View attachment 680289

ccpastork said:

Here is my find, though it is missing what is needed to shave with:
View attachment 680289

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That's taking "safety" razor a little too far!

TobyC said:

That's taking "safety" razor a little too far!

Click to expand...

It's the "Emperors New Clothes" version...you can't see the other parts?

ccpastork said:

It's the "Emperors New Clothes" version...you can't see the other parts?

Click to expand...

I picked up my second ABC razor last weekend at a Flea Market. It's a silver, or was a silver shell with a thin handle. I posted it on the Acquisition thread with my other one. Some questions were brought up about the teeth on my first one, so I thought I would post some pictures here to see if anyone has any answers. My first one is also a silver shell, I believe it is a 500 set, it came in a basket weave case. It appeared to have been unused or used very little when I found it also at a Flea Market a few months back. The one in question is on the left in the first picture. I also noticed that the handle is a little different than the ones posted at the beginning of this thread.

Hello Gents,

can't post any any pictures right now, but it looks like there were "transitional" ABC sets.
I stumbled upon one that has a 1909 date code, rounded teeth and a Gillette diamond on the lower side of the combed plate without the made in USA inscription.

Adam

Hello,

the auction is over, here we have B183025 with rounded teeth and the large Gillette logo on the baseplate.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Gil...8tA%2FwyB%2F1%2Bmz98c%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Adam

Hello,

another oddity imho, stamped head with milled teeth.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-KIN...ZPpJVGioZwFXpcIK0hRSo%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

Adam

[MENTION=106656]romsitsa[/MENTION]

Great posts, Adam!

romsitsa said:

Hello gentlemen,

I try to collect data, please share your knowledge if possible.
Could you give me date codes of milled ABC pocket combs and the style of case the razor came with (latch type opening or push to open case)
I think ABC pocket razors were switched from stamped combs to milled combs (and from latch to push to open cases) around 1911, but I could only find a handful of datecodes, to few to make a sample.

Or if the date is already known, please share it, I couldn't find anything.

Stamped comb:

Milled comb (this one is British, but the milling is the same as on US ones):

Both pictures from badger&blade

Thanks

Adam

Click to expand...

Hello Adam, I have had numerous ABC sets in the past, and still own a few now. As near as I can tell, the 1909, and very early 1910 ABC sets contained the stamped baseplate with the wide, rounded teeth. It seems to me that I only saw one example of a stamped baseplate later than 1910. I believe it was a 1912. All of the early stamped baseplates were in the latch type cases. The 1912 that I saw was in a push button case. I hope this input helps. Good luck and God bless.

Mlee said:

Some questions were brought up about the teeth on my first one, so I thought I would post some pictures here to see if anyone has any answers.

View attachment 680993

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I've had a couple of these come through my hands and have both versions. The first example I owned had the rounded teeth, which were also shorter, as is yours. The blade stuck out past the teeth.