Just got a bottle of Old Spice that dates between 1950 and 1956. Beautiful stuff. I really appreciate Old Spice from when Shulton still made it. I always disliked that Shulton stopped making it in 1970, and then of course P&G took over in the nineties. Wish this formula could have trucked on through the 20th century and into the present day. Going back to the early fifties you can smell the quality. Does anyone have experience with this generation of vintage? Anyone ever smell 1940s Old Spice? Stopper #1?
Old Spice from 1950-1956
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I love the Shulton years as well. I have some from several decades. I also tried the bottle that was originally made for ladies. A friend bought it and I tipped it onto my finger. It was delightful. Possibly more sweet than the aftershave. I believe it was a cologne though. I’m not sure if that is what you are referring to.
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- #3
You're referring to the feminine "Early American" Old Spice, I assume. That's definitely cool too. I'm thinking more of the version marketed to men dating back to its Hull Pottery days, and when it transitioned to the Wheaton glass bottles.
Ahhh. I see. I looked up the names of the bottles you mentioned. I found this site.
I believe I have only purchased ‘56 and newer bottles. I know I have one from a buddy whose great grandfather had on his dresser when he died in the late 50’s. It was passed down by his father. It looked like it was made in the late 50’s after perusing the site I listed. Working from memory on that one though as I gave my friend the bottle after finishing. He liked the bottle as a keepsake but hated aftershave…..
I am amazed at the consistency of the juice over the 50’s-80’s. So good!
I believe I have only purchased ‘56 and newer bottles. I know I have one from a buddy whose great grandfather had on his dresser when he died in the late 50’s. It was passed down by his father. It looked like it was made in the late 50’s after perusing the site I listed. Working from memory on that one though as I gave my friend the bottle after finishing. He liked the bottle as a keepsake but hated aftershave…..
I am amazed at the consistency of the juice over the 50’s-80’s. So good!
My Dad used Old Spice aftershave lotion from the 1950's thru the 70's. I still remember the scent. Good stuff.
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- #6
I hadn't tried pre-1956 OS until now. It's actually a little different from the 1956 - 1970 formula. It resembles current P&G more so than later versions, which is interesting. However there is still a significant nitromusk presence in the base. I also smell a rich allspice note in the heart that is missing from the current stuff.
FarmerTan
"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
I love the vintage Avon Spicy. Good stuff too.
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- #8
Of vintages, I've tried pre-1956, post '56, '67-70, mid seventies, eighties, and nineties. But unfortunately never had a chance to try Avon Spicy. I've heard it's one of the best alternatives. I found the Indian version by Rubicon to be great too, but significantly different with all that black and pink pepper. The Indian OS Lime is interesting also. Like a lightly peppered talc with a bit of lime zest thrown in. Not at all like any of the other versions I've smelled, but I like it.
EclipseRedRing
I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have some pre 1970 Old Spice aftershave and cologne and to my nose the scents are the same as the later Shulton bottles, but possibly a little stronger. I have tried Avon Spicy, again both AS and cologne, but to me they were closer to a bay rum than to Old Spice. For me, Old Spice has more in common with Tabac than with Spicy.
FarmerTan
"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Dude! You been smokin' Bay leaves? Lol, noses are pretty individual.... I had a girlfriend that had here nose on upside down. True story. Everytime it rained she had to walk on her hands!
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- #11
Old Spice certainly isn't a bay rum, that's for sure! It's funny how it gets associated with bay rums though.
I have a bottle of Old Spice "Long Lasting Cologne" that's marked Shulton Wayne, N.J. I can't remember when I bought it but I thought Shulton was making it into the early 80's. Did P&G keep the Shulton mark on it for a while? The stuff's potent as ever and lasts way into the night.
I love Shulton OS Cologne. Very long lasting. I have several lifetimes worth from purchasing over the years. Sooooo much better than the new cologne. I could live with the new aftershave, which I like just fine but find quite weak, as long as I have some vintage cologne to top it off!
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- #14
So here's the thing with Old Spice and Shulton: On December 21st, 1970, American Cyanamid announced publicly that they'd reached a deal to acquire Shulton, Inc. So from 1970 onward, American Cyanamid oversaw the brand and its products, and Shulton ceased to be the real producer of Old Spice. However, much as Colgate-Palmolive puts "By Mennen" on Skin Bracer, even though Mennen hasn't made Skin Bracer in decades, "American Cyanamid" isn't as catchy as "Shulton," so the company kept Shulton's name on the product under the official banner "The Shulton Group."
They kept many employees because the sale for Shulton's worker translated to almost 100% share stake, something like 99 cents to the dollar (all shares of Shulton would be worth almost the same amount in shares of AC, off by only a few cents). American Cyanamid sold Shulton's brand to P&G in 1990, finalizing the transaction on 9/11/90.
I believe when that transaction was complete there was no delay on P&G's end in putting their name on the bottles. However there was probably a bit of time lag there when bottles were still bearing "Shulton Inc." or "Shulton Group" for a while after simply by virtue of there being a lot of stock.
I Have a lifetime supply and collection of Shulton, but never have owned the Hull pottery from the 30's and 40's or the Wheaton from 46' and the 50's. I do own several from 56' 67' 73' the early 80's and the limited edtion 90's commemorating the 60 year jubilee. While my nose is articulate enough to know Shulton goodness from amongst the evil doings of watered down copies, My 56' bottles smell of the same greatness of Shulton as my 90's bottles do.
I own plenty of Rubicon, but only in the fresh lime version. I even transfer that juice and keep it in a vintage Shulton fresh lime bottle.
Avon Spicy is probably closer to Shulton then the petroleum based dollar store spice type brands. But there is no reason to consider even owning Avon spicy when I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 bottles of Shulton goodness. 
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- #17
Every bottle I've owned has smelled slightly different except for the current P&G versions. I think a lot of this has to do with variability of age and condition, with some being in better condition and others being more noticeably musty and slightly stale. With that said, I am surprised by how different the pre-1956 bottle smells from the post-1956 bottle and the late sixties/early seventies bottle. It's just more balanced, brighter, with a crisp woodiness that really shines. In regards to the Stopper #3 bottle I have, I suspect it's possibility due mostly to freshness and better storage condition. But with my Stopper #4 bottle from about ten years later, that one had a very intense muskiness built into it that suggests a slight change in formula. My 1980s bottle was more of a sparkling fizz of cinnamon and sweetness but it faded fast. I have a limited recollection of the nineties version but seem to recall it being similar to the eighties version but even lighter.I Have a lifetime supply and collection of Shulton, but never have owned the Hull pottery from the 30's and 40's or the Wheaton from 46' and the 50's. I do own several from 56' 67' 73' the early 80's and the limited edtion 90's commemorating the 60 year jubilee. While my nose is articulate enough to know Shulton goodness from amongst the evil doings of watered down copies, My 56' bottles smell of the same greatness of Shulton as my 90's bottles do.
I own plenty of Rubicon, but only in the fresh lime version. I even transfer that juice and keep it in a vintage Shulton fresh lime bottle.
I was reading about the AC deal when your post came in
. It makes sense now
Sounds like your nose and skill of scent detection is much better then mine. That’s a pretty good list of different nuances you seem to have the ability to detect.
I’m jealous.
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- #20
In regards to what I originally posted, it wasn't really about the smell of Old Spice, it was about the fact that Shulton stopped making it in 1970. Like every perfume ever made (especially the ones that have survived 50+ years), Old Spice has seen several reformulations over the decades and thus is subject to minor tweaks and changes from era to era. I regret that some vintages aren't as fresh as they could have been, which makes it difficult to detect variances, but find it amazing when a specimen is preserved well and yields surprising notes.Sounds like your nose and skill of scent detection is much better then mine. That’s a pretty good list of different nuances you seem to have the ability to detect.
I’m jealous.
It's obvious by the history that American Cyanamid's practice of maintaining the company's basic formula (no cheapening of materials or drastic changes) was a wise decision, as it helped perpetuate the brand's market share until its sale to P&G twenty years later. But within those twenty years there were still some trends that suggested that the musk-heavy seventies might want a muskier OS, and the woodier (Luca Turin called it "Cigar Box") eighties masculine trend might want a sturdier "long-lasting" formula with prominent cinnamon and nutmeg elements, and so one has to wonder how much these eras guided the decision makers in making formula changes.
I realized this when I smelled the various vintages and started wondering why they all smelled a bit different from each other. But I still want to know what the very first era smelled like - 1940s (even late thirties) Old Spice! If I were ever to get my hands on that vintage I'll share it with you OkieStubble, that's something I want to discuss with a man with an equally good nose!
