So... Another batch of arrivals came in yesterday. Two Kronas, a Lord L6 I got in a deal at Badger and Blade, and a vintage Ever-Ready boar (?) brush. Any idea on the dating for the Kronas? I'll attach some photos of my three Kronas below with some possible clues for their ages. Krona #1 seems to have a newer Schick logo on the doors. The font is a serif, underlined. The coding (which I have read isn't a date code) reads, left to right, top to bottom: 2, 2, 5, M. Stamped on the back it simply says SCHICK MADE IN U.S.A. It has a black plastic knob. Inside the chamber it has an A stamped. Krona #2 has SCHICK | SCHICK on the doors. One of the words has the symbol in superscript. The underside reads SCHICK MADE IN U.S.A. on one side and PATENTS PENDING on the other. The coding reads, left to right, top to bottom: 1, 3, 2, M. It has a plastic knob. Inside the chamber an O is stamped. Krona #3 has SCHICK | KRONA on the doors. Underside same text as #2. Code 2, 3, 0, M. It has a plastic knob. Nothing is stamped inside the chamber. Any insight would be appreciated!
It has been realized across various threads that Schick used their codes for production issues only (not date coding like Gillette). The Krona was started around late 1964 and continued in sales through at least 1976 in that configuration and moved to different configuration sometime after that. This is the Schick that replaced the long running Krona.
Yeah, I saw some of those threads about codes. Just wondered if any other factors gave dating clues. I suspect I know which one is the oldest and which one is newest but I'd love some other insight if anyone has ideas. Right now, it's just conjecture on my part.
Well we know that Schick produced and stockpiled razors to sell in the mid 1970s because some of the 1976 Bicentennial Gold Krona had the exact same lot codes as 1960s Gold Kronas. Gold Kronas were not made or sold as much and were considered more of a "special edition" model as compared to the Nickel plated heads with varying twist knob looks over the almost decade and a half of sales. There was (is?) a long running thread on another forum that went through many individuals, including myself, brought out Kronas and compiled advertisements and eventually we were forced to concede the issue of production coding over date coding.
Right. Just figured maybe someone had figured out if there was a rhyme or reason to the text on the doors and the fonts used. My conjecture -- strictly anecdotal and uninformed -- is that of the three I now own, the oldest is the one that says SCHICK | KRONA, and the newest is the one with the Serif font. But that's only my speculation. Have there ever been any comparisons of unopened/NOS versions? Or are there just not enough of those around?
