1947 Gillette Milord Christmas gift set

Or, did the guy take out his new 47 to use, and put the 46 he never used either back in the new box? Lol. Really only seen one other?... yours?

 

Yah, I'm kind of in the same boat. I had no intention of acquiring a Milord, but the packaging got me and I couldn't resist. I probably paid about 2x what a decent Milord goes for (again I don't really know them well).

I did some package design in college in a similar fashion. It's an art form in itself the way this package displays those items while functionally and structurally sound. The only thing missing is the instructions, which I diagnosed why the lettering on the case is "faded"...it actually transferred to the inside lid a bit (you can see in my pic ^^^.

 

...

...

 

That made that style until 1948. The one in the O.P. pictures is an early 48. About March of 48 is when they started notching the center bars on all American made Gillette razors.

 

So this is a 47 razor then since it came in a 47 Christmas set? If they made them that way for years, the box should nail this one down...

 

Key feature is the collar. It is the same razor as what is called an American Aristocrat Jr.

Here it is in this Jan. 22nd ad.


It also dates the change of the guards with creases instead of being rounded to the beginning of 1948 which also confirms the change from the 1st iterations of the Super Speed with the rounded guards to the 2nd iterations with creases both iterations with the original center bars that weren't notched.

 

They made razors certain ways and that is how you date the set the packaging in some cases is reused across years without changes like the Milord instruction sheets showing the 46 and earlier models in them up to at least 1950. In your instance that razor was produced between 1946 - 1947 and possibly early 1948 before the version which is what O.P. has pictured in their set. So short answer it is correct all the way through from razor to packaging.

 

Not the best picture but you can tell it is older style Milord with the smooth band on the handle still being sold in Dec. of 1947 in Christmas sets.

 

I have to correct myself and say they could have put this style razor and the prior versions in 1947 Christmas sets assuming the O.P.'s set is correct. That razor would not likely have been around in Christmas of 1948 as can be seen in this full page national ad campaign. It is possible they did first start producing them in Dec. of 47 as opposed to Jan. of 48.

 

For clarity here is the Super Speed being sold at Christmas of 1947.