Experimental Prototypes
Above please see razors that were discovered in February 2019 by a Procter and Gamble historian (Greg McCoy) that specializes in Gillette products. These razors are owned by Procter and Gamble and are in their archive. These razors were discovered in a Gillette Archives storage area in their South Boston headquarters.
The first two razors on the left above are unique and have never been seen or even imagined of by razor collectors before their recent discovery. They are essentially Red Dot Fatboys with 1-5 Position indicator dials. The regular Red Dot has a 1-9 Position indicator dial. Please also note in the above photo that each of the 1-5 Red Dots have different Twist-To-Open knobs. Also, look at the identifying paper label tags. These razors are also serial numbered!! #4780 and #4331. And, does that mean that hundreds if not thousands existed at some point? The middle razor above is the 1-9 Position Bottom Dial (rare but common enough that 3 of this type were available on eBay in the first quarter of 2019. Even more common is the standard Red Dot Fatboy (2nd from the right). And finally all the way on the right is the very rare 1-5 Position Bottom Dial with black indicator dial. This razor has a handful of examples that exist in collectors hands (including my own).
The above picture (thanks to Greg McCoy, P&G) is super interesting. Look at the right most toggle razor. It has a 1-5 Position indicator and a toggle which appears to form a base so that it can stand on it's own? The next Toggle razor from the right is the 1-9 Chrome type toggle The 3rd from the right Toggle razor again is a 1-5 Position indicator dial but look at the toggle lever - completely unique. The 4th Toggle razor from the right has been seen before and is in the hands of this collector. It is a 1-5 Serial Toggle - extremely rare in the wild. The next Toggle (5th from the right) has a plastic toggle lever! The rest of the razor looks like a 1-9 Position Slim! Was Gillette contemplating bringing back a "Slim Toggle" razor when they also introduced the Slim (which superseded the Fatboy)?? The third razor from the left is a previously seen 1-5 Position Bottom Dial with nickel dial (not black). Again a handful of these exist in the hands of collectors currently. The two razors on the left above are basically 1-5 Position Red Dot Fatboys. One has a nickel dial and the other has a black dial. Fabulous!! Please note the label between the two razors. "Pre 195 Adjustable Experimental Models". So this is what the Fatboy could have looked like? The following video and photos thanks to Keith Beeber.
Below find a Gillette Techmatic which was sold at auction.
