There are no Q Date codes...

[nodaktim]

I was thinking about what date code would be for a 1976 razor. Going from 51=W, I thought 76=V. But after looking again at the rather helpful date code site...Gillette Razor and Blade Dating and Feature Information I noticed that I was wrong. 1976=W because the letter Q has been skipped.

Does anyone have a thought as to why Gillette did that?

[verde]

My former employer did not use the letter "Q" in it's dat codes for two reasons.

1. A "Q" con sometimes be difficult to distinguish from an "O"

2. When stamping into metal the tail would be a weak point in the pressure, therefore the tooling would take extra force and break or deform.

I'm not for sure this is why Gillette didn't use it, but I think it's common.

[cooncatbob]

So it wouldn't get confused with "O" the little tail on a "Q" might not always come through clearly on the stamping.

[Pauldog]

That's what I read, that the "O" and "Q" are too easily confused. The stamping problem with the tail of the "Q" would contribute to this problem.

[nodaktim]

Okay, this is not the first auction I have seen that claims to have a "Q" Date code.

Check out THIS EBAY AUCTON.

This pic is from the above mentioned auction just in case the auction pics become no longer available in the future.




The next two pics are from a different listing also claiming to have a "Q" date code, but I can no longer find the listing to post a link to.




Any thoughts?

[Antique Hoosier]

According to a passage in Phillip L Krumholz's "The Complete Gillette Collector's Handbook", in 1971 for 1 or 2 months the Date Code Q WAS used before being canned and R became the 1971 Date Code most likely because of confusion as stated earlier...so they DO EXIST!.

[Random]

So does this make them rare and collectible? Hehe

[shaveC]

Arghhhh! I traded a long black adjustable away thinking that it was an "O" code with a scratch next to it. The little line to make it a "Q" was VERY faint and since I thought there was no Q code........
Anyway I have a short black handle adjustable with a Q code, is it worth more than the same razor with a different code?

[thedailyblade]

Hmmm... Pretty sure I scored one of these mythical razors. Just now put it up on the old auction site so we will see just how rare it is based on demand. Anyway, here is a pic that shows the Q very very clearly

Hope this help clear the question up as to whether it exists or not

[CMur12]

Well, it would appear there is a "Q" code! Thanks for sharing that bit of clarity with us.

Welcome to SMF, thedailyblade!

- Murray

[nicodemus38]

finding a Q code is like finding a 0 4 gold plated super adjustable in near mint condition. it happens enough so that we know they exist.
Enjoy the razor.