Checkerboard

November, 2018

By Evy Mayer

In my childhood, I started collecting miniature porcelain animals. When the Walt Disney animated cartoons were released they sold miniatures of characters from the cartoons, which I also began collecting.

One day, I found a sample talcum tin at a street fair. That started me collecting tins. Some samples, like adhesive plasters, were in first aid kits. Some tiny talcs were in sets with perfume bottles, rouge compacts, and other cosmetic items. One thing led to another.

In this article you will see my many small collections of little things, and how I’ve found ways of displaying them in my apartment. Sometimes the collection even matches the display case.

When someone comes to my 1,500 sq. ft. apartment in the Bronx (which is largeish by NYC standards,) for the first time, I have them read a needlepoint my friend made for me. It says, “You may touch the dust, but please don’t write in it.”

Editor's Note: This article has been adapted from a seminar that Evy conducted at the 2018 AAAA Convention. Use your software's zoom function to take a closer look at the innumerable "smalls" that are pictured. It should be noted that this article presents just a portion of Evy's extensive collection. We plan to present additional photos in a future issue of the Checkerboard.

For a miniature collector, the spool thread cabinets in the three images shown below are ideal. They have plenty of small spaces. Also, they have glass fronts, so I don’t have to dust.

The printer's type drawers depicted in the three photos below are perfect for littles.

I have three of the Waltham Cabinets, like the ones shown in the two photos below. They are ideal for my small figurines, have great coloring, as well as slanted glass fronts. The Dy-O-La Dye has deep recesses, so I use Styrofoam to raise up the tins.

Two barbershop or medical sterilizer cabinets appear below. One holds my rouge compacts in three pull-out drawers and the other my Orange Blossom Perfume miniatures on shelves. 

Dental floss display cabinets (below) are perfect for sample talcum tins.

A new 2-part cabinet made by the J.W. Winchester Company out of old wood appears in the photo below. They will even etch an old advertising logo on the front top glass for you. I have two like this and a third that is tall and rectangular. I had to wait a while to get these when I first ordered them, because the company was busy making cabinets for a museum. They look so good that I recently had to school an eBay seller who was advertising them as antique.

Tabicin and West Hairnet displays appear below. I use these for tins and rouge compacts.

I love this three-sided revolving display with removable plexiglass panels (below). Perfect for my small adhesive plaster tins.

I use shelves and all available bathroom surfaces for my moth-killing tins (below). There are more on the wall. Trolls sneak in everywhere.

Scotch Cellophane Tape displays appear in the photo below. Very appropriate to use these to hold my Scotch Gift Tapes.

The 2019 AAAA Convention will take place July 24-27 in our popular Reading (Wyomissing), PA location. It will once again take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The Registration Fee remains at $125 per person which includes all convention activities and two full plated dinners, three robust breakfast buffets, and an ice cream tasting event hosted by the Ice Screamers club. Lunch is on your own. The hotel room rate is a heavily discounted $115 per night plus 11% taxes which includes wi-fi in your room and free parking.

This event will build upon the successes of past conventions. We have high expectations for another great experience. We will once again collaborate with the Ice Screamers national club and the Graniteware collectors. AAAA members will be welcome to attend selected activities of the Ice Screamers convention and the Graniteware folks will be joining us in room hopping and attending our silent auction.

Our chock-full Convention schedule will keep you engaged and having fun from Wednesday evening through Saturday morning. Seminars, Silent Auction, Favorite Advertising Exhibit, room hopping, more room hopping, shared meals, Public Day, seeing old friends, making new acquaintances, buying selling and hanging out with kindred souls will make the time fly by.

When the convention ends early Saturday morning, we will turn you loose on one of the best antiquing experiences in the US. Thousands of antique dealers can be found nearby in dozens of malls, many with inventories of antique advertising.

We will expand upon all of these topics in future issues of the Checkerboard.

We do have an exciting innovation to announce. We are entering the 21st Century by offering on-line Convention registration and payment!

On-line registration is simpler, faster, more accurate, user-friendly, and efficient. Also, you will not need to mail in any checks. Confirmation of your registration will be provided immediately. A few minutes at your computer or tablet and you will be all set! What could be easier?

If you have access to the internet, PLEASE use the new on-line registration system. It will save AAAA many hours of tedious labor in not having to manually enter large amounts of information into a spreadsheet, send out confirmations, make bank deposits, develop reservation reports for the hotel, print name badges, and many other functions that the new on-line system will do automatically.

For those who do not have any access to the internet, our standard paper and pencil form will continue to be available.

Are you ready to register? Sellers who register early will get the best room assignments. So if you are ready now, go for it!

Click here to complete your on-line registration for the 2019 AAAA Convention. If you experience any problems or have any questions, call Paul Lefkovitz at 317-501-3832.

Click here for the paper-and-pencil registration form.

Click here for the Convention flyer. Please share it with your friends!

We hope to see you at the 2019 Convention! If you have any questions, click here to contact Paul Lefkovitz, Convention Coordinator.

The umbrella of antique advertising includes an endless variety of specialty realms of collecting. Have you ever heard of encased pennies? Well, it's a thing. You may recall having had an aluminum good luck charm as a kid with a penny encased in it. A variation on those charms was employed as a medium for advertising.

These charms appear to have originated prior to the turn of the 20th century, when Indian Head Pennies were in circulation. Pennies were typically encased in an aluminum piece that often included advertising in addition to the usual good luck wish or admonition for the bearer to "Keep me and you will never go broke".

Encased pennies advertised all manner of local establishments, products, and services, including saloons, cigars, clothing stores, banks, theaters, newspapers, and the like. In many instances, they served as souvenirs of fairs, exhibitions, recreational venues, or memorable events.

Production of encased cents seems to have reached a peak in the first decade of the 20th century. However, they continued into the era of Lincoln Head cents, which commenced in 1909. These little pieces have seen ongoing production, pretty much through current times. However, over the years, advertising appears to have become a less prominent feature.

Encased pennies that include advertising are charming reminders of the past and it is easy to see why they are collected. And collected they are! On any given day, there is a good representation of them on eBay. The keyword "encased cents" brings up almost 900 auctions! Prices realized appear to range from a few dollars to over $100 for scarce pieces, with $20-$60 being common for those containing Indian Head cents.

The photos below provide a glimpse at this interesting realm of collecting.

Most collectors of antique advertising love to do their homework. They root around all kinds of reference materials and, in more recent years, on the internet to find out whatever they can about their acquisitions. The smartest buyers do their research prior to the purchase to ensure they are getting what they want at a fair price.

To greatly assist in those efforts, a valuable FREE price guide that you might not be aware of is offered by antiqueadvertising.com, a service of Wm Morford Auctions. This searchable on-line database provides realized prices on over 10,000 popular and desirable antique advertising items sold by Wm Morford Auctions.

The price guide provides clear photos, actual auction sales prices (including any buyer's premiums), as well as detailed descriptions, condition, and measurements. Items include vintage advertising signs, oil cans, tobacco tins, spice tins, coffee cans, toys, and all antique advertising smalls. This information can be of great importance to any collector of vintage advertising.

John Morford, a Partner at Wm Morford Auctions, and son of Bill, shared his thoughts about the price guide and antiqueadvertising.com. "At the end of the day, our goal for the price guide is to educate everyone from dealers and pickers to people Googling things they came across in their attic to be more aware of the market and value for their collectibles. As far as usability and feedback from the site, I would encourage users to remember that antique values, like anything else, are a market which evolves over time. Pay attention to the "Date of Sale” and condition on each piece to get a more realistic interpretation of the listed price. As always, we strive to make this price guide a valuable resource. Feedback, either positive or negative, is always appreciated."

John went on to comment about the broader auction business. "It’s always been about transparency for me. There is so much informational asymmetry in the antiques and collectibles world that anything we can do to provide honest, quantifiable insight into the world of antique pricing is beneficial to everyone."

"One of the first things I learned about business from my father is that you have to treat everyone fairly and try to make win-win relationships with everyone you deal with. This has been instrumental to antiqueadvertising.com’s success. I like to think that everyone we have dealt with has felt like we have treated them fairly and without the predatory nature that is so often associated with the business. This is largely why I love the consignment business model as it ensures that we are on the same team as our consignors and act in their best interest either informationally or financially."

If you have not visited this web site, either to view upcoming auctions or use the price guide, we enthusiastically encourage you to check it out. To visit antiqueadvertising.com, click here.

Dale Peterson reports finding the following great pieces recently. The Pepsi pieces were discovered on the Kansas-Oklahoma 100 mile yard sale.

Dave Carl has also made some great finds. He recently purchased the three outstanding soda fountain syrup dispensers shown below.

The "Chicagoland Show" will take place on November 17-18 in its new location at the Lake County Fairgrounds Event Center in Grayslake, Illinois. This show is known by many names, including the Coin-Op Show and the Chicagoland Antique Advertising, Slot Machine & Jukebox Show. By any name, it is well-known as an enjoyable show that is well regarded by collectors of vintage advertising.

Please refer to the October issue of the Checkerboard for additional information or click on one of the following links:

www.chicagolandshow.com

www.facebook.com/ChicagolandCoinOpShow

In this column are those sought-after items of desire that seem to be elusive. If you know where any of these items can be acquired or if you have one available, please click the link to reply directly to the seeker. To place a listing in this column, click here . There is no fee for AAAA members. Up to three listings per member are permitted.

Wanted Top Condition: Sunset Trail oval cigar tin (white version), Continental Cubes tobacco tin (medium size kidney shaped slide lid) 6” tall, Continental Cubes tobacco tin (larger flip lid pocket tin) 5” tall, Convention Hall Coffee tin (Kansas City tin) one pound GREEN and/or YELLOW version, Bob White tobacco tin small box (Ginna) size 3” by 4” by 2.5”. To reply, click here.

Stock food, poultry food, veterinary advertising wanted.  Posters, medicine packages, give-aways. Email [email protected] or call (256) 520-5211.

White Plastic 7" Tall "Pole Sign" Thermometers advertising local/regional gasoline/oil/service station brands such as: SPEEDWAY 79; SUPER 98; TOPCO; ROCKET; HANCOCK; BELL; OKLAHOMA. NOT the major national brands like Texaco. Peter Capell. To reply, click here.

Singer Sewhandy Model 20-Green-regular paint, not hammertone. To reply, click here.

National Biscuit Company, Nabisco, Uneeda Biscuit, Uneeda Bakers, Muth Bakery, NBC Bread toys, signage, tins, containers, displays, historical items. Please Email [email protected] or call (937) 205-2232.

Early Cigarette Rolling Papers: Pre-1940’s - American, Zig Zag, Braunstein Freres, Bambino, and Ottoman papers wanted. To reply, click here.

Antique/Collectible Banking and Financial System "Give-a way" and advertising items. Specifically from Pennsylvania. Alarm devices and such. To reply, click here .

Unusual one pound peanut butter tins . Tin litho or paper label. To reply, click here .

Marshmallow Tins, Smaller than 5 Pound Size. To reply, click here .

American Cookie, Biscuit and Cracker Tins and Boxes . To reply , click here .

Columbian Stove sign made by the Keeley Stove Co. in Columbia PA To reply, click here or call 717-572-3108.

  

VITAMINS advertising, displays, signs, bottles, and anything related: Hadacol is an example. Most would come from the 1930’s thru the 1970’s. Also anything related to cod-liver oil and WEIGHT-LOSS, REDUCING, ANTI-FAT, and OBESITY ITEMS. To reply, click here .

 

Early tin signs lithographed by Tuchfarber, Wells and Hope, Worcester Sign Company, Sentenne and Green, etc. I can pay more for good condition, but would be interested in any condition. Don Lurito  [email protected] also in the directory. To reply, click here .

 

Dwinell-Wright Co. Royal Ground Spice Cardboard Spice Boxes. One side displays horizontally. Approximately 3.75" by 2.25". Any type of spice is OK. To reply, click here .

 

ENSIGN Perfect and ENSIGN Perfection vertical pocket tobacco tins to enhance my collection. Feel free to contact me at 614-888-4619 or [email protected] to see if you can help fill the voids.

 

Ice Cream Advertising.  Mr. Ice Cream desires better ice cream advertising including: postcards, trade cards, letterheads, billheads, booklets, poster stamps, blotters, magic lantern slides, pinbacks, watchfobs and pocket mirrors. Allen Mellis, 1115 West Montana St. Chicago, Illinois 60614-2220.  [email protected] . To reply, click here .

 

Tall 1 lb. Mallard Coffee Can - Shows duck taking off. To reply, click here .

 

Chewing gum packs, sticks, wrappers, full boxes, lifesavers, candy bar wrappers, displays, and boxes.  Anything candy related. To reply, click here . 

 

Pre-1900 advertising items related to: barbed wire, farm fence gates, tools for erecting or mending wire fences, and farm fences. Only primary material please--no ads from newspapers, etc. Larry W. Love. To reply, click here .

 

Armour Foods Signs, Cardboards, Store Displays, Die-Cuts Wanted. To reply, click here .

 

Cigar advertising tip trays, pinbacks, or any unusual cigar advertising items. Harry Cohn: To reply, click here .

     

Edmands Coffee Company, Edmands Tea Company, 1776 Coffee, American Beauty Tea, Japan Tea, Devonshire Tea, (imported by Edmands, Boston/Chicago):  Any items such as tins, signs, paper, or anything else related to the Edmands family of companies in Boston is desired. To reply, click here .

The AAAA Checkerboard is a monthly e-newsletter that is made available to all AAAA members at no cost. The mission of the Checkerboard is to increase knowledge about antique and collectible advertising among AAAA members. The Checkerboard also provides news and updates about AAAA. It is produced each month with the exception of the four months per year when the award-winning PastTimes print newsletter is published. Paul Lefkovitz ( [email protected] ) serves as Editor of the AAAA Checkerboard. Copyright, 2018, Antique Advertising Association of America