Checkerboard

May, 2019

In This Issue

AAAA has been named a 2018 All Star Award winner by Constant Contact , an  Endurance International Group  company and a leader in small business marketing solutions. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10 percent of Constant Contact’s customer base, based on their significant achievements using email marketing to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization during the prior year.

AAAA uses Constant Contact to manage the process of designing, editing, emailing, and evaluating our Checkerboard e-newsletter. Paul Lefkovitz, AAAA Publications Editor, states “We’re happy to be recognized by Constant Contact. This is an unexpected honor. "

Criteria used to select this year’s All Stars included the following during 2018:

●    Level of engagement with email campaigns

●    Open, bounce, and click-through rates

●    Use of social sharing features

●    Use of mailing list sign-up tools

●    Use of reporting tools

“Constant Contact’s primary goal is to fuel small business success. We know it’s not an easy road for small business owners, which is why we work to provide easy and affordable marketing tools and advice that can elevate their customer engagement and awareness to new levels,” said Holli Scott, Vice President of Customer Success. “The campaigns created by this year’s All Stars demonstrate that a business, regardless of its size, can accomplish their communications goals and we celebrate their impressive achievements with this All Star Award.”

The 2019 AAAA Convention will be here before you know it. The big event will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading (Wyomissing), PA from July 24-27. If you have been putting off registering, you can do so right now by clicking here for fast on-line registration or clicking here for traditional paper-and-pencil registration.

This year's convention will include all of the popular components you have come to expect: room sales (room hopping), seminars, silent auction, favorite advertising exhibit, banquet meals, games, and lots of fellowship. However, this year, there are also many extra special reasons for attending, including the following:

Collaboration with Ice Screamers and Graniteware Collectors

We will be re-joining our Ice Screamer and Graniteware friends again this year. Members of those groups will be participating in our Silent Auction and Room Hopping events, adding to the excitement and fun. In turn, we will be hunting for treasures in the Ice Screamers big Exhibit & Show Friday morning ($3.00 fee waived) and in the Graniteware room sales throughout the event. We are also invited to the Ice Screamers enjoyable Ice Cream Tasting event Thursday evening. The Ice Screamers have done a terrific job coordinating efforts with AAAA in planning, promotions, and ensuring their members can participate in room hopping and the silent auction.

Favorite Advertising Exhibit

As always, the Favorite Advertising Exhibit will feature rare, exquisite and breathtaking examples of favorite advertising from our members' collections. But in addition to that, a new element will be added this year: special collection displays. This comes on the heels of last year's spontaneous and successful display of Reylan Lange's outstanding flat pocket tin collection. This year, there will be displays of two special collections: Ted Wahlfeld's collection of pattern glass advertising and LtCol (ret) John Williams' collection of World War I Marine recruiting posters and US Marine tobacco tins. And as if that weren't enough, a cash bar will be available offering wine, beer, and mixed drinks. Please look over your collections and bring that unusual and stunning item to enter in Favorite Advertising. As usual, "Best In Show_ certificates will go to the winners in several categories.

Seminars

Our seminars are always one of the most popular events at the convention. We are particularly proud of our offerings this year, which includes presentations by published authors.

Our first seminar will take place Wednesday evening. It will be a panel discussion featuring three knowledgeable AAAA members and three Ice Screamers. AAAA panelists will include Tim Schweighart, Gary Cicci, and Joe Lipscombe. This will be a fun and open discussion between the panelists and the audience about fascinating relevant topics .

Our Thursday seminar is entitled, "The Cat Made Me Buy It!". It will be presented by Margaret Carpenter and Alice Muncaster. This presentation will celebrate cats who helped sell products and services from the late 1800s to the 1950s. Margaret has been an avid collector of cat-related advertising for many years and Alice has authored/co-authored several popular books on cats, dogs, and babies in advertising.

Our Friday seminar will be delivered by David (Vita-Man) Meinz and is entitled: "VITAMANIA: Vitamins, Past & Present!". David will combine his advice on which vitamins you should take with highlights from his latest collection acquisitions. Plus, everyone who attends will get a chance to win a free copy of David’s latest book “Ten Bonus Years.”

Why Attend?

Combining the customary attractions with the special events described above makes for a very compelling argument to attend this year's convention! At only $125 per person (includes five banquet meals and all convention activities) and a heavily discounted hotel room rate of $115, the convention also represents a great value.

Thousands of wonderful examples of antique advertising will be available for purchase. Items from just about every facet of antique advertising are likely to be present.

The convention location is just a few minutes from dozens of antique malls. Also, popular Lancaster county attractions are close by. You can easily combine the convention with more extended vacation plans.

The convention atmosphere is informal and relaxed. The attendees are friendly and a sense of fellowship will abound. If you have never attended a AAAA Convention, this is the time to do it! We will make sure that you do not get "lost in the crowd".

If you have not yet registered, please do it now to ensure you get into the AAAA room block. Don't risk disappointment!

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 detailed Convention schedule.

 

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

There's Always Room for Jell-O Advertising

By Liz Gears

Jell-O is an excellent example of advertising making the product. The company was floundering and the owner, Frank Woodward, was considering selling out until strategic ads helped turn sales around and made Jell-O a lucrative product. At first, the ads used known characters to promote the product. The first one was the Kewpies. Soon, the trade character Jell-O girl was showing up in many situations and events.

Domestic women were the targeted audience and later children were included. Housewives made the name well-known and a box of Jell-O was soon found in most kitchens. The Genesee Pure Food Company became known as the Jell-O Company, operating in LeRoy, NY, until it moved to Dover, Delaware in 1964.

My primary era of interest has been the 1890-1930's. Over the years of hunting, there is very little that I have seen in the market for Jell-O that is not paper. Most of the advertising was done in women's magazines and through the years there were giveaways that Jell-O would use to promote sales, such as small dishes. The company developed and printed recipe books for many years to enhance the product and show the varied desserts that could be made. This type of promotion proved to be profitable. Also, in the early days, they often sent store owners cardboard stand-ups to make a display that would incorporate boxes of Jell-O to attract shoppers.

One type of color display the company sent to store keepers in the early 20's were roll-ups. They were made of rice paper or coated paper that was very durable. They could be used as shades or used on walls for display. The pieces had bright color images of some of the possible ways Jell-O could be fixed and molded. I have been able to obtain 3 versions of the shades and they are the favorites of my collection (pictured below).

In addition, I have a group of boxes, pictured to the right. The large box in the middle was used in the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1892-3 and is marked as such. The smaller ones were batches containing twelve regular boxes of Jell-O that were taken off the line by quality control workers and we're then stored for inspection at a later date.

The Jell-O product, and more importantly, its advertising represents a very detailed picture of life in America as well as the changes that took place in the kitchen over those many years. The company adapted and revised its ads to reflect those changes and to celebrate the vital role of Jell-O in the kitchen. It shows how advertising and product viability are closely intertwined.

Editor's Note: Those wishing to communicate with the author can reach her at:

[email protected]. Coincidentally, another article on Jello was recently published in the April 25 issue of the on-line newsletter, Atlas Obscura . For those with room for even more Jell-O, click here .

By Jennifer Henderson, Senior Archivist at the Hershey Community Archives, assisted by Mary Jane Cary 

Editor's Note: This article is reprinted with permission from the Hershey Community Archives and the Ice Screamers Newsletter. AAAA is grateful for the opportunity to share this article with its readers.

We all know Milton Hershey as the “Chocolate King,” but did you know that he also promoted his chocolate business through the establishment of soda fountains and Model Dairy/Creamery?

Background

In 1893, Milton Hershey attended the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, where he became fascinated by an exhibit of J.M. Lehmann’s chocolate making equipment. Following the Exposition, Hershey purchased two pieces of equipment from Lehmann, and additional machines from the company’s New York office. The next year Mr. Hershey established Hershey Chocolate Company. The new company made vanilla sweet chocolate (similar to today’s dark chocolate) and cocoa for Mr. Hershey’s Lancaster Caramel Company products. By 1895, Hershey Chocolate Company was marketing and selling cocoa, baking chocolate, and an extensive line of vanilla sweet chocolate novelties – but no milk chocolate. In the late 19th century, milk chocolate was an expensive luxury product, made only by the Swiss.

Around 1897, Milton Hershey began experimenting with making milk chocolate. Milton Hershey had to overcome several hurdles and spent years perfecting his formula: determining the best type of milk to use, how to condense it, and when to add sugar to the milk.

By the late 1890s, Mr. Hershey was convinced that the future of his business was in producing chocolate rather than caramels. Gambling on this conviction, he sold his Lancaster Caramel Company in August for $1 million.

Hershey Chocolate Company Soda Fountain and Candy Store

Milton Hershey introduced Hershey’s Milk Chocolate in 1900. It and quickly grew in popularity. To help promote his products, Milton Hershey leased a shop at 1020 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia and opened the Hershey Chocolate Company Soda Fountain and Candy Store. The shop sold ice cream, sodas, and cocoa drinks. It also featured a working display of chocolate making equipment (images below)

The counter of the Hershey Chocolate Company Soda

Fountain and Candy Store in Philadelphia, ca. 1901-1904

At that time, Philadelphia was the heart of Pennsylvania’s confectionery industry. In addition to several confectionery firms, it was also home to the Confectioners Journal, the largest confectionery trade journal of the era. It’s possible that Milton Hershey selected Philadelphia because he wanted to promote his new product and company in a city that played a significant role in the confectionery industry.

Hershey Estates Model Dairy and Creamery

As Mr. Hershey’s model industrial town of Hershey, Pennsylvania grew, so did the amenities offered to residents and tourists alike. One such business was the Hershey Estates Model Dairy and Creamery, established in 1929. The Model Dairy served as a source of dairy products (milk and ice cream were particularly popular) for the Hershey community, as well as an opportunity for consumers to see and understand more of the milk processing method. By 1979 the Model Dairy closed. But one of the more memorable pieces from the Model Dairy has been preserved by The Hershey Company, and currently can be found at The Hershey Story Museum – it’s a beautiful tile mural illustrating the key raw materials that go into the process. (Image below)

Design plan for Hershey Creamery tile mural

created by Franklin Pottery, Lansdale, PA, ca. 1930

Hershey Store Company Soda Fountain

Milton Hershey’s plans for his town included a store to meet the community’s shopping needs. Like many of his other ventures, the first store, established in 1907, was a modest venture. This general store soon expanded, quickly outgrowing its original location. In 1909 a new building was constructed to house the Store Company, with an addition in 1911.

The Hershey Store Company offered many different items. It boasted that it could care for people “from cradle to grave.” The Store included a pharmacy and a cobbler, as well as electrical, heating, plumbing, and tinning departments. The Store also took orders for automobiles and had a bakery, not to mention everyone’s favorite stop – the soda fountain counter! (Image below)

Employees standing behind the soda fountain

counter at the Hershey Store Company, ca. 1910-1920

Hershey Department Store Soda Fountain

The Hershey Store Company had outgrown its location, and moved into the Press Building (originally built in 1915), rebranding itself as the Hershey Department Store. The soda fountain moved with the Store and continued to serve patrons delicious, icy treats. The Department Store operated in this location until 1973. (Image below)

The soda fountain counter at the Hershey Department Store, 1920

Hershey Drug Store Soda Fountain

A final little-known outlet for ice cream treats was the Hershey Drug Store which operated from 1963 until 1980. The Drug Store featured a soda fountain, retail shop, and pharmacy.

Visiting the Hershey Archives

This article and all accompanying images are courtesy of Hershey Community Archives. If you would like additional information you’re encouraged to visit the Archives’ website: www. hersheyarchives.org . Similarly, The Hershey Story Museum contains artifacts relating to the Hershey Chocolate Company Soda Fountain and Candy Store, as well as the Hershey Model Dairy and Creamery. Their website, www.hersheystory.org , provides additional information about exhibits and hours of operation. If you plan on attending the AAAA Convention in Reading, make sure to take a stop at nearby Hershey to visit the Museum.

The spring installment of the Indy Ad Show on May 4-5 once again proved to be an exciting, enjoyable, and successful event. Approximately 250 dealers showcased rare, beautiful, and highly desirable examples of vintage advertising in a broad range of genres. There was something for everybody at all price points.

In spite of less-than-ideal weather conditions on Saturday, attendees seemed to have a great time, enthusiastically moving from booth to booth and building to building. Many were seen protectively cradling their bags and boxes of precious new acquisitions. Mother nature redeemed herself on Sunday with a spectacular sunny day, leaving the event on a highwater mark.

The new venue in Boone County continues to receive very favorable reviews. A large new building is currently under construction that will further add to the capacity of the Fairgrounds.

Once again, this event was well-organized and actively promoted. Owners Nona and Mark Wilson could be seen circulating around the show and ensuring all was well.

As always, a mind-boggling array of high-quality, unusual, and beautiful material was displayed throughout the fairgrounds. The images that follow provide a tiny glimpse of the desirable vintage advertising that was present.

AAAA members contributed greatly to this show, both as buyers and sellers. The images below capture just a few of the dealers who come from the ranks of AAAA.

Collectors Weekly is a free on-line resource that you should definitely know about. Their web site, www.collectorsweekly.com, features hundreds of fascinating and well-written articles about almost every conceivable facet of the collecting universe. The writing is often witty and lighthearted--even whimsical. Their informative articles often cover topics not found elsewhere. Some titles include:

Collectors Weekly can also be set up to send you periodic email alerts regarding items of potential interest being auctioned on eBay. Selections can be made from a broad range of interest categories (e.g., signs, Victorian era). You will be sent listings of items with the highest bids, the most watchers, and those ending soon. This service is free.

Finally, Collectors Weekly offers general review articles about a broad range of topics, including antique advertising. While these articles are not in-depth, they offer helpful general information in a surprisingly wide spectrum of areas.

From time to time, we hear from members about their desire to sell their collections of vintage advertising. Unfortunately, these days, the children of many collectors are simply not interested in inheriting them. Many of these collections are very substantial in size and value, built upon a lifetime of passionate sleuthing. However, finding a dealer who can purchase or arrange for the sale of an entire large collection can be problematic. 

 

The large auction houses that often deal with antique advertising are generally well-known to our members through their advertising in AAAA newsletters but they tend to focus on high-quality and investment-grade items. Not many collections are limited to such treasures. What many people are looking for is an avenue for selling collections that include a broad range of items, from commonplace to highly desirable.

 

If you are a reputable dealer who has the financial means, logistic resources, and experience to assist AAAA members in divesting themselves of sizable collections, we’d like to hear from you. That includes auction houses—if you can do that. Please let us know by clicking here . We will compile a listing of such dealers and will publish it in a future issue of the Checkerboard as a service to our members.     

From time to time, we stumble upon valuable resources for the researcher of vintage advertising and pass them along to you. Here is another one. Google books has made available a free digitized co py of "Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers and First Hands in All Lines: 1905-06". This is a 1,228 page tome of encyclopedic scope that lists manufacturers in all areas of industry.

In spite of its huge size, it does seem to have a number of limitations. It only provides name, city, and estimates of capitalization for each manufacturer. Also, it appears that it does not include all (or, in some cases, even most) manufacturers in each category.

Therefore, it may help to know a company you are researching was around in 1905 how what its capital strength was. However, its absence from this volume should NOT be interpreted to mean that the company was not in existence at that time.

To download this potentially helpful reference, click here.

The New York Historical Society currently has an exhibit entitled "Female Remedies". This "small installation" explores the pills and remedies that were shrewdly marketed to women, particularly prior to the Food and Drug Act of 1906. Product advertising appears to be featured in this exhibit. If you are in the area and are interested, act quickly because it will only be there until May 27. For further information, click here. Our thanks go to Evy Mayer for reporting this event to us.

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 the Editor of the AAAA Checkerboard. Copyright, 2019, Antique Advertising Association of America