Checkerboard

April, 2018

In This Issue

The AAAA Convention ends early Saturday morning at 9:30 AM to give attendees an opportunity to plan a day of exciting further adventures. Typically, this involves visiting recommended local antique malls or a private collection. This year, we have lined up an unprecedented array of activities for you to choose from. In fact, it may not be possible to fit them all into one day. So read over the listing below and plan to make the most of your available time.

But for those who have not yet registered, here are the Convention basics. The AAAA Convention will take place at the Embassy Suites-Lombard in Chicago (Lombard), Illinois from Wednesday evening, July 25 until Saturday morning, July 28. The registration fee is $125 per person and includes all convention activities and 6 meals (including free breakfasts for hotel guests). Meal menus were described in detail in the January issue of the Checkerboard. The room rate is a heavily discounted $129 for a room with 1 king bed and $139 for a room with 2 queen beds. For Chicago, this is a real bargain!

A Registration Form can be downloaded by clicking the link at the end of this article. Rooms are going fast and we could run out of availability! If you want to attend the Convention, please register now to avoid disappointment!

 

We will be collaborating this year with the Cracker Jack Collector's Association (CJCA). They have been invited to participate in selected AAAA activities. In turn, we have been welcomed to attend their "Fun and Games" event, their Table Sales, and their Oral Auction. We will also be continuing to collaborate with our Graniteware friends (this is the 4th year). They will be participating in our Room Hopping and Silent Auction. Many of them will also set up their own rooms for Room Hopping and a number of them will once again offer great antique advertising.

 

Now, here's a run-down of the exciting activities that AAAA has arranged for you on Saturday.

Convention Sponsors

Cracker Jack Collector's Association Oral Auction

CJCA will be conducting its Oral Auction from 9:300 AM-12:30 PM in the Madison Room of our Convention hotel. All AAAA Convention attendees are invited to attend.

The bottom line is the fun continues even after the Convention ends! Not registered for the Convention yet? Register today!

Last month's issue of PastTimes featured two articles about soda pop bottles. We continue that series in this issue with two more articles. The first article features more photos from the Paul Nicholson Soda Pop Collection. The second is an informative piece about applied color label bottles written by David Meinz. We will conclude this series in next month's issue of the Checkerboard with an article about the major brands of soda pop bottles and a book review of "Collecting Applied Label Soda Bottles (Third Edition) by Rick Sweeney.

Last month's gallery of soda pop memorabilia was just the beginning in acquainting you with Paul Nicholson's extensive collection. Below are a number of additional photos that offer a further glimpse into this great assemblage. Paul is downsizing his collection at this time so feel free to reach out to him with any possible interests. Phone: (405) 732-7161; email: [email protected]

Editor's Note: Use your zoom function to get a closer look at these photos. If you fill your screen with these images, you will enjoy them much more.

It was over a half-century ago. The year was 1938. FDR was president. Big bands where the rage and millions were out of work. Times were tough; many couldn’t even afford the 25 cent admission to see the latest flight from Hollywood.

Most, however, could now and then come up with at least a nickel for a cold soda pop. In the last couple of years bottlers had developed a new way of packaging their product. Less and less was seen of the embossed bottle and even the glued-on paper label was giving way to a new development of technology. The applied color label (ACL) bottle, today’s collectors often refer to it as a ”painted label,” allowed for greater variety in label design, easier product identification, and more economy for the bottler. This new technology had only been around for three or four years, and it was only now that the new bottles were showing up on a larger scale. Some of the earliest were basically the old embossed style with a very small painted label replacing the embossed name. But in the spirit of good old Yankee competition, the race was now on to see who could come up with the best colors and the catchiest labels to entice those hard earned nickels away from a thirsty America.

And what designs they were! Anything and everything was potential material for pushing soda. The Cleopatra of the cigar box became the inspiration of a St. Louis bottler to create ”Cleo Cola.” Cowboys, Indians, camels, airplanes, eagles, pretty women, clowns, horses, and even the Statue of Liberty became the hallmark for thousands of bottling companies sprinkled across the country. While the bottlers themselves had little intention other than to sell more soda, they inadvertently were creating a future collectible and a documentary of their own time.

For example, some of the bottles of the 1930's and 1940's promoted the fact that they contain the drug called Lithia, now a prescription-only medication used to treat depression. But back then you could buy it for a nickel! No wonder people were happy! Other brands boasted that their soda was “Enriched With Dextose.” Twenty-first-century translation: Sugar. The Cleo Cola bottle of the late 1930's caused quite a stir when it first came out. Images of scantily clad women were a little too much for many members of respectable society to tolerate, even on a soda label. Public opinion actually resulted in the removal of Cleo’s belly button on later runs of the bottle! After World War II, a red, white, and blue label depicting a soldier at attention urged Americans to “Drink All American.” And a California bottler got on the bandwagon, too, with victory root beer. As the years went by pictures of propeller airplanes on 1940's labels eventually gave way to those of futuristic themes of outer space.

Fortunately, since a large number of ACL bottles are dated on the bottom, and often give the bottler company name and location, collecting painted label sodas is an easy and enjoyable way to document some colorful years of our American culture.

Many might consider the returnable soda bottle a contemporary item. But look in the supermarket shelves next time you get groceries. All you see is two-liter plastic bottles and six-packs of cans. And brands? Basically Coke, Pepsi, 7-Up, Dr Pepper and some kind of orange and root beer. Compare today’s throwaway society with the literally thousands and thousands of independent bottlers found in large and small towns across America in the 1930's to the 1960's.

For years, modern ACL soda bottles were, at best, considered a step-child in the bottle collecting hobby. Today, many of the higher priced and most desired items in the general bottle-collecting hobby, often date back to Civil-War days and earlier. The best examples can bring tens of thousands of dollars. They often have been dug from old dumps and privies. But you can’t dig a painted-label soda! In the great majority of cases, soil conditions are such that the enamel label is destroyed or marred within a very short time. Yes, you can dig the bottle, but it’s the label that makes it collectible. Painted label bottles dug from dumps dating as late as the 1960s are already often beyond recognition. Nice ACL’s don’t come from the ground, they come from underneath old general stores, from inside old bottling companies that have been closed for years, from flea markets, and from just about anywhere people at one time enjoyed that liquid refreshment called soda pop.

Some dealers may say that these soda bottles aren’t worth the bother. But, today, nice painted label soda bottles with a picture of some kind (rather than just the brand name) can easily go for $100-200. Yes, for an old soda bottle! One-of-a-kind examples demand prices that can go through the roof. Several recent examples have recently brought over $500! Not bad for an empty soda bottle.

When you consider the fact that in the 1930’s thru the 1960’s almost every town, large and small in the US, had at least one or two, local bottling companies, there are literally thousands of potential brands to collect. No one really knows the exact number and new examples are still being found. And that’s one of the pleasures of the hobby; it continues to be fascinating. Whether you’ve just started or you been collecting for years, there’s always the very real possibility that you find some new treasure to add to your collection soon.

The “bible” of the hobby remains “COLLECTING APPLIED COLOR LABEL SODA BOTTLES-3 ^RD ADDITION by Rick Sweeney. The 173-page full-color book is available directly from the author at 9418 Hilmer Drive, LeMesa, CA 91942.

Collectors and just about everyone else can appreciate the real beauty in a multicolored picture painted-label soda. No wonder more and more people are asking,” Do you have any painted-label soda bottles for sale?” When I bought my first ACL in 1979, I had no idea the collection would eventually take up so much of my home, and my money. Here’s a way to collect antique advertising that many have never considered. Collecting bottles has always been a popular hobby, but most would agree that few get as excited, or zealous, as those who collect painted-label sodas.

Editor's Note: Items in photos are from the author's collection.

Editor's Note: This article is a continuation of one that appeared in the March issue of PastTimes. The article was divided into two parts due to space limitations in PastTimes. To re-acquaint the reader, the introductory and final paragraphs of the March article will be repeated here.

My wife Kim and I run Anthony Restorations, an art and paper restoration company. We have been in business over twenty years, and have completed over five thousand restoration projects. The majority of our restorations fall into three categories; books/dustjackets, antique toy boxes, and miscellaneous paper.

Advertising art falls in the third category and is of special interest because of the history involved. Some pieces come to us with remarkable backstories—one book we restored several years ago was owned by an early U.S. President, and bore his signature—but pieces of advertising art, with their rich visuals, often promoting products that have long disappeared from contemporary life—speak for themselves.

Two restoration projects described below illustrate some of the various types of problems we come across. 

The first example was an unusual restoration for us, a 1930’s vintage cardboard lampshade featuring Disney’s “Snow White” dwarfs. This piece is illustrated below. The break started at the top and traveled down, corkscrew fashion, around to the bottom of the shade.

Most artwork lies flatly against something—on a table, or against the back of a frame-- and doesn’t need to support itself. The lampshade, however, had to support its own weight in an upright position Our solution was to make the load bearing repairs along the rough areas of the tears. A tear is not a clean cut, like a scissor would make, but usually has some overlap on the front and back edges of the separation. The shade had enough areas where the damage had some overlap, which tended to shore up the more cleanly broken areas.

The clean breaks received a very fine layer of glue along their edge, and had to be held by hand in perfect registration a couple of inches at a time while the glue set, before proceeding to the next section. We started at the bottom and worked up, in this way the base of the lampshade could lay on a table, providing some stabilizing support and orientation as we worked our way upward.

One last thing I would like to mention about the Disney lampshade restoration—it is a good example of improving a piece without overworking it. In restoration less is usually more. You want the art to look as good as possible without appearing restored. If it looks restored, it’s a poor restoration. The restored piece appears below:

The next restoration we will look at is an original painting of Clint Eastwood, shown below, which was used for “The Eiger Sanction” one-sheet poster (1975). As late as the 70's original art such as this was considered just an interim step in creating a poster, and of no value in itself. In this instance parts were painted over, and the large white expanses were covered with white paper which was applied with an inexpensive, yellow glue.

Paintings are my wife’s domain. First, (photo right) Kim removed all of the applied paper. A combination of heat, solvents and skiving removed the glue. If you look along the left side, you’ll see a vertical seam where a piece of board was added, to give the artwork the width needed for the poster. This seam was filled in, and the entire white area surrounding Clint and the village was painted a matching flat white. The finished art, illustrated below, turned out very nicely, and we were proud to assist in bringing it back as close to its original state as possible.

I hope these examples of our work provides some insight into the restoration process. We welcome inquiries and if you have a piece you would like restored, you can send us images for a ballpark estimate, and we can discuss the various options available. If you think you’d like to proceed you can then send us your treasure for a free, binding quote.

If you have any questions you can call us, our information is at our website. You can also send us an email [email protected].

Happy Collecting!

Brian & Kim

www.anthonyrestorations.com

Collectors are eagerly awaiting the return of the revitalized Indy Antique Advertising Show, better known as the "Indy Ad Show", May 5-6. The inaugural event conducted last September under the inspired leadership of new owners Nona Amour Wilson and Mark Wilson (Northstar Collective) was a smash hit! The number of dealers exploded to 250, far surpassing the 50-60 the number had dwindled to under the previous owners. The attendance rocketed to around 1,300, eclipsing earlier records.

The success of the event resulted from careful planning, risk-taking, innovation, hard work, and genial relationships with dealers and attendees. The biggest risk was relocating the show from the Indiana State Fairgrounds to the Boone County Fairgrounds in nearby Lebanon, IN. That decision proved to be prescient, as dealers and attendees alike loved the expansive, less congested setting in multiple buildings.

The new owners also expanded the Indy Ad Show into a weekend extravaganza with four separate components--the Indy Ad Show, a Gas & Oil Show, a Vintage Market, and a live auction featuring antique advertising. The collective event is known as the "Boone County Treasure Hunt". The price of admission for all three shows is only $8.00 (a two day ticket is $10.00). That represents an incredible bargain. Making things simple, there is no early admission.

The show is supported by a very active advertising and promotional campaign, which should once again bring the in the crowds. Buyers can expect to see the very best our hobby has to offer from dealers all over the country. All of the buildings will once again be chock-full of booths. No matter what your area of interest is, you are likely to find plenty of items to tempt you.

Food options will include the following: FiFi’s Lunch Box, specializing in gourmet hamburgers & hot dogs will be there for dealer set up, Saturday, and Sunday. Triple M Concessions will be providing Mexican Fare that will include breakfast burritos, refreshing shake-ups and biscuits and gravy. Also on the grounds will be a vendor roasting nuts and possibly pizza as well. 

The show is open from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM on Saturday and 9:00 AM-1:00 PM on Sunday. The auction starts at 5:00 PM on Saturday. An Auction preview will take place from 4:00-5:00 PM.

For additional information about this grand event or to buy tickets in advance, you can go to one of their their web sites (they have two):

www.boonecountytreasurehunt.com

www.indyadshow.com

AAAA will have a table at the show to promote membership. If you are there, stop by and say "hi"!

April 20-22, 2018

Showtime Auctions

Wayne County Fairgrounds, Belleville, MI 48111

From the Showtime web site: "This collection will be one of the most diverse collections of rare antiques we have ever offered at auction. Some of the categories represented will be Over 300 Advertising Signs including over 100 Firearms and Gun Powder Posters and Calendars. Also Trays, Tins and as well as a large collection of turn-of-the-century Store Displays, Toys, Banks, Pen & Ink, Cigar Store, Cigar Lighters, Tobacciana, Cigarette Signs, Whiskey Signs, Beer Signs, Coca Cola, Soda Fountain Signs and Syrup Dispensers, Candy, Peanuts, Gum, Gambling, Cash Registers, Saloon, Guns, Coin-Op, Barber Shop, Sewing, Millenary, Shoes, Farm, Hardware, Veterinary, Clocks, Watches, Optical, Apothecary including the finest collection of Show Globes & Jars ever offered at auction. Automobilia, Petroliana, Motorcycle, Bicycle, Western, Carnival, Salesman’s Samples, Showcases, Candy Containers, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Easter. Over 60 Yard Longs and much, much more." Conducted at Wayne County Fairgrounds, Belleville, MI.

For further information go to: www.showtimeauctions.com or call 734-676-9703

May 15, 2018

Morphy Auctions

Denver, PA 17517

Morphy auctions will be conducting an Advertising auction on May 15. Over 400 lots of exceptional antique advertising will be sold. For further information, go to www.morphyauctions.com or call 877-968-8880.

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.

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

Top Condition Sunset Trail Oval Cigar Tin-White version. To reply, click here.

Convention Hall Coffee Tin-One pound yellow version. 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.

 

Continental Cubes Tobacco Tin: (Larger pocket tin....one size above the normal size pocket). Also large red 3 lb. Franklin coffee tin canister (Ben Franklin face). To reply, click here .

 

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 .

 

Empty tin cans (new) to place vintage labels on. Different sizes preferred. Do you know of a source where these can be purchased in volume? 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 .

 

Walt Foster Art Books Store Floor Rack:  To reply, click here :

 

JG Flynt Sir Walter Raleigh Pocket Tin:  To reply, click here .

 

Vintage Photos of General Stores or Soda Fountains . Authentic 1890-1930 examples only--no modern reprints please. Mounted photo or RPPC. Interior or exterior. Send scan. To reply, click here .

 

Firecracker Packs:  Collector buying all old fireworks-packs, boxes, advertising, whatever. To reply, call 931-237-3646 or click here .

 

Lefkowitz & Sons Company Soda Fountain Collectables:  I am seeking any soda fountain product or equipment labeled "Lefkowitz".  To reply click here . 

 

Posters of Beautiful Women or Children Advertising a Drug Store or Country Store Product.  Pre-1930. Preferable with product shown in image. Original frame and good condition a plus--also NOS country store or drug store products, advertising of any kind, or any product with great graphics and full of contents a plus. To reply, click here .

 

Spice Tins WANTED!!   Hard core collector looking for brands I don't have and upgrades for ones I do have. Looking for good old spice tins with pictures. Birds, people, trains, etc. I have a few traders but mainly a buyer. To reply, click here . 

 

Minnesota Brewery Items including Hamm's, Grain Belt, Fitgers, Gluek and others. Also collect rare Minnesota advertising pieces. To reply, click here .

 

Vintage Baseball/Football Cards:  Pre-1970 Only To reply, click here .

 

Clicquot Club:  Lighted Clicquot Club advertising clock made by Telechron and Telechron lighted advertising clock.  To reply, click here .

 

Yellow Kid Wanted:  The more unusual,the better. To reply, click here .

 

Harvard Brewing Signs/Lithographs:  To reply, click here . 

 

Ivanhoe Pencil Tin:  Fair price and also finder's fee paid. Approx 1" diam, 9" long, blue in color, round, with picture of Ivanhoe on horseback. To reply, click here .

 

Noaker Ice Cream Company Canton, Ohio : 13" Round ice cream tray from "the Noaker Ice Cream Company Canton, Ohio" in good or better condition. It has the boy & girl eating ice cream on the front. To reply, click here .

 

B.T. Babbit Soap Advertisement Posters:  See Antique Advertising Encyclopedia (Vol. II) by Klug page 54 and 55. Condition is very important. To reply, click here .

 

DeLaval:  Tin advertising, give-aways and other collectibles produced by the company. 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 .

 

Heathman Bakery, Dayton, Ohio:  Interested in any items related to this business. To reply, click here .

 

Indianapolis Brewing Company Ephemera: Circa 1920. Specifically looking for signed documents. 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