Checkerboard

January 2024

• Registration for the 2024 AAAA Convention is NOW OPEN!
• Sometimes it's the Small Things that Keep Us Going
• C.D. Kenny Company
• The Tin Can Mystery
• The Secrets of Early Tin Lithography
• Fun Finds
• Wanted Items

Convention Registration

Registration to attend the 2024 AAAA Convention in Dublin Ohio is now open! The event will take place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton, 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, Ohio 43017 from July 17th – July 20th 2024. Phone 614-790-9000. We have some great events and lots of opportunity for room hopping and shopping (see itinerary below)! We look forward to seeing everyone there!

The convention registration fee is $95.00 per person, which includes all scheduled activities and one lunch and one dinner, along with Friday's lunch (compliments of the Will's at their home when you attend the tour, otherwise lunch will be on your own).

You can register online to attend the Convention by clicking the blue button below or you can print out a registration form to be mailed in with payment by clicking the red button immediately beneath it.

The deadline for Convention registration is June 18, 2024.

Hotel Accommodations and Reservations

IMPORTANT NOTICE! You must contact the hotel to make your reservations. AAAA will not do that for you this year. You can either click the green button below to make your arrangements online or follow the instructions immediately beneath it for calling the hotel.

The Hotel room rate is $139.00 per night plus taxes for a room with either one or two beds. Parking and Wi-Fi in your room are included at no extra cost. Hotel guests are treated to a luxurious, complimentary made-to-order breakfast buffet each morning (Monday through Friday - 6:30 am to 9:30 am, Saturday/Sunday - 7:00 am - 10:30 am). Registered guests are also invited to attend the hotel's Evening Reception each day from 5:30-7:00 pm that includes light snacks and up to two complementary alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.

To contact the Hotel directly for reservations, either call the Central Reservations Number: 1-800-220-9219 or the local number at 614-790-9000. Our Convention's Group Name is "Antique Advertising Association of America" and the Group Code is 91V.

Remember, you are responsible for making your own hotel reservations. The deadline is June 18, 2024 but be aware that rooms may no longer be available long before that date.

Volunteers Needed

Please email Marianne Wink at [email protected] if you would like to assist us with any of the following volunteer positions.

• We need 2-4 volunteers for the Wills' home tour on Friday July 19^th for serving Subway Sandwiches and drinks and clean-up during and after lunch.
• We need volunteers to take charge of the dinner raffle on Thursday July 18^th. This would include selling tickets at lunch that day and running the raffle at dinner.
• Volunteers are needed in the hospitality room for all days.
• We need 5 volunteers to each do a 1 hour shift on Friday July 19 for the Room Hopping Advertised to the Public. Hours are from 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
• We need several volunteers wiling to take photographs at one or more convention events for publication in our newsletters.

Convention Itinerary

Wednesday July 17^th

• 4:00 PM Check in hotel (front desk) and conference (hospitality room)
• 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm Room Hopping
• 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Evening Reception (for hotel guests). Light snacks and up to two alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
• Dinner on your own

Thursday July 18^th 

• 6:30 am - 9:30 am Made-to-Order Breakfast Buffet (for hotel guests)
• 9:30 am Business Meeting (All AAAA members are encouraged to attend)

• 10:00 am Seminar: "Political Advertising through the Years" presented by Jack Dixey. This presentation will shed light on the various forms of political advertising. In a presidential election year-what better?
• About the Presenter: Jack Dixey is the organizer and host of the annual convention for American Political Items Collectors (APIC), otherwise known as the Big Show. He has collected political memorabilia since he was 13. He has over a half a century of time involved in collecting political memorabilia and has been an active member of the American Political Item Collectors since 1968.

• 11:00 pm - 12:00 pm Room Hopping
• 12:00 pm AAAA Lunch (included in registration fee)
• 1:30 pm Seminar: “Brad’s Drink” presented by Scott Kinzie and Jerry Avery. This seminar is about Pepsi-Cola. We learned about Coca-Cola in the past two conventions, so now we will hear from the Pepsi side.
• About the Presenters: Scott Kinzie and Jerry Avery are your go-to experts for all things Pepsi. Scott is the President of the Pepsi-Cola Collector's Club, and has vast knowledge of Pepsi-Cola memorabilia, spanning the entire history of the brand and its additional products. Jerry sits on the Executive Board of the Pepsi-Cola Collector's Club. Jerry brings a wealth of information on Caleb Bradham and his pharmacies prior to Pepsi- Cola's invention. Scott and Jerry will be presenting an unforgettable journey through the world of Pepsi-Cola.
• 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm Room Hopping
• 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Evening Reception (for hotel guests). Light snacks and up to two alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
• 6:00 pm AAAA Banquet Dinner (included in registration fee) and Raffle
• 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Room Hopping

Friday July 19^th 

• 6:30 am - 9:30 am Made-to-Order Breakfast Buffet (for hotel guests)
• 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Tour offsite: “At home with Stacy and Desiree” Travel to the home of Stacy and Desiree Wills to enjoy their outstanding collections and gracious hospitality. Transportation is on your own or carpooling is recommended. Only 20 miles away. Address details to follow. Complimentary light lunch from Subway will be provided. See photos below.
• Note of Introduction from Stacy Wills: Hello everyone! I’m Stacy and this is my wife Desiree (see photo below) and we have the same affliction as all of you…..WE COLLECT. We are both in our sixties and I am still very active in my business, which is a heavy-duty towing company, along with a heavy haul trucking company, both of which run nationwide. Over the thirty years that Des and I have been together, we have collected Carnival Glass, coins, knives, and slot machines. Now, advertising is our main focus with pre-prohibition beer, cigars and whiskey representing our main interests. Desiree is a retired registered nurse who is a sounding board and consultant in most of my business and collecting decisions. The 30 years that we’ve been together have been the best years of our lives. This will be our first open house and I hope that we don’t disappoint you.

• 3:00 pm - 8: 00 pm Room Hopping Advertised to the Public
• 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Evening Reception (for hotel guests). Light snacks and up to two alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages.
• Dinner on your own



Saturday July 20^th 2024

• 6:30 am - 9:30 am Made-to-Order Breakfast Buffet (for hotel guests)
• 9:00 am Casual Brief Convention Wrap-up in the Breakfast Room

If you have any questions about the convention, please contact AAAA Convention Co-Coordinators John DeVolder and Marianne Wink at [email protected].

Wow!!! I love a great early salesman sample! 

Only 5 inches wide of dovetailed embossed beauty with advertising on all of its sides. This gorgeous cigar box is quite the spectacle! I love the clever front that reads "Our Fancy Embossed Cigar Boxes Have No Match" (photo, right) and the top of the lid with the name of the company that states "Sketches and Estimates furnished on application" (photo, below).

The inner lid showcases the skills that Sheip and Vandergrift possessed! The side of the box proclaims that they are the “Largest Cigar Box and Lumber Mills in the United States with the Capacity of 40 Million Feet Per Annum”. Although the company was based on Lawrence Street in Philadelphia, it had lumber mills in Tacoma, Virginia and Ceredo, West Virginia. I would say this salesman sample pre-dates 1900, judging from how it is manufactured and the attention that was paid to details.

Editor's Comment: This interesting and informative article was reprinted with permission from Bhamwiki (https://bhamwiki.com/w/index.php?title=C._D._Kenny_Co.&oldid=166381)

The C. D. Kenny Co. was a Baltimore, Maryland-based importer of tea and coffee founded by Cornelius David Kenny in 1872. The company roasted and sold its products, alongside sugar, baking soda, rice, Walter Baker's chocolates, and spices., at a chain of retail stores which spread across the South.

The company opened its first Alabama store at 214 20th Street North in late March 1891, with John T. Patton as manager. The interior was electrically lit and decorated with, "imported Chinese views on the walls." Coffee was ground for customers in the store. Kenny contributed a wagon to the grand parade of carriages processing across the newly-opened 21st Street Viaduct on July 4 of that year. The company regularly offered keepsake calendars and lithographs of holiday scenes as promotional items.

Patton died from an apparent heart attack at age 40 in 1901 and was succeeded by Martin Gleason. Kenny himself died in Baltimore in December 1902. The business passed to his second wife, Fannie, and was managed by her brother, Hamilton Fant, who was formally named president in 1930.

On December 28, 1904 C. D. Kenny's Birmingham store was damaged in a major fire which started at the nearby Reliance Restaurant. The business reported a nearly total loss of stock, estimated at $6,000, but was fully insured. The store reopened immediately in temporary quarters at 219 19th Street North, ready to take orders. The company opened a brand new store on April 1, 1905 at 319 20th Street North. By June another C. D. Kenny Store was opened at 1928 2nd Avenue North in Bessemer. In January 1910 Gleason was arrested and charged with embezzlement of $5,200 from the store. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, but on appeal the Alabama State Supreme Court ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish the facts of the crime. The scheduled re-trial was nolle prossed (dismissed) in 1913.

In October 1910 the downtown C. D. Kenny store moved to 1920 4th Avenue North with Harry Brumback as manager. In April 1915 the company rented the former J. C. Marks Liquor Co. space in the Victor Realty Building at 2024 2nd Avenue North. In 1916 the C. D. Kenny was operating a second downtown store at 330 18th Street North. That location closed in September 1918. The Bessemer store reopened at 214 19th Street North before 1928.

Hit hard by the Great Depression, the C. D. Kelly Company closed its retail stores in 1935. The company's Birmingham operations moved to a warehouse at 1629–1631 1st Avenue North, with all retail employees offered positions in the new business. The company continued to successfully import tea, coffee, sugar and spices for grocery stores and wholesale customers. It was acquired by Nathan Cummings' Consolidated Food Corporation of Chicago in 1939 and continues to operate as Sara Lee.

Products

• Teas
• Kenny's Special Ceylon
• Kenny's Extra Flowery Pekoe
• Kenny's "Che-on"
• Ko-Ko
• Yum-Yum Chops
• Coffees
• Java & Mocha blend
• Kenny's Special Blend
• Miami Blend (distributed to grocery stores)
• Norwood Coffee (distributed to grocery stores)
• Radiant Coffee (wholesale)

References

• "C. D. Kenny" (March 28, 1891) The Birmingham News, p. 2
• "Found Him Dead" (October 5, 1901) The Birmingham News, p. 8
• "Trial of Gleason Going on Slowly" (September 14, 1910) The Birmingham News, p. 2
• "Case Against Martin Gleason Nolle Prossed." (April 16, 1913) The Birmingham News, p. 15
• "C. D. Kenny Co. Rents Victor Realty Building" (April 8, 1915) The Birmingham News, p. 4
• "Kenny Company Changes Field" (September 30, 1935) The Birmingham News, p. 16

Gallery

Below are images of a small sampling of the products and promotional items produced by this innovative company:

The practice of applying "new-old" vintage food (and other) labels from the early and mid-century 20th century on newly manufactured tin cans is widespread. Brand-new tin cans are readily available for this purpose. This practice is not, in and of itself, objectionable unless the newly manufactured tin can is represented as vintage.

However, there is one particular type of tin can, pictured to the right, that poses a mystery. Often found looking new and shiny underneath a new-old paper label, it is easy to question the age of the can. In fact, in some cases, the cans are unfairly written off as newly manufactured.

A recent discovery made by Steve Lefkovitz, AAAA President, makes it clear that some, and more likely, all of those particular cans are indeed vintage. Below are three photos of a National Can Corporation shipping carton filled with those particular tins. The carton and the cans inside can be attributed to the 1930's or 40's.

Therefore, at least some of these particular cans sporting old labels are the "real deal". The labels were added as part of the original manufacturing process and they are true objects of antiquity. However, given that these tin cans are also circulating without labels, it is possible that at least some of them are acquiring their vintage labels in modern, contemporary times. Differentiating between fully original examples and those with recently applied "new-old" labels seemingly requires a discerning judgement call, based on overall appearance of both the can and the label. Caveat emptor.

Many refer to Victorian chromolithography as a "lost art", particularly in reference to tin containers and signs. While that characterization is likely accurate, descriptions of the process were, in fact, documented prior to the commencement of the 20th century.

Once such account was offered on an early Victorian-era trade card produced by Burdick & Son, a prominent manufacturer of tin containers and signs (see photos of front and back below). Of particular note is the fact that this trade card was printed on tin in addition to the usual heavy paper stock. Check out the detailed description of the lithographic process provided on the back of the card below.

Burdick & Son Trade Card (Front)

Burdock & Son Trade Card (Back)

Editor's Comment: The information for this article was provided to AAAA by Jack Ford. He reports that Rick Munoz gave him one of these fascinating tin trade cards when Jack taught stone lithography. Our thanks go to both Jack and Rick, who are both members of AAAA, for helping to enlighten us.

AAAA members continue to make awesome discoveries in their ongoing quests. Here are the latest examples that have been brought to our attention:

Robert and Mary Ann Ray were delighted to add the J. Hungerford Smith Co. poster (photo below) to their outstanding collection of vintage signage. This colorful piece captures the spirit of the age. J. Hungerford Smith is generally recognized as the most respected publisher of vintage soda fountain advertising signage.

The Rays also recently acquired the wonderful vintage items pictured below for their delightful general store collection.

Warren and Jill Schimpff continue to add new acquisitions to their unbelievable Candy Museum. Pictured below is a 3 pound "Field Confections" hard candy tin from Marshall Fields in Chicago. Warren noted, "We knew that Fields had a candy kitchen there and that they made chocolate mints, but did not realize the extent to which they made other confectionery. It blew our minds and, being from Chicago, we found it especially interesting!"

If you are ever in the Louisville, Kentucky area, you should definitely visit Schimpff's Confectionery in Jeffersonville, Indiana (just north of Louisville). Warren and Jill are its owners. The establishment has been in continuous operation since 1891. They sell oodles of sweet delights, have a 1950's-style food and soda counter, conduct live demonstrations of the candy-making process, and provide free access to their free, world-class candy museum. For more information, go to: schimpffs.com.

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.

US cigarette boxes, packs and wrappers from 1870-1935 wanted. Please text or email any you might have available for sale. Jon Canfield, [email protected], 917-841-0275.

Pre-1885 advertising items related to barbed wire and farm fences. I am interested in primary material. Let me know if you have any items including illustrated catalogs, wire company published newspapers, illustrated postal covers and letterheads, flyers, signs, salesman samples, patent models or anything else related to my specific wants. Larry W. Love, [email protected], 214-497-6787

Bulldog tobacco oval-top tin. Convention Hall coffee tin (Ridenour-Baker Kansas City) any variation. Big Horn 1 lb or 3 lb coffee tin. [email protected].

Philip Morris Tin & Porcelain Advertising Signs, thermometers, door push signs. Excellent to mint condition preferred. Daryl Crawford (804) 721-7294 or email [email protected]

Justrite Pet Foods. The Justrite Company General Office was located in Milwaukee WI. A National Account. Advertising, displays, signs, tins, boxes all with logo on it. Most would come from the 1930s through 1950s. Thanks for the help… Gordon Addington. To reply, click here.

Old Topper Brewery Calendar of the late 1940s featuring a pin up artist nude in large format wanted. Always seeking any Rochester Brewery memorabilia. John DeVolder 585-697-4047 or [email protected].

"Jenny" Genesee Brewing Company's girl of the 1950s. Seeking cardboard point of sale-and other items that feature Jenny, who had a ten-year run from 1953 to 1963. Also interested in any cardboard point of sale items from the 1930s through the 1950s from any of the Rochester Breweries. John DeVolder 585-697-4047 or [email protected].

Coca-Cola 24" button porcelain sign with bottle in center. Want several in as close to mint condition as possible. Call 336-970-9867.

Books on Oil & Gas Collectibles. Also looking for books on signs. Call 336-970-9867.

Yellow Kid wanted: 50 year collector looking for the unusual. Reply to: [email protected].

Pedal Cars: Photos, postcards, calendars, catalogs and advertising related to pedal cars. To reply, click here.

Beer cans, soda cans, beer and soda tin-over-cardboard signs, cork-backed bottle caps, key-wind coffee cans, quart oil cans. Please email Jeff Lebo at [email protected].

Pedal car related items. To reply, click here.

Matchbook holders. To know what these are, see my articles in Checkerboard

for Nov. 2020 and May 2021. I will consider all items, in any material from plastic to gold, and not necessarily with advertising. Email Andy at [email protected].

Cigarette Packs. Advanced collector looking to purchase vintage packs. Please contact Dheeraj by email: [email protected].

Donald Duck Goyer Coffee Cans; One pound can & 3 oz sample size in good condition with lids. Please send email with photos & prices to [email protected].

Morimura Brothers (Japanese import company operating in NYC from 1880-1941) advertising items wanted: trade cards, pamphlets, catalog pages, salesman sample pages, porcelain items with advertising. To reply email at [email protected].

DeLaval Items and Farm Advertising Signs. Always looking for top quality and unique items. Contact Gregg Hillyer at [email protected].

Antique advertising pertaining to country store or drug store products or places. Especially those showing women or girls with the product or location shown. I would consider any  antique advertising (paper, cardboard & metal signs). Quality a plus! Dale Peterson at [email protected].

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. 

Banjo related advertising wanted Pre-1940s. Long time collector buying banjo company signage, catalogs, billheads, periodicals, minstrel banjo items such as posters, broadsides, sheet music (pre-1870s) with illustrated banjo covers, early photographs showing banjo players (pre-1915). My main collecting interest is in 19th century material. To reply, click here.

"Antique American Medicine Bottles" by M. Knapp... soft cover book with price guide. Printed in 2012. [email protected] or 781-248-8620. Also, see my other want ad for Clarke’s ephemera and bottles.

Looking for 3 Vintage Tins. American Eagle "Oriental Mixture" tobacco (dimensions approx. 6.5" long, 2.75" wide, 1.5" tall); 1 Gal. Indian Head Hydraulic Brake Fluid; and Packham´s Caramel Toffee. Any offer is welcome and any condition considered. To reply, click here.

Morton Salt, older items, and also Pacific Coast Borax, especially a crate or box. Email [email protected] or call Peggy Dailey 612-522-9211.

Comic Book-Related Advertising Items: Must be from before 1980. To reply, click here.

Clarke’s Vegetable Sherry Wine Bitters, Sharon, MA & Rockland, ME: All sizes, variants, smooth/pontil base. Especially need labeled Clarke’s any size! Also, any Clarke’s ephemera…trade cards, almanacs, newspaper ads, etc. Charlie Martin Jr., 781-248-8620. Email: [email protected].

George Petty: Advanced collector looking for unique or rare items. Photo’s, store displays and non paper items. NO Esquire pages. Pete Perrault. To reply, click here or call (502) 290-7661.

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

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

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-1940s - American, Zig Zag, Braunstein Freres, Bambino, and Ottoman papers wanted. To reply, click here.

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

VITAMINS advertising, displays, signs, bottles, and anything related: Hadacol is an example. Most would come from the 1930s thru the 1970s. 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.

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 2023, Antique Advertising Association of America.