Checkerboard

July 2024

• Attend the AAAA "Public Day" Sale on July 19
• Butte Creek Mill: Follow-Up
• A House Adorned: The Collection of Jerri & Dana Davis
• The Origins of Canned Foods
• Scarce Moxie Tintype
• Video: Abandoned Virginia General Store Time Capsule
• Wanted Items

The long wait is almost over! The annual AAAA Convention will take place this week in Dublin (Columbus), Ohio from Wednesday evening, July 17 until Saturday morning, July 20. Unfortunately, it is too late to register to attend the full convention but, if you live in the area, you are encouraged to participate in the FREE "Public Day" Sale that will take place on Friday, July 19 from 3:00 pm until 8:00 pm. Approximately 60 sellers are expected to open their rooms to you with thousands of antique advertising and other vintage items available for sale at all price points. No registration is necessary. Just stop by the Embassy Suites-Dublin at 5100 Upper Metro Place, Dublin, Ohio and have fun!

Last month's issue of the PastTimes featured the spectacular country store collection of Bob Russell in Eagle Point, Oregon. The back story included a tragic fire that consumed both his collection and the historic Butte Creek Mill in 2015. Because of Bob's pure grit, determination, expertise, and community support, both the collection and the Mill were fully resurrected.

A delightful and informative pair of videos, hosted on You Tube, were professionally produced to recount those heroic efforts. To view these videos, click on the buttons below. These dramatic videos will give you an opportunity to get to know the affable man, Bob Russell who had the power and vision to bring these historic treasures back to life. The second video repeats some of the material presented in the first video but moves beyond that to provide extra information later on.

It should also be noted that Bob's collection and the Butte Creek Mill were visited by Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz from the "American Pickers" during the rebuild. The visit was chronicled in a segment that appeared in the first episode of season 21 ("Picking through the Ashes", October 21, 2019). If you have access to those American Pickers reruns, you should definitely check it out.

The Butte Creek Mill continues to function as a vital component of the local community. On its web site, Butte Creek Mill is described as a place "where history meets heritage and tradition flourishes. Nestled in the heart of Southern Oregon, Butte Creek Mill stands as a timeless symbol of resilience and community spirit. For over a century, our historic mill has been a cornerstone of the region, serving as both a vital economic hub and a cherished cultural landmark. Since its establishment in 1872, Butte Creek Mill has been a beacon of craftsmanship, producing stone-ground flour and wholesome products that nourish both body and soul."

Visit the Butte Creek Mill's web site at www.buttecreekmill.com to learn more about this noble establishment. You will be very impressed! Since the fire, Butte Creek Mill has been operating as a Foundation that accepts donations to help further its cultural and historic objectives. To make a donation to Butte Creek Mill, go to: https://buttecreekmill.com/products/donate/

Bob's outstanding personal collection (see image below for a very limited sample), featured in the June issue of PastTimes, is located directly across from the Mill. Visits are permitted by chance or appointment. Bob can be reached at Rrussell1950@aol or 503-880-2147 to arrange a tour.

People differ greatly in how they display their collections. Some prefer to keep them out of public view, securely placed in drawers and cases that render them private. Others set aside a particular room or rooms in their residence where their goodies are secretly displayed, anxiously awaiting an exhibition for that special guest. Still others choose to openly live with their collections. They unabashedly place them on display throughout the home where they can be enjoyed every moment, every day. Jerri and Dana Davis clearly fall in the third group, as the charming photos reveal in the gallery below.  

Many collectors of vintage advertising focus their energies on paper-labeled tin cans that contained food products. Have you ever wondered how canned foods came about? History Facts, an online newsletter, recently published a very brief but informative article about the topic. If you'd like to learn more about the origins of the humble tin can, click here.

Very few tintype images of early Moxie signs have been published. This is particularly true of photos taken in outdoor settings. Tintypes are more commonly associated with indoor studio photographs of human subjects.

The 3 7/16" by 2 7/16" tintype image to the right appears to have been taken at some type of fair or outdoor event. Two Moxie signs, proximate to one another, can be seen to the right of the primary subject in the image. The signs seem to date from the late teens or early 1920's, based on the style of the Moxie logo. There is no information on the back of the tintype that might help identify the person or place captured in the image.

This is the latest instalment in our ongoing video series about general stores of yesteryear. This 15-minute You Tube video introduces the viewer to an abandoned retail establishment in Virginia. Unlike our more typical professionally-prepared videos with lively music, this one seems to fit the setting--raw and primitive. It features the dilapidated remains of a general store that probably dates to the early 20th century. The structure is a literal time capsule since the shelves are still filled with the goods that were left in place when the property was abandoned in the 1970's. Click the button below to join the colorful "tour guide" who will escort you through this forgotten general store as he pays homage to this vestige of the past.

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.

Santa Claus bar soap. Call 602 689-7779 or send email to goodfinds31@yahoo.com

"You Pay" Spinners Wanted. Colorful, early, tin litho only. Also known as "Who Pays" Spinners, "Your Turn" Spinners, etc. Used in drinking establishments to determine who pays for the next round. Please contact plefkov@gmail.com.

In search of Raven's Horse, Cattle & Poultry Food poster. Last sold Showtime Auction, April 2013. Dimensions: 13 1/2 x 21 1/2. Motivated buyer. Please call Ken Opengart at 256-520-5211 or email at kenopengart@gmail.com. To see a photo of the poster, click here.

US cigarette boxes, packs and wrappers from 1870-1935 wanted. Please text or email any you might have available for sale. Jon Canfield, joncanfield@gmail.com, 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, wirefence@att.net, 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. scross1@cox.net.

Philip Morris Tin & Porcelain Advertising Signs, thermometers, door push signs. Excellent to mint condition preferred. Daryl Crawford (804) 721-7294 or email drc4@msn.com

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 jcdvette@yahoo.com.

"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 jcdvette@yahoo.com.

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: yellowkid@tds.net.

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 jefflebo@aol.com.

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 matchbookholder@yahoo.com.

Cigarette Packs. Advanced collector looking to purchase vintage packs. Please contact Dheeraj by email: DHEERAJ.KHIYTANI@GMAIL.COM.

Donald Duck Goyer Coffee Cans; One pound can & 3 oz sample size in good condition with lids. Please send email with photos & prices to Jessica_l_Upton@yahoo.com.

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 victdelit@aol.com.

DeLaval Items and Farm Advertising Signs. Always looking for top quality and unique items. Contact Gregg Hillyer at hogs2gregg@aol.com.

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 cpeters2@sbcglobal.net.

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. Cemartinjr@comcast.net 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 pego1950@hotmail.com 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: cemartinjr@comcast.net.

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. mellisfamily@rcn.com To reply, click here.

Stock food, poultry food, veterinary advertising wanted. Posters, medicine packages, give-aways. Email kenopengart@gmail.com 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 jbarney@ameritech.net 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 DRelington@aol.com 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 k8pyd@breezelineohio.net 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 (plefkov@gmail.com) serves as the Editor of the AAAA Checkerboard. Copyright 2024, Antique Advertising Association of America.